“Like a little meditation?” I venture. “Exactly,” he replies, emphatically, validating our shared moment of mindfulness.

In just a thin cotton dressing gown. Carrying our room key and towel in a basket ... We settled in, headed for a quick bath in the ryokan, and then got changed into our yukata’s and start reading ...

Traditionally, guests get a yukata, a cotton robe that looks similar to a ... shine to it — it makes for a unique souvenir! A ...

Global retailers are facing scrutiny over cotton supplies sourced from Xinjiang, a Chinese region plagued by allegations of human rights abuses. China is one of the world's top cotton producers ...

Spend the afternoon sipping green tea while gazing out onto the turquoise-tinged Sea of Japan. Convenient too, this ryokan is just a three-minute walk from Amanohashidate station.

Xinjiang cotton is some of the best fabric in the world. It's also, human rights campaigners say, produced by forced labour. Some Western brands have removed it from their supply chains ...

According to hotel general manager Fukuo Tamagawa, 65, the floating stage has been in place since the ryokan opened in 1989, used to welcome guests with samisen performances. "Honestly ...

The inn had no vacancies on a recent weekday in late January, when three university students, in “yukata” casual kimono, were seen taking photos outside the ryokan’s entrance. “I like ...

Japanese ryokans offer a deeply cultural and personalized experience centered around hospitality and relaxation. Brands like Hyatt and Hoshino Resorts are modernizing ryokan concepts to attract ...

What made cotton so desirable? In the 1790s Americas oldest crops, like tobacco, were depleting farmland and dropping in value. At the same time, the textile industry in Great Britain was ...