Richly illustrated and exhaustively researched, Japanese Inns & Hot Springs is the definitive guide to Japanese spas and hot springs known as ryokans. It presents the finest ryokans in Japan, from historic properties like Hiiragiya in Kyoto and Kikkaso in Hakone, to luxury retreats like Zaborin in Hokkaido and Tenku-no-Mori in Kyushu.

In this Japan travel guide with a difference you will find:

The 40 best Japanese ryokan and onsens for English-speaking visitors (including 13 in the Tokyo area and 11 around Kyoto and Nara)

A description of the special features of each ryokan and what is included in your stay

Tips on how to choose the right ryokan for you

Practical advice on how to book a stay and a detailed etiquette guide.

Above all else this ryokan guide reveals the enduring traditions of Japanese hospitality, a rich heritage reaching back a thousand years to the time when Japan’s hot spring bathing culture took root. The beautiful properties in this book also illustrate the unique design sensibility for which Japan is so justly renowned. Indispensable tips on how to reach each property by train, bus, and taxi are provided along with a detailed etiquette guide to staying at a ryokan and bathing in an onsen, as well as descriptions of the special features of each of the inns featured.

More etiquette advice-e.g., never step on a tatami mat while wearing shoes or slippers-is found in Japanese Inns and Hot Springs by Rob Goss, with photos by Akihiko Seki, which highlights 40 traditional ryokan (inns) and onsen (hot springs). Goss, a British travel writer and longtime Tokyo resident, says his goal is to guide English speakers to a traditional Japanese experience. This can be hard to come by, he says, in a country where the hospitality industry can be polite to a fault, trying so hard to make foreigners feel comfortable that the majority of hotels are indistinguishable from those back home.

Publishers Weekly

If you’re looking for a legit awesome ryokan - check out the book Japanese Inns and Hot Springs for more ideas and where some of the prettiest ones are located. -Lisa Ng,This Beautiful Day