Originally Posted by
cas_de
Does that mean that *all* Ryokans are like this
Not all. You'll find places with varying degrees of modernity.
For the full on Japanese traditional house experience, you need to stay in a thatched building with open hearths and a little charcoal fire in a pit under the table. You need to spend your evenings with your legs tucked under a big quilt over that table, because it's the warmest place. You need to wear a quilted coat, drink great quantities of tea or amazake, watch the clouds of vapor from your mouth and dread the moment when your bladder forces you to go to the arctic benjo...
In truth, though, few Japanese houses or inns are quite like that these days.
Originally Posted by
cas_de
and how do people handle this in the winter?
They're rock hard.