In Japan, luxury doesn’t speak. It listens. It lives in the pause between movements, in the scent of cedar after rain, in a cup of tea poured without a word. For centuries, the ryokan has embodied that quiet perfection — hospitality as ritual, simplicity as sophistication, and nature as architecture.
Today, a new generation of ryokans is reimagining that heritage for the modern traveler. Some preserve the old ways untouched; others reinterpret them through design, gastronomy, and architecture that feel both timeless and entirely new.
The Timeless Masters
Tawaraya Ryokan – Kyoto
The benchmark of Japanese hospitality. Family-run for over 300 years, Tawaraya has no website, no marketing — only reputation. Every gesture feels invisible yet exact, every detail designed to anticipate rather than impress. Staying here is less accommodation than communion.
Hiiragiya Ryokan – Kyoto
Another Kyoto institution, Hiiragiya blends heritage with warmth. Artists, writers, and statesmen have stayed within its sliding-door serenity. Its beauty lies in the continuity — the same family, the same philosophy, the same stillness.
Asaba Ryokan – Shizuoka
A sanctuary among bamboo groves, Asaba is a masterclass in restraint. Overlooking a pond framed by maple trees and a private Noh theater stage, it represents the purity of ryokan aesthetics — beauty in silence, precision, and ritual.
Nature as Architecture
Gora Kadan – Hakone
Once a retreat for the Imperial family, now a Relais & Châteaux landmark, Gora Kadan is a study in understatement. Tatami suites open to private onsens, gardens blur into fog, and service exists like breath — felt, never forced.
Espacio Hakone – Hakone
A contemporary interpretation of the ryokan ideal. Sleek lines, sculptural light, and mountain views that frame Mount Fuji. Each suite features a private onsen, while the restaurant turns seasonal produce into minimalist art. Modern Japan distilled into calm.
Zaborin Ryokan – Niseko, Hokkaido
Hidden in the snowy forests of Hokkaido, Zaborin defines “luxury isolation.” Sixteen villas, each with indoor and outdoor baths fed by natural springs. Kaiseki menus change daily, and silence becomes the soundtrack. It’s Japan at its most elemental.
Gen Hakone – Hakone
A rising favorite among discerning travelers, Gen Hakone fuses contemporary architecture with an intimate, retreat-like rhythm. Floor-to-ceiling glass draws the landscape inside, creating a seamless dialogue between comfort and mountain stillness.
The New Generation
Roka Ryokan – Okayama
Part gallery, part retreat — Roka is where tradition meets art. Its design language is clean and architectural, but the soul remains Japanese: impeccable service, poetic dining, and a quiet devotion to detail.
Hoshinoya Kyoto & Karuizawa
Hoshinoya’s properties bridge past and present. In Kyoto, boats glide guests along the Oi River to a ryokan suspended in mist. In Karuizawa, glass-walled pavilions overlook forests alive with birdsong. Both reinterpret the ritual of omotenashi for the modern era.
Kai Poroto – Hokkaido
Built in harmony with the Ainu heritage of northern Japan, Kai Poroto is architecture as storytelling: cedar, light, and reflection. It’s luxury rooted in culture — a quiet reminder that modern hospitality can still honor ancient spirit.
Where Silence Speaks
A ryokan is not a hotel. It’s a state of mind. Each moment — the sliding of a shoji door, the warmth of tatami beneath bare feet, the subtle nod of a host — is part of a choreography perfected over centuries.
In a world obsessed with noise and novelty, Japan’s ryokans remain the ultimate expression of stillness. At NUBA, we don’t simply visit them — we translate them. Because here, luxury isn’t what’s added. It’s what’s left unsaid.
