(Japan)...Japanese spa hotels, or ryokans, are wonderful things. The rooms are spare but peaceful. Eight mats in a uniform grid pattern surround a low table, where green tea is served on arrival. An anteroom, or sunroom, is behind it, which is narrower but usually situated by a large window overlooking a classical Japanese garden. It contains another low table, often with a sunken pit so legs can dangle comfortably, and some rugs for warmth. Little spoils the walls. A yakuta, or summer kimono, is neatly placed on a low chair. These are what guests wear while in attendance at the single-sex onsen, or hot baths, and at dinners served by staff also wearing kimonos, which are probably more elegant than guests’. Dinners last several hours and involve multiple dishes. Those able to sit cross-legged for extended periods—not your author—fare better. This is all a wonderful entry into Japanese culture, and recently I found a small hotel chain, Hoshinoya that has tried to mix this traditional way of life with more Westernized traits. For instance, shoes are allowed in most of the public areas (but not the guest rooms), and there is a choice of Japanese, continental and American breakfasts. All said, its hotels—including two hotels planned to open in Mount Fuji and Okinawa—still retain a decidedly Japanese feel.
The Hoshinoya hotel in Kyoto is a dream. Approximately 290 miles west of Tokyo in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto (many of this famed city’s shrines and bamboo glades are in this area), the hotel is accessed by boat from the Oigawa River. A narrow road does go there, too, but the gate to the hotel is blocked, and guests may get the distinct feel of being transported to another world. Children under 12 years old are not permitted. The guest rooms feel Japanese, but there are Western beds and not the usual Japanese futon-style beds that replace the dining table after dinner is finished. Quite often ryokans have poor bathrooms, as guests rarely use these, preferring the communal hot springs that have full washing facilities as well as a cultural immersion (pun intended) that is hard to beat. The hotel itself has 25 rooms that are laid out along a single path of pools, waterfalls and greenery. A common lounge has a public computer, Wi-Fi access, books, coffee and sofas. Guests also have the opportunity to attend tea and incense ceremonies, dressed of course in the yakuta. Small, hidden dining rooms provide another Japanese infusion, and the regional menu does contain some Western hints. The main goal here, though, is just to relax. Temminck’s cormorant, American wigeon, Common pochard and Eastern spot-billed ducks patrol the river, seen from all rooms, or at least they do in February. On the outside of the small front gate and up the hill is the Daihikaku Senkoji temple, built by Suminokura Ryoi, a rich merchant, in the 16th Century. It was closed when I was there, but supposedly the views of Kyoto from it are superb.
The other Hoshinoya hotel is close to the small city of Karuizawa, 100 miles northwest of Tokyo. In winter, the hotel acts as a skiing resort and caters more to families. At this Hoshinoya hotel, everyone is allowed. Indeed, there is even a children’s playroom off the long, thin lounge, which contains books, sofas, coffee and regularly resupplied cookies. The dining room here is larger and has those sunken pits for ease of sitting. Meals here were decidedly Japanese. The hotel’s grounds are sprawling, attractive and surround the 77 villas for 231 guests. Staff row across the large pool to light floating lanterns, and the artificial but pretty waterways generate 30 percent of the resort’s power. A path leads down to an onsen that is free for guests but also used by locals and other vacationers.
One particularly wonderful activity here is stargazing. Guests are driven to a point high in the hills (the area is a nature preserve famed for its birdlife and bears are known, too) where they bury themselves into thick sleeping bags laid on a fancy, round cot and are given binoculars and a hot-water bottle. The hardest thing might be not falling asleep. A guide points out the firmament’s constellations, armed with an iPad for those who cannot find Andromeda, Cassiopeia and Orion, etc. When I visited, both Venus and Jupiter shone brightly, and a telescope showed three of Saturn’s moons. When I traipsed back to this spot in the morning, the stars were gone, but in its place was a tremendous view of Mount Asama, an active volcano that caused a little damage in 2009. Both the Hoshinoya hotels are idyllic escapes and well recommended. Both can be reached by Japan’s famous bullet trains. I loved the fact that on these (and this is probably a common occurrence throughout polite Japan) the conductors and food-cart vendors turn around when they reach the end of the carriage and bow to the passengers who they are about to leave behind.