Remember when you were younger and you used to do all sorts of wild and crazy shit?  Perhaps I’ve been hit by a wave of nostalgia, but I suddenly miss the good ol’ days when up was down, down was up and I didn’t know in which direction my ass was headed.

Last night I went to a sayonara party for my mate, Stef, who is leaving Japan to go spend the next few months touring New Zealand by bicycle.  He was telling me and my other mate that in his group of friends we were among the only few that actually supported his journey as being worthy and not a sign of his impending insanity.

What happened to us all?  Since when did an exciting trip around New Zealand and an opportunity to find yourself become something that others would look at skeptically and speak about in hushed tones as soon as your back was turned?  When did we get old?  When did we stop living, or in some of our cases stop creating all out carnage?

Shite, I remember the time when a group of us got together and jumped off a 70 foot train trestle into the river below without batting an eyelid.  Or, that one time at band camp when … you get the point.

Props out to my mate Stef.  I applaud him for the journey he is about to go on and for also hopefully reminding the rest of us cheeky bastards that life is meant to be lived not just sloughed through day by day.  So here’s my open challenge to all – get out there and start tearin some shit up like you did when you were younger.  Cut loose and don’t worry about the improprieties for at least a few hours.  Have a few too many beers and find yourself in a Japanese fish packing plant at 1 in the morning.

Standard Ryokan
A standard ryokan offers guests a basic, “no-frills” version of a Japanese ryokan. The building is usually a plain, concrete building and it looks more like a small inn or hotel than a Japanese ryokan. Inside a standard ryokan there is little traditional atmosphere or character, and while the rooms are Japanese-style they are very plain and simple. A standard ryokan is a ryokan experience “on the cheap,” a ryokan experience without the usually higher ryokan prices found in other traditional or modern-style ryokans.

Modern Ryokan
From the outside, a modern ryokan usually looks like a small hotel and indeed it has all the modern conveniences of a hotel. It is very comfortable and has Japanese-style rooms and baths. It is well maintained so both its interior and exterior look fairly new. There is some traditional Japanese atmosphere but there is little or no history to the place. It is close to a Japanese-style hotel but with touches of traditional Japanese culture here and there. The comfort of the guests is the number one priority, and the Japanese cultural experience takes second place.

Traditional Ryokan
A traditional ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn in the truest sense of the term. The owners take great pride in preserving the building’s traditional atmosphere and history. Indeed, the preservation of the ryokan in its original form is deemed more important than catering to the comfort of the guests. Staying in a traditional ryokan would be like staying in a European castle – wonderful atmosphere but at the expense of hotel-style comfort. The Japanese-style rooms and baths are comfortable but they can be dark and drafty. The hallways are also gloomy and there may be few modern conveniences. The building is made entirely of wood and there is usually a beautiful, traditional Japanese garden.

Luxurious Ryokan
A luxurious ryokan has a long history, traditional atmosphere, and the owners pamper their guests with comfort and all the modern conveniences. The owners and staff go out of their way to make sure the guests are treated like royalty; in other words, Japanese hospitality at its finest. The Japanese-style rooms and baths are very comfortable, and the traditional, “kaiseki-style” meals are outstanding. The ryokan is made entirely of wood and there is also a beautiful Japanese-style garden. Luxurious ryokans are very expensive and usually located in the major hot spring and tourist areas.

Ryokan Hotel
From the outside, a ryokan hotel looks like a normal hotel and when a guest enters the building the lobby is like a hotel lobby. A ryokan hotel also has such amenities as a karaoke room, a bar, a gift shop / convenience store, a coffee shop, and a restaurant. The ryokan hotel is brightly lit and very comfortable. The only real difference between a hotel and a ryokan hotel is the ryokan hotel has Japanese-style rooms and baths but there may also be Western-style rooms. Guests can also often choose between having Western or Japanese-style meals.

Here are some other types of accommodation.  These are not true ryokans but they offer a genuine traditional Japanese cultural experience:

Minshuku
A minshuku is usually a small, wooden, Japanese-style building. The building is generally not very big, and the rooms are Japanese-style but not as large as the rooms in Japanese ryokans. While the building and rooms are usually clean and comfortable, the rooms and hallways can sometimes be dark and a bit drafty. A minshuku tries to project a “homey” atmosphere and guests are served home-style Japanese cooking. Minshukus are generally inexpensive and the owners pride themselves on their friendly, personalized service.

Buddhist Temple
A great way to experience traditional Japanese culture is by staying at a Buddhist Temple. The most popular places are on Mount Koya (Wakayama Prefecture) and in Kyoto. Temple lodging is known in Japanese as “shukubo” and while the style of accommodation can sometimes be basic the cuisine is often very, very good. The temple monks serve what is known as “shojin ryori” which is vegetarian cuisine, and at many temples guests are also welcome to attend the early morning prayer ceremonies.

“Gassho-Zukuri” (traditional thatched gable roof houses)
The “gassho-zukuri” are located primarily in Shirakawago, Gifu Prefecture and Gokayama, Toyama Prefecture. This style of traditional Japanese architecture means “praying hands.” This comes from the shape of the roof which is thought to resemble two hands clasped in Buddhist prayer. The steep roof is designed to prevent snow piling up on the roof, and it also keeps the inside relatively cool in summer. Another feature is no pegs or nails are used in their construction. and many contain “irori” (Japanese hearths) in the main central area. The smoke from these hearths permeate throughout the gassho-zukuri and have darkened the walls and wood over the years. Traditionally, the smoke was used to keep the silkworms warm (these buildings were used to raise silkworms for making silk and the silkworms were raised in frames in the upper levels of the building). The smoke is also essential to provide a protective coating for the pine and chestnut pillars and beams against insects. Warning: the gassho-zukuri are clean and comfortable but primitive, rustic accommodation. The gassho-zukuri can be dark, gloomy, and drafty. All bathing and toilet facilities are shared, and local home-style cuisine is provided to the guests.

A typical ryokan is an Japanese-style inn. Like a Western-style inn, maintaining the special, atmosphere and appearance is more important than providing the latest modern conveniences. A ryokan is for travellers who wish to experience Japanese culture and enjoy the comforts of Japanese hospitality and service.

There are, of course, many different styles of ryokans and the Ryokan Styles post will help explain them.

 

A Brief History of Japanese Ryokans

Ryokans have been a part of Japanese culture for centuries. Some of the earliest ryokans were (and some still are) located on the Tokaido Highway which connected the capital city of Edo (current day Tokyo) and the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. It was a very busy highway as samurai, traders, and others made their way between the two popular destinations in the country. Ryokans were built to welcome these weary travellers who needed to rest before continuing on their long journey. Some ryokans were very simple and offered extra rooms in their homes for travellers while others were more elaborate and served the higher ranks of the government. In any case the owners worked hard to make their guests feel as welcome as possible as they still do today.

Inside a Ryokan Guest Room

 

 

 

A typical ryokan guest room contains:

 

 

• the “agari-kamachi” (after opening the door guests step into this small area and take off their shoes)
• “shoji” (sliding paper doors) which separates the agari-kamachi from the room
• “tatami” mat flooring (reed floor matting)
• low wooden tables
• “zabuton” (sitting cushions)
• futon (sleeping quilts)
• a “tokonoma” (an ornamental alcove built into the wall used for placing flower vases and hanging scrolls)
• an “oshiire” (a closet for futon sleeping quilts)
• an “engawa” (a glass enclosed sitting area separated from the room by a shoji)

Ryokan Buildings

Many ryokans are composed of different buildings such as:

• “Honkan” (original building)
• “Shinkan” or “Bekkan” (secondary or annex buildings)

Experiencing a Ryokan – is it for you?

Staying at a typical ryokan is a traditional Japanese cultural experience, and it is not like staying at a Western-style hotel. For example ryokans do not have central heating and in the winter this means you will be staying in a room with a portable heater (kerosene, gas, electric). While your room may be heated, your private bathroom (if you have one) will probably not have a separate heater. In the summer time, your room may have an air conditioning unit but again your private bathroom (if you have one) will probably not have one. Many ryokan owners wish to preserve the traditional atmosphere of their ryokan, and this means maintaining old fashioned heating systems in order to preserve the traditional architecture, design, and atmosphere of the ryokan. If you prefer to sleep in a double room with twin queen-size beds and have: a full modern bathroom, carpeted rooms, perfect room temperature, insulated silence, the latest high tech gadgets, and every member of the staff speaking fluent English then a ryokan might not be for you. However, if you wish to see, taste, touch, and feel traditional Japanese culture then a night at a typical ryokan is just the thing for you. While most of the staff at ryokans speak very little English, this authenticity adds to the experience. Ryokans are only available in Japan and it is an experience not to be missed.

Prices

Ryokans charge per guests and not per room. The average price of a one night stay at most ryokans is about 15,000 yen per guest plus tax. For example, if there are two of you traveling together, this means a total of 30,000 yen per night plus tax. If you are staying at a ryokan with an “onsen” (hot spring baths), then there is an additional onsen tax of 150 yen per guest per night. The prices of many ryokans range from about 7,000 yen to 110,000 yen per guest plus tax. At a ryokan some of the following factors determining prices are:

• room size
• room location
• room view (a view of a river, a view of a Japanese garden, etc.)
• room facilities (indoor hot spring bath, outdoor hot spring bath, etc.)
• day of the week
• season and holiday season
• number of guests
• meal(s) served and so on

Payment

Your payment will most likely need to be made in cash (Japanese yen) unless otherwise stated. Some ryokans do accept credit card (of course different ryokans accept different credit cards) though Japan is still a cash society so please be prepared to pay your bill in cash. The most widely accepted credit cards are VISA and MasterCard while American Express and others are not accepted as much.

     These are just a few of the websites that you can use to arrange for your hotel.  www.hotwire.com, www.travel.rakuten.co.jp/en, www.japanlifestyle.com/au, www.japanhotelsonline.net, www.hotels.com, www.jcha.or.jp/english/ or www.japaneseguesthouses.com.  I personally like www.hotwire.com, because when I recently visited Toronto, Canada, I was able to use Hotwire to book a hotel room at a 4star hotel in Downtown, Toronto, for more than 50% less than the normal room rate.  That’s the kind of savings that you don’t want to miss out on.

     For people who have moved to Japan you really have 3 basic choices.  First, if you’ve arranged a homestay in Japan then you are basically already set because your homestay family will meet you at the airport and bring you back to their house.  If you aren’t doing a homestay then you can either stay in a hotel or short-term guest house until you find an apartment, or you can stay in company housing and then later find an apartment.

     I would recommend going with option 2.  Let your company do all the work for you in the beginning, so that when you arrive in Japan you won’t have to think about housing at all.  Stay in the company housing for a few months and use that time to locate your long-term apartment using a Japanese Real Estate agent.

     In my next Post I’ll explain how to find Japanese Real Estate agents, and I’ll explain the process of applying for and renting an apartment in Japan.  The process is very similar to in the USA or Canada, but there are a few differences and a few hidden costs that you need to know about.

Depending upon where you are flying from you will most likely have to fly into Narita Airport which is located about a 40 minute train ride East of Tokyo.  The airport code for Narita is NRT.  The first thing I like to do whenever I decide to fly somewhere is to get an idea of the average cost of the flight I’m looking at taking.  I have found that www.sidestep.com is a great site for this purpose.  Simply enter your search information and Sidestep searches 40 to 50 airfare related websites all-at-once.  It will even give you the option of adding other top rated sites like www.travelocity.com, www.orbitz.com, www.airfare.com, and www.expedia.com to your search with the simple click of a button.

Once you have an idea of the average cost it’s just a matter of checking Sidestep’s Best Fares calendar to see if there is a day with a price that’s lower than the average.   The price quoted by Sidestep almost always includes all the airport fees and fuel surcharges.  When you are ready to book your ticket Sidestep will directly link you to the airline’s website and you will actually end up buying your ticket from the airline itself.

In my next Post I’ll walk you through what you need to do once you arrive at Narita Airport, how you get from the Airport into Tokyo, or alternatively how to get over to Yokohama’s Haneda Airport to catch your connecting flight to Okinawa or Hokkaido.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/09/japan.earthquake/

In 4 and a half years I’ve been through a number of quakes, but last night’s was the first that actually sent me hi-tailing it outta the building.  Anyway, I eventually got to sleep only to be woken up by the rain … the wonderful sound of torrential typhoon strength rain beating down on the rooftop of my Danchi and waking me up at 5 in the morning.  They (being the Japanese meteorologists) say that we’re officially finished with the rainy season, but the CrazyGaijin says “wrong boys it doesn’t seem to have stopped yet!”  Hmm, maybe I’ll see if I can get those nice fellas over at NHK weather to hook me up with a part-time gig playing tarot card weather forecasting.

I eventually ventured outside between the intermittent downpours to make my way to work.  On the way I saw another one of those mini-cars I’ve been seeing so much of lately.  Swiftly grabbing my camera I documented the moment for all.  Check it out.

Now, exactly how many clowns do you think could

fit into that thing?

I arrived at Narita Airport on June 2, 2005 (the beginning of the dreaded rainy season), made my way by rickshaw to the tawdry, ramshackle old fishing village outside of Yokohama, to which I still call home.  Yes, it is now 2009, and yes I’m sure that you’re wondering “what, o, what has that Crazy Gaijin been up to for the last 4 plus years, and why has he decided to start writing now?”

That’s a twofold question which of course requires a twofold answer.  I’ve been up to all sorts of tomfoolery and hijinks over the last 4 plus years.  Perhaps someday I will delve into and regale you with those tales, but I have just, at this very instant, made the monumental decision (here’s the second fold) NOT to go backwards to tell this tale.  No, I would much rather make this forward looking as opposed to retrospective.

I will leave you there then … on the doorstep looking in as it were, as the Crazy Gaijin tumbles down the rabbit hole and awakens 4 and a half years later to begin his journey and to tell his tale.