Bokoro
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, usually featuring rooms with tatami mats, public onsen (hot spring baths) and authentic Japanese meals emphasizing regional specialties. A yukata (Japanese robe) is provided to be worn during your stay and can be used for walking around the ryokan or as pajamas. Ryokan guests sleep in traditional style, using a futon, which is spread out on the tatami floor. One of the most beautiful ryokan I've had the pleasure of patronizing is a place called Bokoro, found in remote central Tottori on the shores of Togo Lake near Hawai onsen in Yurihama-cho. While certainly not the only ryokan in Japan, it is a fitting representative of what makes staying in one of these types of places such a wonderful cultural experience.
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The Bokoro hallways are bathed in soft soothing light.
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On the left, the entryway into the guestroom. The sliding doors open into sleeping, living, and bathing areas. On the right, a view of the main room with futons spread out on the tatami mats. The shoji screens on the far wall open to a relaxing view of the lake & mountains beyond.
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More macro and micro views of the decor.
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Ryokan often strive to bring nature indoors, and in this the Bokoro really excels. While not actually indoors (it is partitioned by glass), this lovely garden appears in full view while walking down a second floor corridor.
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Nice attention to detail, from the elaborate wall screens to the carpeting.
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Even the elevator doors were works of art.
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Pheasants greet guests just outside the elevator doors in the dining area.
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Though the lake borders the Bokoro outside, the waters actually come into the hotel on the bottom floor. Man-made cascades create the steady sound of rushing water as you walk through the lobby. At night the lights are turned down, and the effect of sight and sound is positively meditative.
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A couple shots of the exterior of the hotel and the elaborately detailed gardens.
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A shot of one of the onsen pools. To the uninitiated, the water borders on scalding!
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In the morning the shoji screen doors are slid apart to reveal a blissfully peaceful shot of the mist in the hills across the lake.
