Lowest price over the last 30 days: ¥ 89,190 (approx. GB£ 647)
1 Adult
0 Children
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Asaba
3450-1 Shuzenji-Machi
Izu City, Shizuoka, Japan
Style: Traditional Elegance
Atmosphere: Secluded
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What is a ryokan? These are the traditional Japanese travelers' inns, located along Japan's country roads, dating back hundreds of years, long ... more
They’re all pretty traditional, but some ryokan are more traditional than others. Asaba has not only the tranquil atmosphere and the stunning natural setting you’d expect from a top country inn, but it’s got three hundred and fifty years of unbroken history behind it as well. In fact, if you wanted to calibrate your ryokan-sense using the most reliable possible instrument, then Asaba is your prototype — a bit like the meter-long platinum bar they keep in that museum in Paris, Asaba is as close as you’ll get in the physical world to the abstract ideal of the ryokan.
The setting is picture-perfect, facing onto a placid little pond, ringed with bamboo. The interior style is spare but far from modern — each of the 19 rooms comes in tatami style, with minimal furniture. They all face the courtyard, rather than the forest, but you’ll see why: at the center of the inn, in the middle of the pond, is a floating Noh stage, where the traditional drama is regularly acted out. Asaba’s cuisine is first-rate, with (blessedly) nothing modern about it. Baths, too, are absolutely traditional, including typical semi-public baths, private in-room tubs, and one hot spring pool separated from the main pond only by a ring of rocks.
How to Get There
Asaba is approximately a 1 hour train ride from New Tokyo International Airport (NRT). Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.
Music downloads for your travels. Click a track to preview & download from iTunes:
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The Doors
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Sigur Rós
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Fat Freddy's Drop
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Recloose feat. Joe Dukie
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Beat Pharmacy
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Pharoah Sanders
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Metro Area
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John Fahey
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Mogwai
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Thievery Corporation
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What's a ryokan?
These are the traditional Japanese travelers' inns, located along Japan's country roads, dating back hundreds of years, long before the days of motor travel. With their traditional decor and classic tatami-style furnishing, they're a window into a historical way of life - even the most modern and experimental of the ryokan offer a tranquil and sedate experience.
Dining
At a ryokan the rate includes two meals per day, beginning with an evening meal on the day of your arrival as well as breakfast the next day. These meals, most often served in-room, are no mere convenience, but an essential element of the experience; ryokan are chosen as much for the quality of the food as for the quality of the accommodation.
Dinners are traditional Japanese meals of up to thirteen courses, including zensai, the appetizer, otsukuri, sliced raw fish, nimono, a boiled dish, yakimono, a grilled dish, nabemono, food cooked in a pot at the table, agemono, a deep-fried dish, suimono, a vinegared dish, shokuji, rice, knonomo, Japanese pickles, and mizugashi, fruit. Ingredients are fresh and local, dishes are seasonal so that the dinner expresses the distinctive personality of the region. Locally brewed sake is also available, as are other beverages (drinks other than tea are extra). Details about each ryokan's specific meal options are displayed during the booking process.
Breakfasts consist of steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, fried eggs, nori (seaweed) and Japanese-style pickles. Western breakfasts can be served on request.
Onsen
The onsen are the Japanese public baths, often fed by natural volcanic hot springs. It's no exaggeration to say that the onsen baths are the whole point of the ryokan experience, and are universally loved by the Japanese.
Large common baths in the ryokan are used not just for cleansing but for relaxation as well, both mental and physical. Big windows typically look out over lush gardens or dramatic mountain or ocean views. Some public baths contain several different types of tubs, whether cypress or stone or cascading baths. Rotenburo, the open-air baths, allow you to bathe in the sunshine, breathing in the brisk, cool air.
Etiquette
Onsen baths are segregated by sex, and bathing suits are not worn. It's customary to bathe yourself in an adjacent area before entering the onsen. And for those guests who are uncomfortable with the communal aspect, many high-end ryokan provide private open-air baths on terraces or balconies attached to the guest rooms.
Transportation
These country getaways are necessarily located in secluded areas, some of them quite remote. Tablet Hotels Customer Service will be happy to help you arrange train tickets, car hire or other transportation.
