Ryokan An Integral Part of Traditional Japanese Culture. Ryokan are Japanese style inns with a long tradition. However, this tradition has been disappearing amidst the expansion of large-scale hotel chains. It is similar to the process by which supermarkets drove out local grocery stores and butcher shops in the 1970s. We launched in 2007 in order to provide Ryokans and hotels with the internet technology services and foreign language support they need.