What to pack for a ryokan stay in Japan (and what the inn already gives you)

The basics are close to universal. JNTO says you take off your shoes at the entrance and change into the indoor slippers provided, and its German-language ryokan guide says every guest receives a yukata, which you can wear for your whole stay and to sleep in, with a jacket or short coat to put over it depending on the season. JNTO's bathing guide adds that the washing stations come with amenities such as soap and shampoo, and that a small towel is usually provided. Many inns go further: Fukuichi in Ikaho stocks towels, a shampoo bar of a dozen-plus brands and skincare in its changing rooms, and Kashiwaya in Shima Onsen leaves bath towels in every changing room.

The exceptions are worth knowing before you pack. At KAI Tamatsukuri the only sleepwear is a samue, so bring a T-shirt to sleep in, and a 2022 guest at Kozantei Ubuya on Lake Kawaguchi was given samue rather than a yukata. At Hana no Yado Matsuya in Kinugawa the room holds only the sash and you choose your yukata at the front desk, at TAOYA Wakura you pick one from a rack in the lobby, and at Hotel Manyotei in Kinugawa, a budget chain hotel with Japanese rooms, futons and yukata are self-service. Free coloured yukata can run out: at Daitokan in Kusatsu they had all gone by a 17:00 check-in in August 2026. Guests at Ryokan Ohashi in Misasa reported extra charges for fresh yukata or towels, and Furutakiya in Iwaki-Yumoto gives pre-school children no yukata, towels or toothbrushes.

Sizes are usually handled for you. Children's yukata are common (Mimatsu in Awara lists 90–130 cm, Yorozuya in Yudanaka 80–135 cm), a 2024 blogger at Ryokan Sakaya in Nozawa found two sizes in the room, and JNTO's German guide gives swapping a yukata that is too small for the right size as an example of ryokan hospitality. If you are tall, ask at check-in rather than packing your own robe.

JNTO's German-language guide says the yukata is always wrapped left side over right, for everyone, that the sash should be tied snugly so the front does not fall open, and that you should keep at least your underwear on underneath. A thin T-shirt and shorts or leggings take little room and work under the yukata or as sleepwear, which is useful at inns such as KAI Tamatsukuri where the sleepwear is a samue. Check the dress code before you go down to eat: Beniya Mukayu in Yamashiro Onsen allows yukata in the public areas but not pyjamas, while at Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo yukata and slippers are fine everywhere, including the restaurant.

Socks matter more than you might think. JNTO says slippers come off on tatami and before you use the toilet, which usually has its own pair, and suggests easy slip-on shoes for travelling; its German guide says tatami is walked on only in socks. Some inns are tatami from the front door: Katsuragawa in Shuzenji is shoes-off throughout, so you walk the corridors barefoot or in socks, Hoshokaku in Takayama leaves tabi (split-toe) socks in your room, Jozankei Yuraku Soan hands them out, and Yuyado Toki no Niwa in Kusatsu is tatami-floored with no slippers at all. Split-toe socks also let you keep your feet warm in the geta or zori sandals that JNTO says guests are invited to wear to stroll the grounds.

Bring one warm layer even in spring and autumn. Guests at Ryokan Sanga in Kurokawa complained of cold open-air corridors and changing rooms from December to March, and at Honjin Hiranoya Kachoan in Takayama you cross a busy street in yukata to reach the rooftop baths. For winter stays, see our guide to keeping warm at a mountain onsen ryokan. Laundry can be limited: Grandia Housen in Awara has just two washer-dryers, in the women's changing room, and no coin laundry, and Sakaeya in Shibu has no coin laundry, though a 2026 guest at Hotel Kazurabashi in Iya found free washing machines and dryers. Pack enough underwear, or quick-dry pieces you can rinse in the room.

At many ryokan the towels stay in your room and you carry them to the bath. Our notes say so for Furuya in Atami (no bath towels in the changing room), Mimatsu in Awara, Kannawaen in Beppu, Ginsuiso in Inatori, Shinyu in Tateshina, Misasakan in Misasa, Katsuragawa in Shuzenji and Kaishu in Shirahama, where you take a basket from the room; at Nunohan in Kamisuwa the baths are a long walk from some rooms. Others, such as Grandia Housen in Awara and Ryotei Hanayura in Noboribetsu, provide towels at the baths, and at Hotel Sakurai in Kusatsu the baths have bath towels but you bring the face towel from your room.

JNTO's bathing guide explains the small towel: use it to wash or to cover yourself on the way to the bath, but keep it out of the water, fold it on your head or on the side of the tub, and tie up long hair. A small waterproof or mesh bag keeps the wet towel, a hair tie, your room key and a few coins together and stops the towel dripping on the tatami on the way back. For the rules on towels and swimsuits, see our guide to forgetting your onsen towel or swimsuit.

In onsen towns the bag earns its keep. Every stay at Yamamotoya and Mikiya in Kinosaki includes a free pass to the town's public bathhouses, two of them a two-minute walk from Mikiya, and at Sakaeya in Shibu you get keys to all nine of the village's public baths and can borrow a yukata and geta to walk there. Dogokan in Dogo lends towels and baskets for the public bathhouses, Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo lends bath towels for bath-hopping, and at Hanatsubaki in Yamanaka Onsen you need ¥100 coins for the lockers at the Yubatake bath.

Japan's plastics law names toothbrushes, razors, combs, hairbrushes and shower caps among the free items lodgings should cut back on, and many inns now keep them at the front desk or have stopped stocking them; our guide to having no toothbrush at your hotel or ryokan explains why and where to get one tonight. In our directory, Mukaitaki in Higashiyama Onsen asks you to bring your own toothbrush, Gora Kansuiro in Hakone now sells some amenities, Daikokuya in Itamuro says its amenities are minimal (bring your own skincare), the toiletries at Kozantei Ubuya are basic, and at Asaba in Shuzenji skincare is not left in lower-grade rooms but is brought on request. Pack the skincare and hair products you rely on.

Hair dryers are often in the baths rather than the room, and there may be few. Hotel Kikusuitei at Lake Hamana keeps them in the baths (with loan dryers at the front desk), Mukaitaki has them in the changing rooms or on loan, Yachi Onsen has two per side and none in the rooms, and Lamp no Yado Aoni Onsen has none at all. If you bring one from home, check the label: JNTO says Japan's mains supply is 100 volts throughout, and that dual-voltage hair dryers should work while other appliances need a step-down transformer.

Sockets can be scarce in older rooms. Guests mention few outlets at Keiunkan in Nishiyama Onsen, Hanzuiryo in Unzen and Kachoan in Takayama, and Aoni says its rooms have no power, so a short extension lead helps; see our guide to forgetting your phone charger for plugs and cables. Other small things our notes recommend: earplugs where sound carries through wooden buildings (Kanaguya in Shibu) or the river is loud (Fukuzumiro in Hakone), a headlamp or book light at Aoni and at deliberately dim Tosen Goshobo in Arima, insect repellent in summer at Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku, and your own drinks and snacks at Kanaguya, which has no shop or vending machine. Check first, though: Yokikan in Ito and Sanraku in Nasu do not allow drinks you bring.

Carry more cash than you would in a city. JNTO says many places, especially in rural areas, may still accept only cash, even hotels, and advises checking with your accommodation and preparing some cash before travelling to remote areas. It also suggests carrying a purse for your coins, which run from 1 to 500 yen, since their value and weight soon add up.

Onsen towns add small cash payments. Bath tax (nyūtōzei) is a municipal tax that the inn collects from bathers; the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications sets a standard of ¥150 per person per day, with each municipality setting its own rate. At Shintaki in Higashiyama Onsen it is payable only in cash at check-out, and at Yamamotoya in Kinosaki bath tax and pass fees are settled at check-out. The Nyuto bath-hopping pass (¥2,500, sold to staying guests) is cash only at Kyukamura Nyuto Onsenkyo and Magoroku Onsen, one booking site says Kanshichiyu in Naruko does not take credit cards, and the Orange Bus towards KAI Hakone costs ¥200, cash only, with no change given.

Where the nearest ATM is far away, get cash before you arrive: from Bourou Noguchi in Noboribetsu the nearest convenience stores and ATM are about five minutes away by car. A small coin purse that fits in your bath bag is handy for lockers, vending machines and the bathhouse.

A big suitcase is awkward at many ryokan. JNTO's German-language guide advises carrying a wheeled case over tatami or wooden floors rather than rolling it, and leaving luggage in the entrance area of your room. Getting there can be harder still: the walk from the station to Sakuraya in Atami ends in 77 steep steps (book the inn's free pick-up instead), a guest pulling a suitcase to Atami Sekitei got lost on the steep streets, the walk down from the car park to Aoni is steep, and the last stretch to KAI Hakone is a cobbled slope. Some inns no longer carry bags: 2026 guests at Sakuraya found luggage no longer taken to rooms, guests at Sakan in Akiu carried their own, and at Takinoyu in Higashiyama Onsen staff carry luggage only if you ask.

The simplest fix is to send the big case ahead and travel with a day bag. Yamato Transport says luggage can be sent from one hotel to another if the front desk works with Yamato and can receive parcels, and that it should arrive at least a day before your stay; our guide to delivery to your ryokan covers sizes, costs and airport delivery. Some inns help: Hyakurakuso in Yuwaku will send your luggage to Kanazawa Station when you check out, and Kachoan in Takayama, Hotel Ichii in Kusatsu and Yamamizuki in Kurokawa hold bags before check-in or after check-out.

Compression bags keep a small bag organised, and a folding bag holds souvenirs and the damp bath kit. A short ryokan list: underwear and a thin T-shirt for under the yukata, socks (split-toe if you will walk in geta), one warm layer, a small bath bag, a toothbrush and the toiletries you rely on, a phone charger and short extension lead, a coin purse with cash, and any medicines you take.