Lotus Score
We developed the Lotus Score to give foreigners (gaijin) who are planning a trip to Japan and thinking about visiting an onsen-ryokan a resource to help quickly cut through the large number of properties and start researching a select set that score the highest in the attributes that should be most important to foreign travelers.
In Buddhist symbolism the Lotus represents an ideal state and is often the foundation upon which the Buddha sits (as in our logo!). We hope the Lotus Score will provide a foundation for the research of your ideal onsen-ryokan stay in Japan!
Based upon our experience, the objective factors which should be most important to a foreign traveler planning to visit an onsen-ryokan in Japan are:
a) closeness of the facility to the train station
b) variety of onsen baths offered
c) price of the stay
d) whether the establishment has taken the initiative to present information on their property to foreign travelers
Subjective assessments around those factors include:
a) the closer to the train station a property is situated the better it is for the foreign traveler
b) outside bath (roten-buro) presence always provides a better overall experience than inside only
c) properties that have taken the initiative to present information in English (Website or PDF) are affirmatively welcoming of foreign guests (not that the absence of such indicates the opposite, but the presence of English information is certainly a positive factor)
As the price of a night’s stay is a variable that will be valued differently by different travelers depending on their typical spending style we have developed two distinct Lotus Score varieties to help in the onsen-ryokan selection process:
Lotus Score (Frugal) - This Lotus Score will factor a higher overall score on the price component for a lower nightly room charge.
Lotus Score (Lavish) - This Lotus Score will factor a higher overall score on the price component for a higher nightly room charge.
Go to Onsen-Ryokan Ratings
