For a stay in the same Japan as experienced in the old and elegant Daimyo days, a night in the Ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) is a must. We had the opportunity to stay at the beautiful Seki Kanko hotel in Gifu overlooking the wide Kisoriver and the green forest. A room in a Ryokan is floored with traditional Tatami matting. Doors are Shoji screens, and decorations are simple ink brush drawings or scrolls. Guests sleep on Futon bedding laid out in the evening by maids dressed in kimonos. Our ryokan had a communal spa and hot spring known as Onsen. The typical lounging wear of a Ryokan is a blue and white-patterned cotton robe called Yukata which is also provided. A stay in the Ryokan requires following a few rules. Guests need to remove their shoes and walk in slippers everywhere inside the hotel. However, on tattami matting no slippers or shoes are allowed.