Heading back to the room for dinner and a hot shower may sound like the act of a tired tourist ,but in a traditional Japanese inn - or ryokan - those activities can be as interesting as anything along the sightseeing trail."People going looking for a sort of nostalgic ,old-fashioned ,and traditional view of Japanese life will find it most easily in a ryokan,"said Peter Grilli, the president of Japan Society of Boston, Massachusetts. Many ryokans sprang up in the 17th century to put up feudal lords traveling along the Tokaido highway to Edo(now Tokyo). Today tourists looking for a taste of the country's historic lifestyle find varying levels of understated elegance in ryokans throughout the country. A typical stay starts with a greeting from the inn's staff and a change from street shoes into slippers .An attendant leads guests to their rooms, where slippers are removed before walking on the rice-straw flooring, called tatami. Walking slowly along behind a kimonoclad attendant on the creaky wood floors of Fukuzumiro ryokan,s hallways is like stepping back in time. The inn was established in 1890 by a former samurai . Tim Paterson ,33, a banker living in Tokyo, has stayed at several ryokans. This New Zealand native leaves after a recent stay at Fukuzumiro. "I think it's quite good mixing culture with history and not just going to see it ,but living in it, staying in it,"he said. Sliding glass doors line the inn's rural hallways, bringing in the sound of tricking water and the quietness of the stone and tree-filled courtyards outside. What's the purpose of building so many ryokans in the 17th century?
Providing rooms for the noble when they traveled. Keeping the Japanese traditional style of life. Making people feel elegant in the ryokan. Attracting more tourists to put up in the ryokan.