While Kyoto has always been among the nation’s top travel destinations, the surge in inbound tourism is creating overtourism woes in a city where the travel infrastructure isn’t on the same large scale as Tokyo or Osaka.
But in addition to some unpleasant side effects stemming from Kyoto’s sky-high popularity with overseas visitors, the city’s tourism scene is now also being affected by certain aspects of the traditional Japanese travel experience that foreign tourists are less enthusiastic about.
With Kyoto being considered the heart of classical Japanese culture, many visitors to the city opt to stay in ryokan, Japanese-style inns. Ryokan don’t just offer classical accommodations, though, they usually offer in-room meals as well, and the orthodox plan is to book a package that includes dinner for each night you’re staying, along with breakfast the following morning. Ryokan meals, especially dinner, are typically served in-room and feature a wide array of traditional dishes such as grilled fish and nimono (simmered meats and vegetables), with the exact fare chosen by the chef.
▼ Nimono
Many ryokan take great pride in their food, with some becoming as famous for their cuisine as their guestrooms. However, some Kyoto ryokan are paring back their meal offerings, and some abolishing them entirely, following lukewarm receptions from foreign travelers.
That might seem odd, considering that Japanese food has never been more popular internationally than it is now, and that “eat Japanese food” is almost always one of the first answers tourists give when asked what they want to do in Japan. However, many of the most popular Japanese dishes overseas, like ramen, curry rice, or wagyu steak, aren’t usual components of ryokan dining. Sushi is also rarely part of a ryokan meal, and even sashimi is usually a minor side dish, not the main focus, especially at ryokan in far-from-the-coast locations like Kyoto.
In other words, there’s sometimes a sizable gap between the kind of Japanese food that foreign travelers envision when they book a with-meals ryokan package and the Japanese food that they’re actually served. The expectations-versus-reality discrepancy is probably particularly large at ryokan in Kyoto, since many of the foods the city is famous for among Japanese travelers, such as yudofu (simmered tofu) or dishes made with locally sourced Kyo-yasai (Kyoto-grown vegetables) feature subtle seasoning and delicate flavors. This is leading to cases of large portions of meals going uneaten, foreign travelers attempting to cancel their meal reservations mid-stay (despite the ryokan having already committed to purchasing the necessary ingredients), and requests for partial refunds which require ryokan to attempt to coordinate with overseas credit card companies with whom they have no common language to communicate in.
There’s also the more straightforward issue of foreign travelers who have done their homework realizing that their ryokan’s meals don’t appeal to them, and who thus book a no-meals package.
But even if foreign travelers aren’t showing high demand for Kyoto ryokan meals, can’t the ryokan still keep offering them based on demand from Japanese travelers? That’s easier said than done. With the inbound tourism boom, foreign guests now outnumber Japanese ones at some ryokan, sometimes by a very wide margin. With Japanese guests being the minority, and not even all of them opting for meal packages, it’s becoming prohibitively difficult for some ryokan to continue with the expenses of maintaining and staffing a kitchen if only a small fraction of their guests are eating at the inn.
Ryokan facing this problem have been coping in various ways. Some have started offering breakfast only, sometimes shifting to a breakfast buffet with simpler fare such as rice, miso soup, toast, or curry, more in line with what’s offered at budget-conscious business hotels, and serving the unclaimed leftovers to the staff. Others have switched to offering bento boxed meals instead, a much smaller-scale operation than the traditional multi-course meals. Then there are those ryokan which have simply called it quits entirely as far as cooking goes, and now act as intermediaries for foreign travelers wishing to book a table at restaurants outside of the inn.
It’s worth noting that even among domestic Japanese travelers, especially budget-minded or adventurous ones, there are those who prefer to book ryokan stays without meals, preferring to explore the city’s restaurant scene at night and grab a quick bite to eat from a convenience store in the morning. With inbound foreign tourism being especially influential in Kyoto these days, though, a lack of demand from the demographic could cause major shifts in whether the city’s ryokan keep cooking or not.
Source: Toyo Keizai via Livedoor News via Jin
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-- Japan’s 10 best ryokan inns and top 10 hotels, as chosen by foreign visitors
-- Travel back in time to this timeless Japanese hot spring inn from the Taisho period【Photos】
© SoraNews24
39 Comments
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Jolyon
Instead of giving up, the ryokan should find out what their visitors ACTUALLY want and devise a menu that offers a range of dishes that caters for their customers.
divinda
Hopefully they stop giving heaping portions of rice which western customers rarely eat much of anyway (and when they do, they first douse it with a heap of soy sauce).
According to government reasoning, this will apparently take the increased demand off the domestic rice market and the prices for us normal consumers will dramatically fall back to normal.
falseflagsteve
It’s horrid and old fashioned you see. An aquired taste for a tourist for sure. I went to one of them places once, never again I’m afraid. Modern hotels for me, I enjoy comfort and you can get that comfort at a good price in Japan.
wallace
Last November, we stayed in a beautiful Ryokan near Fujii with a suite room, western beds, and its own little onsen that my wife and I enjoyed together. In the evening, we had a 12-course Kaiseki meal. The best we never had. With tuna jaw, never had that before. Great breakfast. We paid a bit more than for a hotel room. We'' be going back to that place.
When we visit a foreign country, we want to eat the food of the country.
Wasabi
When you decided to come to Japan you must accept everything. If you do not like it, do not eat it and go to MacDoc if you like.
Japan do not need to change their tradition because of visiteur.
wallace
I would not visit any country where I didn't want to eat the food. I know many do. Brits on their fortnight summer holidays want to eat "fish&chips" every night without trying the wonderful Spanish cuisine.
BB
I had to host a high-flying work colleague who claimed she loved sushi. We went to a nice place and sat at the counter for an 'omakase' course. She refused to eat half the items placed on her plate, so I had to quietly grab them. Never again. The ones who think they know are the worst.
deanzaZZR
I'm pretty sure visitors from East Asians by and large are very happy with the amazing Kaisei meals served in Kyoto.
Breakfast could be the most challenging for Westerners who do not expect fish, rice and miso.
deanzaZZR
@Jolyon They should contact the staff before they arrive if they have special food needs. When visiting mountainous areas we now let them know that we do not eat horse meat for example.
GuruMick
Tourists are morons mostly, if complaining about the food.
I read some fools review of a Mt.Koya San temple lodging food...."oooh too bland "
Bring some of your own Tabasco, smuggle in a 6 pack of beer, and some pork crackers.
Then ask yourself...."why am I an intolerant person unable to handle a change in diet for 1 or 2 days "?
finally rich
Can't blame the poor fellas...whenever I'm in a situation that gets me with no other option but to eat the (mostly pricy) traditional banquet of kaiseki ryori, I start getting hungry again the minute I'm looking for my shoes to go home, nothing else in mind but a succulent whopper or the like.
wallace
I'm just back from having a very tasty Kaiseki lunch in a hotel on a mountain with views of the Seto Sea. ¥3,500 including tax, no service charge.
MattoGatto
When we travel to another country, we want only local cuisine, always.
Newintokyo
As the saying goes, When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
wallace
No one sleeps on the floor in a ryokan.
Yarnaby
I will try most food and was raised to not 揀飲擇食, but that’s not everyone. It’s nice if people can at least give food new to them a try; however, if they tried it and didn’t like it, that can’t really be helped either. Plenty of ramen, sushi and steak restaurants everywhere. Maybe after a few days of big bold flavours, some might be in the mood for subtle and delicate. Or not, which is also fine (it’s their vacation to do as they please).
Cosell
Sounds interesting. Think I'll give it a go.
HopeSpringsEternal
It's a classic case of expectations being too high and busy hotels being short-staffed and struggling with food and other inflation etc. Naturally, they're cutting corners to save time and money, so the 'experience' suffers.
Nobody should be surprised, Japan's suffering huge labor shortages and hotels are among the worst. Making it even worse, these same tourists have a largely positive surprise buying food at Convenience Stores!
chatanista
wallaceToday 02:32 pm JST
I'm just back from having a very tasty Kaiseki lunch in a hotel on a mountain with views of the Seto Sea. ¥3,500 including tax, no service charge.
Very nice. That is a pretty good price for a Kaiseki and a sea view..
albaleo
Is that not because many Japanese find Kyoto food terrible? I'm thinking especially of those from Osaka.
wallace
chatanista
Hotel Manyo Cape
ホテル 万葉岬
https://www.manyoumisaki.jp/
https://www.manyoumisaki.jp/restaurant/
aaronagstring
Hang on, weren’t foreigners being blamed for the lack of rice? Now they don’t like traditional Japanese fayre…..? Which is it?
virusrex
Not really, people travel to have new experiences, but that does not mean that they have to accept everything, some of the new experiences can simply be that the tourists become aware they don't like some things and that is fine.
One of those traditions being omotenashi, or trying to please guests as much as possible, many places will find this a tradiction that they don't want to change even if you tell them to do it.
Diver Down
If you don't like sleeping on a futon on a tatami, book a business hotel or a western room. If you don't like traditional kaiseki style cuisine, don't book a traditional ryokan. Traditional ryokans are a package deal experience, from the initial welcoming, the tatami room, enjoying some tea with a sweet, taking a great bath in their onsens and very much enjoying the cuisine. Of course tourists don't have to like everything they find in the country they visit, but there should not be a guarantee to find your usual western food wherever you want either. Japan can offer normal beds and westernized food outside of a ryokan. Don't push to change the ryokan experience just to please a few people who don't want to experience it or don't like it. Nobody is forcing them to go to these ryokans.
GuruMick
Temple lodgings in Buddhist areas serve temple fare.
Buddhist food doesnt go for highly spiced stuff.
Part of the philosophy .
Lord help me ....
grund
I don't get why people stay at a ryokan, which are more expensive because of the food, and still to to a restaurant.
Kaowaiinekochanknaw
I am not a fan of the system much at all as much prefer to go out into the town and check out what's on offer and if there are any little cool bars or izakayas or cozy pizzas places I can enjoy.
Unfortunately many small towns or ski areas have no option and you are stuck inside waiting to get whatever the ryokan wants to serve.
While I usually enjoy most of the food and is absolutely great sometimes, I feel it's for a traveler of another era, where the ryokans held the monopoly on meals in any town pretty much.
I like to view my options, then decide what I want to eat at the time.
Plus Ryokans force you back to have dinner at a time of their choosing.
No, no, no. It's not for this man who doesn't want to have to get back to the hotel like it's Mama calling the kids for dinner or you get nothing. It dictate the entire day's scheduling.
As is said above, give the customers what they want and they will be happy.
smithinjapan
A good friend of mine, and a hilarious man, once said to me when I asked how people can eat sazae, "Well... I think what happened was someone was hungry and desperate and found this."
It's how most cuisine is born, regardless of where. "Sour fish" in Denmark and that region is the result of fish that went bad but people still needed to eat. Sushi, not actually native to Japan, was born on the Mekong Delta as fisherman had to eat while away for days and would put raw fish on salted rice. Natto, I'm quite sure, was born when someone realized you could still eat beans that had spoiled, etc.
Point is, Japanese love Japanese food because it is what they know best. That does not mean it IS the best by any means. People here will claim it is, but it is all subjective and what is best for you is best for you. Period. It's good that places are trying to adapt if they think they need to, especially in high and mighty Kyoto, where they think vegetables are unique and Kyoto has its own special four seasons.
ClippetyClop
I've taken customers to traditional ryokans who haven't really got it. I suppose the nosh can be a bit intimidating for some first timers.
But a couple of ryokans I take people to have changed to バイキング style kaiseki in the last year or so. They have far more dishes and everybody can be go away happy.
Usually they give you a discount if you cancel the meals in advance. Ryokans hate it when they prepare food and people don't show up, even if they have paid for it.
Peter Engström
There will always be those narrowminded tourists that think everything outside USA (yes, I look at you America!) is a theme park built for their enjoyment and when something doesn't suit them they complain and whine like spoiled brats.
Yes, I have worked in the tourist industry and restaurants for over 20 year so I have facts to lean on. To be fair it's not only the tourists from the US that can't behave, there are people from other countries too who should take a step back and use their brain for a second or to before doing or saying stuff. ;) (Russia and China i.e.)
If they could they would like a ryokan to serve steak with fries and pizza for the kids...
The main body of tourists doesn't understand other countries culture or care enough to adapt even a little to it so they don't offend people more than necessary. Sad but true. But thankfully there are the other kind as well and we all love them forever! Polite, curious and willing to try out new things, food and experiences.
DanteKH
Ryokan experience is for the educated and cultured tourists, not for everyone I'm afraid. One thing thst I really hate about the ryokans is their food schedule. Extremely early in the morning (I want to rest, not to wake up at 7 like I'm going to office!!) and also for lunch or dinner, very weird times thst breaks all your daily schedule.
Therefore, I can understand the tourists, local or otherwise for not wanting to book the (too) expensive food menu also.
GBR48
I'm vegan and cook my own food on holidays, partly due to allergies. I'm quite suspicious of prepared food. I generally eat pasta or potatoes with vegetables, and get some ketchup from an international supermarket. It doesn't stop me enjoying exploring Japan or other aspects of Japanese culture. Festival food in Japan is often easier than processed/eaterie food as it is simpler - slow baked sweet potatoes in their skins and in some cases real, proper chips, rather than 'French fries'.
Westerners are used to choosing what they eat from a menu. It's a cultural thing. They may find those subtle flavours to be bland if they eat a lot of salty processed food at home. It desensitises the taste buds. It can take a month to reawaken them. At the same time, a lot of Asian food, especially Indian and Korean, will be too spicy for some.
Japanese and Western cuisines are very different. You might want to have a taste of the cuisine of another country, but you wouldn't want to pay to eat food you simply don't like throughout your holiday.
Western 'B&B' breakfast options are simple, cheap and sometimes offered from a self-service buffet - toast and marmalade, cereal, warm croissants, tea or coffee. It wouldn't be difficult to offer them as an option. I doubt anyone goes to a ryokan expecting a 'full English'. People just want something to wake them up before they go exploring. A breakfast serving period is OK, but getting people out of bed at 7am won't get you the best reviews.
Dochira
No surprise: food in Kyoto has a reputation even amongst Japanese as "sukunai" (small); "mazui" (awful"); and "takai" (expensive.)
Chabbawanga
Ryokan food is often very bland. Occasionally you may get a nice bit of meat or some sashimi, but thats about it. As for breakfast, raw egg and natto... ill pass
toolonggone
Yes, tatami is the floor but a futon is not. A futon is on the tatami, thus the futon is on the floor, but your body is not on the floor, therefore you are not sleeping on the floor. Details actually do matter.
Zaphod
Jolyon
Are they still Japanese Ryokan if they do that? Besides, "their customers" are not a homogeneous group. Try to create a dinner that that fine for both Hindu, Muslim, Vegan, and carnivore guests...