Abstract
- In order to discuss the value of the “ryokan” experience for foreign guests, we compared and analyzed (factor analysis) Japanese and English reviews posted on TripAdvisor.
- It was found that Japanese guests value unusual experiences in the ryokan, such as hot springs and spacious rooms and baths, while foreign guests value a series of cross-cultural experiences, including the stay at the ryokan, access to the ryokan, and walking around the area.
Data
- Source: Japanese and English reviews of the top 20 inns in Tripadvisor’s “Japanese Ryokan 2020 Popular among Foreigners
- Period: June 2003 to October 2021
- Number of reviews: 1086 in Japanese and 1065 in English
What is the value of the ryokan experience for foreign visitors to Japan?
As a pre-processing of the data, interceptions were made for each review, followed by factor analysis (factor analysis: a statistical technique to analyze the structure and motivation behind a lot of data based on the relationships they have).
In the factor analysis of the Japanese-language review, up to four factors were considered for interpretation: “onsen bath,” “spacious room and bath,” “service,” and “stay and eat,” respectively. In the factor analysis of the English review, up to four factors were subject to interpretation: “food and a moment in the room,” “ryokan rates and townscape,” “access to the ryokan,” and “crossing the river by boat,” respectively.
An example of a review of the second factor in English, “ryokan price and townscape”: “Good value for the price. It is a fair walk to other parts of town (e.g. Gion district)but easy to find your way and local area maps were provided.”
Example of a review of the third factor “Access to the ryokan” in English: “Since it was a holiday there was no bus service running which we did not know, and it is about a half an hour from the Ryokan by bus/car to the train station thru the windy mountains. ”
The above factors were not extracted from the Japanese-language reviews, and the respondents felt the value of the experience was in the matters inside the ryokan. On the other hand, the English-language reviewers also found that access to the ryokan, experiences around the ryokan were also considered to be of value to the experience.