Traditional Japan hotels want to stay free of foreigners

Some Japanese hotels and inns had few or no foreign guests last year, and according to a new government survey just released, they would rather not have any foreign guests in the future.

Most hotels and inns accept foreigners, but the survey is showing that the most traditional of the country’s inns are not as hospitable, despite a government initiative to encourage tourism from abroad.

Throughout the Japanese countryside there are thousands of small, traditional lodgings known as ‘ryokan.’ Many of these are run by families and offer only Japanese-style room and board, with food such as raw seafood, and bedding that consists of straw mates on the floor. Bathing is typically communal in hot spring baths.

In the past, some of these traditional inns have refused to accept foreign guests, leading to lawsuits and fines imposed by the government for discriminatory practices.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs survey has shown that 72 per cent of the ryokan not having foreign customers during the past year do not want to have any in the future either. The majority of these accommodations have 30 rooms or fewer, and say that they are not able to offer staff speaking foreign languages and that their facilities are not geared to foreigner preferences.

www.soumu.go.jp