A Family Inn in Shitamachi Overflows with Foreign Guests

SAWA Isao, Sawanoya Ryokan owner

Tokyo is rich in variety. Each region, including Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Akihabara and Roppongi, has its own peculiarities. One of the more interesting areas around Yanaka, near Ueno station, is called “Shitamachi.” There are many temples and shrines in this area and you can sense a taste of the past when you visit. The family-run Sawanoya, the most well-known ryokan (inn) among foreign tourists, is located here.

The ryokan has only 12 rooms, but between 5,000 and 6,000 tourists stay each year. Ninety percent of the guests are foreigners, of which 90 percent are westerners. Why do they have so many foreign guests? Sawanoya owner Mr. SAWA Isao explains: “This is related to the changing of Japanese traveling styles.” Sawanoya was founded by the mother of Mr. Sawa’s wife Yoneko in 1949.

In the early stages, school excursion groups and groups of traveling guests were their main source of income, but over time, the number of these guests decreased as travelers selected to stay in other areas. As a result, the ryokan’s owner Mr. Sawa looked for a way to attract business guests coming to Tokyo. However, as many companies built their head offices in Tokyo during Japan’s period of rapid economic growth, the number of these guests also decreased. On the other hand, many business hotels with single rooms were being built in convenient locations. Subsequently, the number of Sawanoya’s guests continued to decrease.

The family reduced the number of rooms from 24 to 12, which were converted to apartments to cover their living expenses. Sawanoya’s operations plummeted by about 50 percent, creating hopeless amounts of red ink on the company’s books. Mr. Sawa had to lay off their employees and he himself resorted to taking a job as a helper at the banquet hall in the Daiichi Hotel. In July 1982, there were no guests at all for three straight days.

The Sawas then asked Mr. YASHIMA, the founder of a Japanese inn group who had been succeeding in attracting foreign tourists, whether he could visit and observe Yashima ryokan in Shinjuku. Surprisingly, it was crowded with foreign tourists and Mr. Yashima’s English was at a level the couple could understand. The Sawas became convinced that they could also welcome foreign guests.

In spite of their concerted efforts, the couple found it difficult to attract foreign guests. Even if some did come, the Sawas were unsure how to cope as they had no knowledge about foreign countries and had not prepared anything for foreign guests. Some guest emptied the bathwater after bathing, some used the Japanesestyle toilet in unbelievable ways, others placed their shoes in the alcove and some dried their washing on their tatami mats.

Mr. Sawa got tired of coping with the differences in culture and customs and considered closing down the business many times. However, he persevered, solving these problems one by one by, for example, posting a note describing how to use the facilities, and later converted the Japanesestyle toilets to western-style ones, and converting the large bath into smaller private ones. On the other hand, he also strove to please guests by suggesting they join in a festival, bon dancing and other events such as rice-cake making that were being held in the vicinity. As a result, the number of guests gradually began to increase.

Best service is serving nothing
Ms. Tricia LEE, an American who came to Japan on her honeymoon, said with satisfaction, “As this area is quiet, I can relax here. I love tatami rooms and the soft light that comes through the shoji screen.” Sawanoya has served many guests who have been introduced by past guests, as well as those who come back. Ms. Urusla ZULCH, a German guest, smiled when she said, “I was introduced by a Mexican friend. It is clean and comfortable here.”

French student Degouys ESTELLE stayed at the ryokan for two weeks in 2005 and made eight day-long reservations this year. “I like this ryokan because it is quiet and friendly and feels like a family home.” This year she joined in the neighborhood bon dancing wearing yukata (Japanese summer kimono). She says she is very fond of katsudon (pork bowl), udon (noodles) and zarusoba (buckwheat noodles). She seems to be quite enjoying her stay in Japan. Mr. Sawa is taking the role of her father in Japan.

Sawanoya’s present occupancy rate now surprisingly exceeds 90 percent. It is ironical that the small family-run ryokan and its Shitamachi location which were deserted by Japanese guests is now a big attraction among foreign tourists. In Shitamachi, caring humanity still exists. These people maintain close communication and live helping each other. Their honest lifestyle itself acts as a tourism resource.

Mr. Sawa says, “I have learnt many things from our guests. A Canadian guest who returned home sent me some mail saying, ‘My son who went with me says the most unforgettable scene he witnessed in Japan was Sawa-san’s grandchildren riding in a bus to their kindergarten.’ I learnt that what impresses guests is not in what I wanted to show, but simply our common daily lives.”

He continued, “A friend of mine took his guest to experience Japanese cuisine including a full course meal, but he recounted that the guest said that the most delicious food was croquettes he bought from a street stall.” Mr. Sawa realized that some of the ways he wanted to please guests were not always welcome. He had to reconsider his idea of ‘true service’ and stopped carrying guests’ luggage and entering guests’ rooms to take out and unroll their futon.

It seems Sawanoya’s success is owed greatly to Mr. Sawa’s warm and big-hearted character, in addition to his passion. He is providing data, or what should be called “Sawanoya’s Know-How” to many different organizations. Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau analyzes tourism statistics using the data. “By sending off information, I receive more information,” Mr. Sawa says. To prove it, he has had more than 800 interviews.

Mr. Sawa’s achievements have even been officially recognized when he was appointed as a “Tourism Ambassador” by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which wants to use his talents to attract tourists to Japan on a national level. However, he has no intention to make Sawanoya itself bigger, since he well knows that the biggest attraction for Sawanoya is its “family ryokan” style. The TV family dramalike stories of Sawanoya’s will no doubt continue.

Sawanoya Ryokan
Tel: +81-(0)3-3822-2251
http://www.sawanoya.com

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