Minshuku

Minshuku are small family-run inns, usually less expensive than ryokan. You do not have the high level of service of a ryokan but it is replaced by the personal attention of the proprietor.

Minshuku

The two meals are home-cooked fare and are usually served in a communal dining room.
As a minshuku guest you will have to make up your futon bedding and put it away. The mattresses are stacked in the closet. To make the bed, first put down the foam mattress and then the cotton mattress.

If there isn’t a foam mattress, you can put down two cotton mattresses. Next, put the sheet on the mattress and tuck it in. The quilt and top sheet are together as one unit, and you place it on top of the bottom sheet. In the morning, fold everything and put it away except for the dirty sheets and yukata robes. Towels may not be provided at minshuku so it’s best to take one. Toilets and baths are usually down the hall.

In rural areas, minshuku may have only space heaters and can get quite cold at night. At some places in the mountains, the proprietor will give you a little charcoal warmer to put in bed to keep your feet warm.

Minshuku run between 5000 and 9000 per person with two meals.