Ryokan 1.0

I was born and raised in Tokyo but when I came back from the UK, I started living in Kyoto with my parents. I was planning to go back to university and so I needed to save up in order to do so. When I started looking for a part time job in Kyoto, I found out that there were many Ryokans that were looking for English speaking staffs. And for those who dont know what a Ryokan is, its basically a hotel but is very traditional and authentic. The rooms have tatami mats, you sleep on futon beds, sleep in yukatas and eat traditional Japanese food. Its basically an experience of a traditional Japanese life that not even many Japanese people can experience in a daily life basis. I figured that it would be a great experience to learn about my culture/heritage and so I applied. Working at a Ryokan was a great learning experience for me because there were so many things that I didnt know about Japan.

I was extremely lucky to have worked in some of the most famous Ryokans in Kyoto and some of these places were an architectural masterpiece. There are gardens that you would call a zen garden in every room, decorated with Japanese art, crafts, flowers and you cant get more Japanese than that. What these Ryokans offer is much more than just a room to stay in but a cultural experience of living a traditional Japanese life.

Using my experience of working at a Ryokan, I want to design an autonomous car that gives the user a cultural experience like a Ryokan, while addressing some of the problems of Japan. Japan is an aging country and there are many beautiful towns in remote locations called Genkai Shuuraku, that are on the verge of disintegration. This is because most of the young generation opt to move out to cities for work and the only people living there are in their 80s, 90s and 100s. It is expected that the number of these Genkai Shuuraku will keep on increasing in the future and the culture, tradition and scenery unique to these towns may be lost. One way to address this problem is by making these towns in remote locations, accessible to international tourists. Japan’s transportational infrastructure is something phenomenal with paved roads, highways and the famous Shinkansen or bullet train. This however creates a problem for these Genkai Shuuraku because the international tourists will tend to concentrate in areas where they have bullet train stations: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and etc. You may say “why dont you just rent a car?”. However, driving on the left side with unreadable letters might be quite stressful. The Ryokan car aims to provide a means of transportation/accommodation without having to drive yourself or worry about finding a place to stay. And since you are travelling while you sleep, you get to travel to different locations much more efficiently.