Japanese Hospitality: Omotenashi

Japanese Hospitality: Omotenashi

A key to your cultural Japanese experience

Thinking of Japan you probably imagine or recall its people as thoughtful, helpful, friendly, kind,… What we could call Japanese hospitality is actually much more than that, it’s a true and unique way of life. Below we tried our best to explain what Japanese call Omotenashi and how we deliver Omotenashi to you.

Omotenashi’s definition is ambiguous. “Omote” is your public face (“Ura” being your private face). Omote would be the fake personality or fake smile that you might find in tourist traps. “Nashi” means “without” so Omotenashi means that people are not putting on a fake mask of politeness, they are showing you their authentic selves. Omotenashi could be defined as someone’s authentic self desire for someone’s happiness.

Stay at a Ryokan

One of the best ways to experience Omotenashi is without a doubt to stay in a Japanese Ryokan and appreciate a Kaiseki style dinner. This is an experience in Japanese hospitality that you will remember for the rest of your life. At Rediscover Tours, our team of travel experts works with the best providers all over Japan. Your tour will be personally handled with great care and attention to detail by your travel expert. Using our service you will already have a first taste of Omotenashi . To learn more about Japan and Japanese hospitality download Our Brochure.

Join a cultural activity

Another good plan to discover Omotenashi is to witness a tea ceremony, especially in Kyoto or Uji. The Japanese tea ceremony is a Japanese tradition steeped in history. One of the main purposes of the tea ceremony is for the guests to enjoy the hospitality of the host in an atmosphere distinct from the fast pace of everyday life. Nowadays, the tea ceremony is practiced as a hobby, and there are places where tourists can experience it, particularly in Kyoto or Uji. Tea ceremonies of varying degrees of formality and authenticity are offered by many organizations across Japan, including at some traditional gardens, culture centers and hotels. Join a small group authentic tea ceremony led by an English speaking kimono clad tea master. Focus completely on the present and to make every movement on purpose without wasted effort. It is beautiful to watch a skilled tea master perform this art.

Another unique opportunity to discover Omotenashi is to enjoy a home-stay with a Japanese family. They will provide you with a variety of experiences that only they can give. They will cook traditional Japanese dishes for you and tell you the fascinating story of their family and ancestors. A home-stay will introduce you the Japanese traditions, the strength of the Japanese people, the dedication to excellence… In fact you will also learn about yourself and how to enjoy life in a traditional Japanese way.

Examples of Omotenashi

For a good example of Omotenashi, you will find below the review that Hivy wrote after his stay at Yomoshiro in Ainokura:
“Yomoshiro family provides exquisite hospitality that was hard to beat. Every reviews mentioned by previous guests are accurate and they keep their standard up high. 1. They cater to our different dietary meals: vegetarians, no beef meals, no raw fish meals. Yet they prepared such delicious meals for us. Even the most picky eaters in our group finished all the dish provided! 2. It was raining the day we arrived. Our shoes were wet and we had so many luggage. They helped to unload all our luggage, and clean them before put in our rooms. Moreover they took all our wet shoes and dry them so that the following morning they would be all ready to be worn again. When we wanted to have a walk before dinner, they lent us boots and umbrellas. Their services are beyond expectations!!! We had a wonderful stay at Yomoshiro’s great house and their extraordinary hospitality.”

Omotenashi wasn’t a worldwide expression until 2013 when Krystel Takigawa, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Bid Ambassador gave her famous speech explaining that Japan would be the best destination to welcome due to its culture of O-Mo-Te-Na-Shi.

If you stay longer in Japan you might be surprised to see Japanese planning to meet their friends or even family members several months in advance. It’s not really because their agenda is overbooked it’s more because they like to try everything they can to make the event perfect. For example when kids visit their friend’s home, mothers will schedule a specific day, prepare sweets or bake cakes while children will write cards,…Again this is Omotenashi. Japanese want to show their appreciation and care to others.

Note that each culture and country has a different definition of good hospitality. For example, in restaurants in the US people are friendly and personal. Attention is placed on the food’s taste, less on presentation. While in Japanese restaurants, hospitality is less intrusive and great attention is placed on presentation. Staff won’t necessarily stay around you during your meal like in western gourmet restaurants. Here they want you to peacefully cherish your Kaiseki.

Contact us once you are ready to discover Japanese hospitality or if you have questions about your trip to Japan.

Tour Types

Rediscover Tours arranges amazing trips whether you are traveling with your family, on your honeymoon, as a couple or as a group of friends. We work with you to make sure everything is exactly as you want it.