Japan changes the way you think about life. It's like being beamed into an alternative reality, where optimism and respect permeate life, and modernism is fused with tradition to create exciting new possibilities of how to live. I'd organised my trip in and around Kyoto and Tokyo to explore Japanese food, but found myself captivated by the latest fashion in ryokans – Japanese inns.
My revelation came in the form of Miyamasou, an idyllic new ryokan high up in the Northern mountain forests of Kyoto prefecture, famed for its wild herb food. Once our bus passed what looked like a beware-of-bears-crossing-the-road sign, deep in the dark cypress woods, the driver put on Greensleeves to announce its arrival to the mountain hamlets. Dropped off beside a phone booth, we were collected by a shaven-headed, monk-like man from Miyamasou who drove us up through the misty woods until we reached two low buildings. They lay on either side of a winding path, which continued up the mountain to a weather-beaten Shinto shrine. The air was sweet with the scent of cryptomeria (cypress) trees.
We took off our shoes and were led by our smiling kimono-clad maid to our room and served a welcoming cup of magnolia tea with a red bean sweetmeat. Like all traditional ryokan rooms, it was very simple: tempered walls, tatami matted floor and one table. The only decoration was a hanging scroll and a vase with a single stem of frothy white flowers in an alcove. The room was dominated by a perfect woodland view of mossy maple boughs and a gurgling brook. The glass is so clear that tiny dots are placed on it to prevent you walking into it. Outside, birds fluttered and the last wild cherry blossom fell in the summer rain. Everything was conducive to reflection. Home, I decided, was going to be de-cluttered on my return, although I didn't know how I was going to replicate the delicate fresh smell that seems to pervade Japan.
But my revelation came when I visited the loo. It's unnerving enough to find that the loo seat opens automatically when you enter the room, but I was truly startled when it started playing Bach's air on the G string (the theme tune of the Hamlet cigar ad) as I touched its toasty, comfort-controlled seat – the latest in Japanese lavatory fashion.
Despite these hi-tech extras, ryokan Miyamasou still follows traditional lines, from the same-sex shared wooden bath tub to laying out the bedding at night on your tatami mat. Its food is exquisite, from the amazing kaiseki meal of myriad different seasonal courses of wild foods such as bamboo shoot and fresh water shrimp, to breakfast the following morning with its miso-cured river fish (think Japanese kippers) and plum tea.
Other ryokans, however, are forging a "New Japanese" concept where traditional and western elements are combined to create an ultra-comfortable 21st-century style. Hoshinoya, just outside Kyoto, and Kaichoro in Ikaho, about two hours north of Tokyo, are perhaps the most famous examples of this new style.
An hour's drive back to Kyoto took us to Hoshinoya Kyoto where we were suddenly cast into the lap of luxury by English-speaking staff. Little temple bells were rung as we walked up from the jade green Oigawa river to Hoshinoya. Overhead, wild monkeys chattered in the rustling trees.
A hundred years ago these buildings were the library of a Kyoto merchant. Inside they felt excitingly modern. There are western elements – high ceilings, low modern furniture designed to contemplate the river view, futons (rather than a tatami mat), English books and continental breakfast – mixed with Japanese paper screens, incense, sophisticated lighting and your own private wet room with a fragrant cryptomeria-wood tub. There is a public lounge area, and a funky dining room where you can eat French or Japanese food a la carte. It is more open than traditional ryokans, where guests are usually carefully screened from each other – except when they visit an onsen (hot water spring bath).
Kaichoro in Ikaho, two hours north-west of Tokyo, in contrast, seemed more traditional, with its private dining rooms and your own personal (English speaking) maid, albeit in a modern hotel block. Crucially, though, it has delicious French-influenced kaiseki food, European furniture, hi-tech lighting, and each room has its own private onsen overlooking the mountains. By the time we'd reached Kaichoro, our minds were so full of the zen-gardens, Noh theatre, temples and bubbling volcanic springs that we'd seen, we didn't want to leave. We'd arrived needing a guide, but after 10 days of Japanese kindness, felt confident enough to use bilingual notes and maps to communicate.
• Abercrombie & Kent's (0845 618 2214) tailormade 12-night trip to Japan, including B&B accommodation at the ryokans (and dinner at Kaichoro), transfers and a seven-day rail pass costs from £3,845 per person (flights excluded). ANA (020-8762 8977) flies from any of six UK cities to 42 cities in Japan, including Osaka or Tokyo, from £768 rtn inc tax. Further information on Japan visit seejapan.co.uk and the Japan Ryokan Society
