Press & Media

About the publication

Founded

2024 (publishing since August 2024)

Editorial scope

633 published ryokan properties across 37 onsen areas of Japan

Languages

English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish

Editor

Japan Ryokan Guide editorial team

Editorial standards

Read our full editorial policy — covers verification, photo sourcing, corrections, and conflict-of-interest disclosure.

Press data resources

Our structured ryokan datasets are published as open CSVs under CC-BY 4.0 — download them directly, no request needed. Each file ships with a column dictionary and verification dates in its header rows. Free to reuse with attribution using the citation shown on each dataset.

All three datasets are licensed CC-BY 4.0. Cite as "Japan Ryokan Guide — <dataset name>, 2026, CC-BY 4.0", or link directly to japanryokanguide.com/press. For a custom cut or an interview about the methodology, email press@japanryokanguide.com.

Story angles

Pre-built angles for journalists working a Japan-travel or hospitality beat. Each one is grounded in a dataset or position we can defend on the record.

1. 01

   Of the ryokans in our directory that state a tattoo policy on their own or their operator's website, about half ban tattoos in the shared bath — only 13% allow them unconditionally

   Counting only what inns state on their own or their operator's official websites (each classification backed by a quote from that site, with the quoted text checked against the live page at the time of research), 67 of the 135 inns with a stated policy — 49.6% — ban tattoos in the shared bath and name no private option. About one in two (68 inns, 50.4%) offer some route to bathe, mostly via a cover-up or a reservable private bath, and only 13.3% (18 inns) allow tattoos unconditionally. The other 501 of 636 published inns say nothing on their own or their operator's official site that we could quote — unknown, not banned. An earlier count of 330 verified inns included classifications we could not source to the inn or its operator and is superseded. Backed by the live Tattoo Policy Registry (636 inns; official-source audit and counts accessed 2026-09-29).

2. 02

   What a ryokan actually costs in 2026: a $210 median across 612 verified inns

   The Ryokan Price Index breaks down median per-person rates across 35 onsen regions. The Q3 2026 refresh shows the national median at $210 per person as the sample nearly doubled — a composition story, not a market crash.

3. 03

   The 5-category tattoo policy framework explained

   allowed / cover_up / private_only / not_allowed / unknown — our editorial five-category taxonomy for making our inns navigable for international travelers (at the 2026-09-29 audit: 636 inns, 135 with a policy stated on the inn's or operator's official website, 501 still unknown). Open for citation.

4. 04

   Why we publish our ryokan data as open CSVs

   A meta-story about open editorial data in the travel-guide space: how a seven-locale ryokan publisher decided that giving journalists structured CSVs was the most defensible form of authority.

Interview & commentary topics

Topic areas the Japan Ryokan Guide editorial team can comment on, based on our published data and guides.

• Ryokan culture and etiquette — first-time guest framing, slipper rules, futon-laying timing, multi-night ryokan rhythms
• Onsen policy — tattoo classification framework, accessibility considerations under the MHLW Onsen Act, water-type chemistry under the 11-category Ministry of the Environment classification
• Kaiseki dinner traditions — seasonal kitchen language, how a kaiseki menu maps to Kyoto- vs Kanto-style courses, dietary adaptation
• Tourism trends post-COVID — inbound mix shifts, English-readiness staffing changes at mid-range ryokans, regional dispersal away from Kyoto-Tokyo

Recent media mentions

This section will list confirmed media citations as they appear. If you have published a piece referencing Japan Ryokan Guide, please send the URL to press@japanryokanguide.com and we will add it here.

Brand assets

Editorial brand assets for use in articles and broadcast graphics. Photos of specific ryokans are official property images or come from openly licensed libraries; please request individual property photography through press@japanryokanguide.com so the correct attribution can be supplied.

Wordmark (SVG)

Download SVG ↓Use on light backgrounds. Do not recolor or stretch.

Approved usage guidelines

• Cite as "Japan Ryokan Guide" (do not abbreviate to JRG in first reference).
• When quoting a dataset, include the access date and link back to japanryokanguide.com/press.
• The Japan Ryokan Guide editorial team may be quoted directly; please email a draft of any attributed quote before publication so we can confirm wording.
• Do not use the wordmark inside competing publisher branding or in a way that implies a partnership we have not confirmed in writing.

Get in touch

Working on a deadline? Email press@japanryokanguide.com and we will reply within 24-48 hours during Tokyo business hours. For editorial corrections to existing articles, email editor@japanryokanguide.com.