Foreigner-free Japan hotels want to stay that way

Most Japanese inns and hotels that did not have foreign guests last year do not want any in the future, according to a government survey released yesterday.

While the majority of such establishments do accept foreigners, the survey showed the country's more traditional inns are not as hospitable, even as the government mounts a major campaign to draw more tourists from abroad.

Japan's countryside is dotted with thousands of small, old-fashioned lodgings called ryokan. Many are family run and offer only traditional Japanese food and board, such as raw seafood delicacies, simple straw-mat floors and communal hot spring baths.