Behind the Scenes at a Ryokan: Understanding Japanese Inns (Dr Chris McMorran | Japan Station 105

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, Dr. Chris McMorran talks about what it's like working at a rural ryokan (Japanese inn).

About Dr. Chris McMorran Chris McMorran is Associate Professor of Japanese Studies at the National University of Singapore. He is a cultural geographer of contemporary Japan focusing on the geographies of home across scale, from the body to the nation. He is the author of Ryokan: Mobilizing Hospitality in Rural Japan (University of Hawai’i Press), an ethnography of a Japanese inn, based on twelve months spent scrubbing baths, washing dishes, and making guests feel at home in Kurokawa Onsen. He also researches tourism, disasters, gendered labor, area studies, field-based learning, and popular culture, including as co-editor of Teaching Japanese Popular Culture. Finally, Chris co-produces the Home on the Dot podcast with NUS students. The podcast explores the complex spaces and meanings of home in Singapore, through the lives of young people. Topics Discussed

• About Dr. Thomas Baudinette's interest in Japan and research
• About ryokan (Japanese inns)
• About what it's like to work at a ryokan
• About the tasks expected of a ryokan employee
• About who works at ryokans
• About genered labor at ryokan
• Whether you should leave a tip at a ryokan
• And much more!

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• Ryokan: Mobilizing Hospitality in Rural Japan

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Full Show Notes

Get the full version of show notes at https://www.japankyo.com/category/podcasts/japanstation/