01 Cover - Audley Travel

Ryokans ofJapanNick Coates, Audley’s Asia Programme Manager, tells ofhis passion for Japan’s traditional inns.My favouriteplaces to stayin Japan haveno restaurants, nolobby, no bellmenand no fitness orbusiness centres.12You are hardly aware of anymodern convenience as you step in tothe ryokans of yesteryear, traditionalJapanese houses, where you areattended to by staff whose overridingmission is to care for you andseemingly you alone. This ishospitality the Japanese way, tendedto with dignity and warmth. Thereare no rough edges or displays ofgrandeur, only silence, tranquillityand total peace.I recently had the opportunity tostep in to the serenity of two suchhistoric ryokan. These inns are not‘contracted’ by the larger touroperators, either here or in Japan,the prospect of such mass tourismfills the discerning owners with horror.This is the traditional Japan of old,business being conducted betweentrusted colleagues, regular guestsand a handful of new friends.The Tawaraya in Kyoto was firstestablished by the Okazaki family inthe first decade of 18th Century, itwas originally intended to be anovernight base for textile merchants.Since then it has been managed bythe same family, with the presentowner, Mrs Okazaki Satow, the 11thgeneration keeper of what is nowone of the most prestigious ryokananywhere in Japan. Guests sleep onfuton bedding spread on Tatami mat,thick springy floor matting, and areserved by smiling maidservants inneat kimonos, who flutter downcorridors in a Japanese wonderlandof sliding doors and private gardens.Although the Tawaraya has(somewhat apologetically) televisionsin every room, it was the visitorsbook alone that was my entertainmentfor the first evening. More recentguests include Arthur Miller, Robert