"Check the House Rules at Check-In": Can You Wear a Yukata to Hotel Breakfast in Japan?

What Japanese people said — picked from the top 100 of 1,856 comments

• Heading down in your room slippers is understandable, but the other things are out anywhere you go lol

  部屋のスリッパのまま行ってしまうのは仕方ないとして、他の行為はどこ行ってもアウトw

  — @チップとデール-x2g2,699 likes

• Room wear and in-house loungewear depend on the place, but they're basically a no, right?

  部屋着とか館内着に関してはその施設によるけど、基本NGだよね

  — @nekonekoutakata495 likes

• Yukata and loungewear depend on the hotel. I see plenty of people come to dinner or the breakfast buffet in a yukata

  浴衣とか館内着はホテルによるよね。 浴衣で夕食とか朝食ビュッフェ来る人よく見かける

  — @グランデル中島vv160 likes

• Rules or no rules, I don't get the nerve of people who go out of their room in the hotel's yukata. That's sleepwear.

  利用規約とか関係なくホテルの浴衣で外出る神経がわからん。あれ寝巻きだからな。

  — @micky384067 likes

• At ryokan and places like that, don't most people stay in them?

  @micky3840旅館とかはあのままの方が多くない？

  — @太郎-c9h182 likes

• Exactly. Ryokan and hotels see 'outside' differently. At a ryokan, outside the building is 'outside', but at a hotel everything outside your room is 'outside'. Walking around a place you've gone out to in room wear and slippers is obviously out lol

  @yy.2173 仰る通りです。旅館とホテルで「外」に対する認識が異なりますからね。旅館は建物の外が「外」ですが、ホテルは部屋の外は全て「外」です。外出先で部屋着やスリッパで歩き回るのはどう考えてもアウトですねw

  — @investor-202019 likes

• Wait...? I stay at ryokan and hotels every year and went to the morning buffet in my yukata(?), nobody said anything and most of the other guests were in yukata too...? Oh, so it's different at each place. Huh, learned something

  えっ…？毎年旅館やホテル泊まってたけど、朝は浴衣？のままバイキング行ったけど何も言われんかったし他の皆様も浴衣のままの方多かったけどな…？ と思ったらその施設ごとに違うのか💡ほー勉強になった✨

  — @みりん醤油-h1o127 likes

• Lots of ryokan say it's OK and lots of hotels say no. It varies by the place you stay, though

  旅館はOKなところ多くて、ホテルは❌なところが多いですね。宿泊施設によって😊様々ですが

  — @mwmdmd20466 likes

• Turning up in that loungewear is honestly embarrassing

  あの館内着で来るのは普通に恥ずかしいよ

  — @詩音-k3f148 likes

• A yukata is usually all rumpled when you've just woken up And nobody wants some old guy wandering around with one thrown over his underwear

  浴衣は寝起きだと着崩れてる場合が多いからな 下着の上から羽織っただけのようなおっさんに徘徊されてもあれだし

  — @葛西辰二郎-e9r12 likes

• At tourist hotels that are proud of their hot springs, Yukai Resort, or for business hotels Route Inn, yukata and loungewear are OK

  温泉が自慢の観光ホテルや湯快リゾート、ビジネスならルートインなら浴衣や館内着でOK

  — @nanodesuharuna80224 likes

• Dormy Inn, where you can go to breakfast in the loungewear, really is the best

  やはり館内着で朝食に行けるドーミーインは神

  — @RIBADAGA2 likes

• At ryokan and such, yukata and slippers are fine. The first time I stayed at a business hotel it was a no and I was so embarrassed. Ever since, I check.

  旅館とかは浴衣スリッパでいいもんね。初めてビジネス泊まったときNGで恥ずかしい思いしました。以来、確認するようにしてます。

  — @miwa-k7d2 likes

• Some hotels say 'Slippers welcome', so there you can just go by what it says The rest... is a problem before it's even about it being a hotel

  スリッパでどうぞと書かれているホテルもあるからそこは記載通りでOKですね 他は…ホテルだからとか以前の問題

  — @rokiso-sana132 likes

• Because checking is a hassle? Not going in room wear is the one that's never wrong 😂

  その確認が面倒だから？部屋着で行かないのが間違いない😂

  — @tomoyagou60 likes

Can I wear the hotel yukata to the breakfast buffet in Japan?

At a ryokan, usually yes. At a city or business hotel, often no. Japanese commenters agree it varies by property: one (66 likes) says ryokan mostly allow it and hotels mostly don't, and another (68 likes) says room wear is mostly fine at a ryokan because the whole place is yukata style. Check the house rules or the sign at the restaurant.

Why is a yukata fine at a ryokan but not at a hotel?

Because the two draw the line of 'outside' in different places. One commenter (19 likes) puts it this way: at a ryokan, outside means outside the building, but at a hotel everything beyond your room door is outside, so walking around in room wear and slippers is out. Another (12 likes) adds that a yukata is usually rumpled after a night's sleep.

What if I'm not sure whether loungewear is allowed?

Get dressed. One commenter (60 likes) says that if checking the rules is too much bother, not going in room wear is the one choice that's never wrong. Another (132 likes) notes that some hotels post a sign saying slippers are welcome, and then it's fine to follow it.

Japanese people also answered

• Which hotel amenities can you take home in Japan?
• Can you take the toothbrushes and razors from the front desk?
• Why are hotels in Japan so expensive now?
• Which business hotel chains in Japan don't surge in price?
• Do Japanese hotels charge a cancellation fee if you're sick?
• Will a hotel in Japan waive the fee if I call to cancel?

• Business Hotels in JapanWhy Are Hotels in Japan So Expensive? Japanese Priced Out

  Rooms still fill at new prices, so Japanese guests are priced out. A ¥6,000 room is now ¥20,000 (54 likes); Toyoko INN and Route Inn hold price (49 likes).

  591 likes
• #HotelsWill a Japanese Hotel Waive the Cancellation Fee?

  Sometimes, as a favor, if you call. A guest let off when sick (1,447 likes) says it was staff goodwill, not a right. Expect to pay, and don't post it.

  7,691 likes
• #HotelsIs There a Fine for Smoking in a Japanese Hotel Room?

  Expect a cleaning charge. A ryokan cut a smoker's ¥30,000 bill to ¥10,000, and the top comment (4,133 likes) praised it. Hotel staff call ¥30,000 cheap.

  4,133 likes
• #HotelsCan a Japanese Inn Refuse Rude Guests? What Japanese Say

  Yes, and most Japanese commenters on a 2024 video back a hot-spring guesthouse that says "full" to rude callers. The phone call is where it's decided.

  4,632 likes