Staying in a ryokan, Japan’s traditional inns, is to encounter the country’s hospitality at its most refined.

But beyond the static, one-dimensional image often attached to them, ryokan reveal a remarkable diversity and vitality. Showcasing everything from centuries-old family houses to bold contemporary creations that challenge convention, this book highlights the new generations behind these inns, some safeguarding ancient traditions, others imagining the hospitality of tomorrow.

Through the voices of dedicated hosts and stories from some of the most extraordinary establishments, it explores how ryokan continue to reinvent themselves, defying demographic and economic pressures to preserve a unique cultural and material heritage. At once a journey across the archipelago and a nuanced look at an art of welcome in constant transformation.