Ryokan (inn) Ryokan (inn) A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that has existed since the eighth century A.D. during the Keiun period, in which the oldest hotel in the world, Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, was created in 705 A.D. Another old ryokan called Hōshi Ryokan was founded in 718 A.D and was also known as the world's second oldest hotel. Such inns also served travelers along Japan's highways. They typically feature "tatami"-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner. Ryokan are difficult to find in Tokyo and other large cities because
Onsen geisha usually entertain tourists in the banquet halls of large hotels, often with 60 or 70 geisha in attendance. The modern surge of tourism, expendable income, and capitalization has caused onsen geisha, who historically entertained groups similar in size to those in Kyoto and Tokyo, to increase to these large affairs. Onsen geisha Onsen geisha (温泉芸者) is are Japanese geisha, or entertainers, who work in onsen (hot spring) resorts or towns. The term onsen geisha has a negative connotation in that the term has come to be synonymous with prostitute. This is due to several reasons. In pre–World War II history,