Shizuka Ryokan

As you sip green tea made by the nakai-san time seems to slow.

Slip off your shoes and enter a world that is distinctly Japanese. At Shizuka Ryokan you are treated to hospitality of honour, authentic cuisine, and nourishing spa treatments. The simple Zen design, hushed intimacy of rooms behind sliding shoji screens, and ritualised routines quiet your mind and soothe your soul. At Shizuka Ryokan we take special pride in the rituals of Japanese hospitality omotenashi. Upon arrival, you are greeted by a nakai-san who will look after you throughout your stay. As you exchange your shoes for slippers, your cares drift away and you follow her to your room. The earthy scent of the tatami flooring is grounding. The winter sun filters through the timber latticed shoji screens beyond which is a private courtyard garden.

As you put on your yukata (kimono), you notice the tranquillity that permeates the ryokan. Sipping a green tea brought to your room, you study the details of the flowers and trees and learn, like the Japanese, to appreciate the beauty of a single frost-nipped leaf, the petals of a wintery bloom, or the restful contours of a solitary boulder.

The winter menu at Shizuka Ryokan welcomes convivial and nourishing dishes. Dinner is a traditional country feast of sashimi, tempura, seasonal vegetables, Japanese rice and simmering broths. The breakfast is traditional: grilled fish, tamagoyaki, vegetables, miso soup and rice. Meals feature local organic vegetables, locally fermented miso and traditional recipes passed down from the chef’s Obaasan (grandma).

Time at Shizuka passes slowly with the Japanese spa removing tension and guiding you towards the path to tranquillity.

7 Lakeside Drive, Hepburn Springs 03 5348 2030 shizuka.com.au @shizukaryokan