Japanese-style Garden Japanese-style Hotel "Ryokan" What is a Ryokan?   How to choose a Ryokan Okami, the Landlady The Fee System & Prices   Photo Gallery     Origins and History of the Japanese Ryokan (PDF)     The wonders of Japanese Architecture & the Japanese Garden (PDF)     An Invitation to the Profound Taste of Japanese Cuisine (PDF)   Now You Stay in a Ryokan Receiving Guests   Prelude to Relaxation   To Your Guestroom   Guestrooms of the Ryokan   After Settled Down in Guestroom   Japanese-style Garden Onsen, Hot Springs   Open-air Hot Spring Bath   Private Open-air Hot Spring Bath   Yukata   Dinner   Massage & Esthetic Treatment   Comfortable Slumber   Breakfast   Checking-out     How to use Chopsticks (PDF)     The four Seasons and the Seasonal Calendar of the Japanese Ryokan (PDF)     Glossary of Terms Related to the Japanese Ryokan (PDF)   How to enjoy staying at a RYOKAN   Ryokan Experience by Expatriates     Japanese-style Garden A garden of a Japanese ryokan After relaxing for a while in the guestroom, slip on geta (traditional wooden clogs) or zori and step into the garden of the ryokan. The garden of a Japanese ryokan features seasonal trees and flowers, with natural stones and sand carefully arranged to produce diverse scenic expressions. In some gardens, water is incorporated ingeniously in the form of ponds with Nishikigoi carp (colored carp) swimming majestically, or gently murmuring small streams and waterfalls. The ryokan's Japanese-style garden forms an integral part of Japanese-style architecture. Traditional architectural techniques and the art of landscape gardening are merged to create a single scenery. Many gardens are in the 'karesansui' (dry landscape garden) style, where hills and rivers are depicted without using water. Water is expressed by the patterns made in gravel, and the garden is portrayed as a sansui-ga (landscape painting). Traditional Japanese footwear such as geta made of wood, or zori made of straw or bamboo, are provided for the guests when walking inside the ryokan or taking strolls nearby. The wonders of Japanese Architecture & the Japanese Garden(PDF: 0.9 MB) 'Geta' wooden clogs   Stepping stones leading to the teahouse   A guestroom and a garden           'Karesansui' style   A glimpse of the fine arts rooted in Japanese culture   < Last | Next >