バリアフリーについて — ACCESSIBILITY
What can we tell you
before you arrive?
Shizuka is a traditional Japanese ryokan set amongst three and a half acres of gardens near Hepburn Springs. While some parts of the property are level, others include gravel paths, stone steps and traditional Japanese room layouts that may not suit every guest. We've described each space honestly so you can decide whether Shizuka is right for you.
静が大切にすること — OUR APPROACH
Honesty before arrival
We would rather tell you plainly what to expect than have you discover a step you weren’t ready for. The buildings and gardens were shaped long before us, and we have kept much of that character — which means level changes, gravel underfoot, and a few thresholds that a modern build would not have.
What follows is measured, space by space: door widths, step counts, surfaces and distances, with photographs taken to show them truthfully. If your needs sit anywhere near the edges of what we describe, please call before you book — we will talk it through honestly and, where we can, arrange the room and route that suits you best.
アクセス・駐車場 — GETTING HERE & PARKING
Arriving at the ryokan
Guest parking is provided on site. From the car park, reception is approximately 30 metres away via a gravel path with natural stone stepping stones and several stone steps.
If you prefer, you’re welcome to drive to the baggage drop closer to reception before parking your car. From here, there is a short distance across gravel, followed by two steps and a landing before the entrance.
If walking the path or carrying luggage may be difficult, please let us know your arrival time. We’ll be happy to meet you at your vehicle, assist with your luggage, and help you take the easiest route into the ryokan.
距離
CAR PARK TO RECEPTION
~30 m
Gravel with natural stone stepping stones
段差
STEPS before ENTRANCE
2 x 20 cm height
館内のご案内 — ENTRANCE & COMMON AREAS
Reception, lounge, dining room & deck
Once inside the entrance, reception, the guest lounge, dining room and outdoor deck are all on one level, with timber flooring throughout and no steps between these shared spaces.
The main entrance is reached via two steps and a landing. Within these common areas there are only occasional shallow thresholds between adjoining spaces.
If you have any questions about moving through these shared areas, or would like to discuss access before your visit, please contact us. We’ll happily explain the layout, answer your questions, and assist wherever we can.
段差
STEPS AT ENTRANCE
2 x 20 cm
戸幅
ENTRANCE CLEAR WIDTH
87 cm
敷居
INTERNAL THRESHOLDS
1 cm
客室 — ROOMS & ACCOMMODATION
Room by room, honestly
Each of our six guest rooms follows a traditional Japanese layout, and while every room is slightly different, the accessibility considerations are much the same.
From the entrance, there is a small landing before stepping down onto the tatami floor of the main room. The bathroom is accessed directly from this landing and includes an open shower and a deep Japanese soaking bath with a raised side.
All rooms are prepared with traditional futon bedding laid directly onto the tatami floor. There are no conventional beds. Once the futons are laid each evening, circulation space within the room becomes more limited.
Of the six rooms, Cherry Blossom is generally the easiest to move around. Its tea-making facilities and minibar can be reached from the main room, avoiding the need to access the narrower engawa (veranda). While it is not an accessible room, it is often the room we recommend to guests with limited mobility.
If you have any questions about a particular room or would like us to recommend the most suitable option for your needs, please contact us before booking. We’ll happily talk through the layout and any measurements you may need.
| Step at room entrace | One step · 14cm high |
| Room entrance clear width | 80cm x 80cm landing with step down into room (14cm) |
| Room floor | Tatami flooring |
| In-room bathroom | Open shower, deep soaking bath with raised side, rain-head and handheld shower |
| Sleeping | Traditional futon bedding on tatami floor |
湯 — BATH & WELLNESS ACCESS
The Japanese bathing ritual
The Japanese Bathing Ritual is the most physically demanding part of a stay at Shizuka, and the area we are most careful to describe.
The usual route from reception to the bathhouse follows a stone path and includes five stone steps. If these may be difficult for you, please let us know before you arrive. We can meet you at the car park and guide you along an alternative route that avoids these steps.
From the bathhouse entrance, six further steps lead up to the changing and shower room. The floors may be wet, and entering the bath requires stepping over the timber edge and down into deep water. As with traditional Japanese bathing, guests shower before entering the bath using low seated washing stations.
Many of our treatments take place in the wellness rooms beside the bathhouse. Aromatherapy, deep tissue and other table treatments are performed on electric massage tables, which can be lowered to make getting on and off easier. Traditional Shiatsu is performed on futons placed on the tatami floor and may not be suitable for guests who find it difficult to lower themselves to, or rise from, floor level.
Every guest room also has its own deep Japanese soaking bath, which can be enjoyed without travelling to the bathhouse. If you’re unsure whether the outdoor bathing ritual is suitable for you, we’d be happy to talk it through before your visit and honestly explain what to expect.
段差
STEPS TO CHANGING ROOM
6
深さ
BATH DEPTH
60 cm
手すり
HANDRAIL to changing room
Yes
| Path to bathhouse | Stone path from reception · five steps, approximately 20cm high. |
| Changing and shower room | Reached by six steps, approximately ~15cm high · bench seating |
| Showers | Seated Japanese-style washing stations before bathing · rain-head & handheld shower. |
| Bath entry | Two steps (19cm & 57cm) over a raised edge and down into deep water (60cm). |
お食事処 — RESTAURANT & DINING
At the table or on the floor
Meals can be enjoyed in two settings: at standard-height tables and chairs in the restaurant, or with traditional low floor seating in your guest room.
From the guest rooms, access to the restaurant requires stepping up from the tatami floor to the entrance landing before following a level route through the ryokan. From the guest car park, the approach is the same as reception, via a gravel path with natural stone stepping stones and several stone steps.
Within the restaurant, there is generous circulation space around the tables, making movement easier for guests using walking aids or wheelchairs.
段差
Restaurant Floor
Level / good circulation space
お席
SEATING
Traditional floor or standard table
お庭 — GARDENS & GROUNDS
The least even ground
The gardens are the part of Shizuka we have shaped the least, and the hardest to cross — three and a half acres of gravel and stepping-stone paths, with gentle gradients between the bathhouse, the rooms and the quiet corners. Stones can be uneven and slippery after rain, and some routes are unlit once night settles in.
There are benches set along the way to rest, and the most-used routes are the firmest. If walking the gardens matters to you, ask us which paths to take and which to avoid — we will point you to the ground that holds best.
足元
PATH SURFACE
Gravel & stone
休憩場所
REST POINTS
Benches available
ご来館前に — PLAN YOUR VISIT
Tell us what you need
No website can answer every question. If anything here gives you pause — a step, a surface, a distance — please call or write before you book. We would rather have an honest conversation now than have you arrive unsure. We will tell you plainly what we can arrange, and where the limits are.