Ryokan (inn) a family home. Minshuku often serve as the only type of accommodation in towns or villages too small to warrant a dedicated hotel or ryokan. The overall experience is much the same, but the food is simpler, dining may be optional and is often communal, rooms do not usually have a private toilet, and guests may have to lay out their own bedding. 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
Onsen Onsen An onsen is a Japanese hot spring; the term also extends to cover the bathing facilities and traditional inns frequently situated around a hot spring. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. Onsens come in many types and shapes, including and indoor baths. Baths may be either publicly run by a municipality or , often as part of a hotel, "ryokan", or . The presence of an onsen is often indicated on signs and maps by the symbol ♨ or the kanji ("yu", meaning "hot water"). Sometimes the simpler