Once a ritual of tatami austerity and rigid routines, the traditional ryokan is being reimagined for a new era. In this issue, I explore a wave of properties attempting to modernise Japan’s most iconic form of hospitality—sometimes with grace, sometimes with gimmickry. From Fufu Tokyo’s polished minimalism to the surprising ryokan-inspired floor at Four Seasons Osaka, and from Adrian Zecha’s quietly ambitious Azumi Setoda to the folkloric whimsy of Six Senses Kyoto, I ask: can comfort coexist with authenticity? Or are we simply smoothing away the very soul of the experience . . .