mana-ita (chopping board) and slice raw fish into otsukuri orosashimi, and decide on the flavoring of the entire menu, for it
takes many years of training to be able to perform these tasks.
The Nikata prepares boiled dishes (nimono), and is assisted by
the Wakinabe . The Yakikata prepares the grilled dishes(yakimono), and the Morikata is in charge of arranging the grilled
food on the plates. The Tachimawari assists everyone else whilelearning his job. The Araikata rinses vegetables and fish withwater, performs initial preparations of the ingredients, and is incharge of miscellaneous chores in general. These job titles andthe authority involved differ slightly from one region to another.

Wagashi (Japanese sweets)
Western-style cakes and sweets were introduced into Japan in
the Meiji Period, and the conventional Japanese sweets that
had been known merely as kashi until then came to be called
wagashi in order to distinguish the two. Instead of using butter,ogashi), wagashi aremilk and eggs as in Western-style cakes (y‐made with cereal grains such as rice, oats, and buckwheat,starchy flours such as warabi (bracken root starch) and kudzu(arrowroot starch), beans such as adzuki beans and soybeans,and brown sugar and wasanbon (pale ivory in color), which aresugars produced in Japan. But there are also various sweetsthat reflect the influences of Holland and Portugal, and the bestu (beanknown and commonly popular wagashi, such as manj‐o kan (sweet bean-paste jelly), and senbei (ricejam bun), y‐
crackers) all originate from Chinese sweets. The skills forcreating wagashi developed together with the art of tea
ceremony (cha-no-yu), and the sweets became progressively
more refined and new varieties were devised. At the ryokan,wagashi are served to guests while they are relaxing afterarrival.

Mizugashi (fruits and sweets)
Mizugashi is not a type of wagashi sweet. In fact, the word kashi
originally meant fruit, but once the sweets now known as kashi
began to be made, fruit came to be called mizugashi, in order todifferentiate between the two. At the ryokan, mizugashi areserved at the end of the meal, and consist of fruit cut into bitesized pieces, as well as fruit made into fruit jellies or bavarois
mousse.

Onsen (hot spring)
Onsen , which is subterranean water heated geothermally,
comes in two types: a volcanic hot spring caused by volcanoes,
and a non-volcanic hot spring which is very hot water comingfrom deep underground. Volcanic hot springs are found almost
nationwide, whereas non-volcanic hot springs can be
categorized into two types, 'deep groundwater' and 'fossil

seawater' types. In Japan there is a law governing onsens called
the Hot Spring Law, and all hot springs must meet theprescribed definition in order to be officially recognized as anonsen. Imperial visits to hot springs in the distant past arerecorded in the The Chronicles of Japan ( Nihon Shoki ),which means that the Japanese onsen dates back more than
1,000 years. Many of the old hot spring resorts located inremote mountainous and seaside regions still retain vestiges ofancient times when they were first founded, and there are also
many inns where you will find old ways still practiced, such as
guests cooking their own meals and kon-yoku (mixed bathing)with men and women sharing the same bath.

Sakura (cherry blossom)
Sakura has a very special meaning for the people of Japan. Thisis perhaps because the cherry blossom season in April
coincides with enrollment ceremonies marking the newacademic year and the start of the new fiscal year for public
institutions and companies. This is also the season for bidding
farewell to friends of old. From the time the cherry blossoms
first come out until the petals start to fall, huge numbers ofJapanese go to view cherry blossom all over the country (suchoutings are known as 'hanami'). Some ryokans have carefully
preserved cherry trees which had been planted at the time of
their foundation, and many ryokans are found close to famous
hanami spots. Although there are many species of cherry trees,
the most common Sakura in Japan is the Somei Yoshino species.
Dancing pale pink petals caught by the wind are likened to asnow blizzard and are called sakura-fubuki (cherry blossomblizzard), and their fleeting nature makes the Japanese ponder
over the ephemerality of life.

Japan Ryokan Association
The Japan Ryokan Association (Kokkanren) was inaugurated in
1948, and was officially approved as an incorporated
association in 1953. In the post-war years, an increasingly large
number of foreign tourists started to visit Japan, and so theAssociation was established with the objective of providing
safe and reliable accommodation facilities to overseas guests,
whereupon some 1,500 major, well-reputed ryokans and hotels
in agreement with our objective joined the Association. Theseryokans and hotels, with facilities, environment and services of
the highest quality, have since strived to ensure that guests
enjoy a pleasant stay. One of the leading nationwide associations among the numerous ryokan-related associations, weundertake a wide range of activities as an institution, including
providing instructions, conducting surveys, and acting as aliaison between our member ryokans and hotels.

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