Japanese inns (Ryokan) are the destination!
My first experience at Bousui was barely 5 years ago and then my second was last month. In 2006, I was a newbie exploring Hokkawa hot spring district, 2014 was my second visit as a devoted fan of hot spring perfection and I wanted to share this haven with my life partner and best friend.
We took the Shinkansen from Tokyo station to Atami station and then changed trains to a local JR Ito train line which took us to IzuHokkawa station. I wrote about this onsen and the perfect level of Japanese Omotenashi hospitality here in my latest book “33 More Reasons to Be Proud” and having been alerted to my chapter by one of Bousui’s customers, I was pleasantly surprised to see that part of the book. featured on your website. More surprising was the VIP treatment we were given from the moment we got off the train on the aged wooden platform at IzuHokkawa station.
We got off the train and right there on the platform was our driver from Bousui waiting to take our bags and take us to the vehicle for our short cut to one of my favorite little pieces of heaven in this beautiful Land of the Rising Sun.
A narrow, winding path led us past fishing boats bobbing in the choppy surf festooned with tightly coiled nets, rusting and long-forgotten vacation homes built during Japan’s time of bubble affluence known as the ” Japanese economic miracle”, closed ice cream parlors waiting for the start of summer and smiling children after the coolness of the delicious “Soft Cream” available throughout Japan from June to August.
Since ancient times, Ryokan was a place to rest. We need this more than ever.
Our visit was during the quiet and lazy times of early June, so we were missing the summer rush and made even happier with the silence and bareness of this sleeping city.
Pulling up at the Bousui entrance, it’s hard to imagine that we’ve just walked up a hill and are now entering the Japanese Inn on the 7th floor. the cool tile floor, throw on your slippers and slide on the huge beige carpet to a coffee room encased in glass designed to stand out over the sea and give it a sense of unity with the ocean, the sky, the horizon and the wind.
On full moon nights, Bousui is one of the rare places in Japan where a “moon path” can be seen shining on the sea. In fact, the Ryokan’s owner hired a professional musician to compose a rhapsody of sweet and uplifting music announcing the path of the moon and all the joyful nature in view from this spot, its vantage point atop the Pacific.
There is something special about a simply constructed building that has unity with nature as its primary goal. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out over the expansive sea, the pale greens, oranges and beiges inside create a traditional comfort that will lull you into a deeper sensitivity to thought and intensify your attention to the view outside.
We sat there for 20-30 minutes drinking hot tea. Accompanied by a friendly explanation of where the restrooms are, the history of the building, and our menu for the evening, we again found ourselves looking out at the great Pacific from our room. We watched the fishing boats go by, wondering what they were accessing under this rich sea, we thought about how the rain on distant Oshima might be heading our way, we watched the changing colors in the clouds as the sun set, we watched the crows and seagulls as they flew. Over the afternoon ocean and rested on soft Zabuton pillows in our room laden with the warm scent of tatami mats. It was a perfect moment of gratitude and reflection. How lucky we are to be alive and to be able to drink in the peace of this perfect day.
Japanese inns have a way of getting to you. The pace is easy… arrive, go to your room, shower, eat your fill and sleep. There is very little interruption or canned fun in a traditional Japanese inn. Perhaps since ancient times, since these places were not for entertainment but for relaxation, the act of quiet hospitality has been perfected. No one is going to hand you a complicated menu or ask you to transcribe your passport details or address upon arrival. The food is usually decided by the package that you have requested in advance included in your rate and your accommodation will be perfectly conditioned for rest.
Comfortable Japanese futon on tatami floor. Ability to make the room perfectly dark, tea and water on hand to keep you hydrated and always, always the tranquility of a secret garden escape to heal and revive you.
I remember a similar rustic tranquility in the Wyoming mountains during a family trip to a ranch, I think about the waves hitting the sand outside my tent while camping on the beach at home, Hawaii, and then, now I think about how I can access that same consolation. with a quick train ride to one of Japan’s countless Ryokan getaways. For me, an ocean lover, Bousui will always be my favorite.
When you look at the price, you can feel it high. You’ll be tempted to stay in cheaper accommodation to save money to explore the area and sight-see. But, the thing about Ryokan, the Ryokan IS the hotspot for that area. The architecture, the food, the room itself, the furniture, the futon, the various bathrooms, the cultured Omotenashi hospitality; there is no need to go out and find Japanese culture elsewhere. That’s all. This is the epitome of a Japanese experience.
Pay the fee of 20,000 to 50,000 yen per person and believe me, this experience itself will stay with you as your Japan for a lifetime.