The unknown virus has upended every aspect of our lives. Studies show that people worldwide have put a premium on boosting their physical and mental health for the days ahead in the wake of the pandemic. Most people believe that health and wellbeing are crucial in their lives. Ultimately, what can we do to improve our health, not just temporarily protect ourselves against a new virus but in the long-term? One squarely fundamental control is your immune system.

To maintain your immune system, having an adequate sleep, lowering stress levels, and enjoying a balanced diet are essential. It is also vital to improve blood circulation and raise body temperature by moderate exercise and bathing. Travel experience encourages moderate-intensity activities and allows you to temporarily move away from your daily stressor. Experiencing an "extraordinary" stimulates the autonomic nervous system leads to climatotherapy. With so much information online, we've discovered ryokan experience genuinely contains the top tips to enhance your immune system.

Traditional Japanese foods are full of vitamins, minerals, and beneficial bacteria for gut health. Several major Japanese superfoods and superdrinks keep your body healthy and your immune system strong, such as miso, natto, ginger, spring onion, garlic, mushrooms, seaweed, green tea, and sake. These foods and a drink are widely used in traditional Japanese food, also known as Kaiseki. Suffice to say, many Japanese ryokans serve Japanese Kaiseki. Yes, it is possible to have both deliciousness and healthiness in the meals of the ryokan.

As many people started to rave about fermented Japanese foods like miso and kombucha over the last couple of years, Japanese sake, a fermented alcoholic drink, has also started getting more attention worldwide. Sake is Japan's national alcoholic beverage consumed for almost 2,000 years. Sake is not just a delicious or trendy alcoholic drink but so much more. Sake is purely made from natural ingredients full of vitamins, minerals, gut-friendly bacteria, and amino acids (seven times more than wine!). Specifically, amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are helping to prevent infections and play a significant role in helping our immune system robust. Recently, a study shows that amino acids in sake contain "5-Aminolevulinic Acid (5-ALA)," which prevents infections, including the coronavirus, nearly 100%. There are almost no ryokans that do not serve sake. If it's so great for our robust immune system, why not enjoy sake to go with Kaiseki during a ryokan stay?

Given that a hot bath generally results in improving your body's immunity by killing bacteria, lowering blood sugar concentrations and blood pressure, onsen (hot spring) has much more benefits to keep you healthy. Unlike hot baths, onsen contains a variety of different minerals, including calcium and sodium bicarbonate. When taking a bath in an onsen, our bodies soak up these minerals helping increase hyperthermia. In the immune system, the place where immune cells are made and their function are separated in the body. However, improving blood flow allows immune cells to circulate efficiently. As a result, the immune function enhances. The mineral water in an onsen can also help reduce stress by relaxing tense muscles, which brings you a deep sleep afterward. A bath in onsen keeps the doctor away!

Sleep is an instinctive expression of innate behavior for humans, which can excessively affect our immune system. During sleep, our immune system releases proteins called cytokines that help promote sleep. Certain cytokines have the function of repairing cells and relieving our bodies' fatigue, which has a bidirectional relationship to our immunity. Sleep can also help ease stress by resting our brains. However, the sympathetic nerves will only be activated under excessive stress, which leads to weakening immunity. Immunity is maintained by the well-balanced work of each nerve.

The pandemic has caused a paradigm shift in tourism. Fundamentally, strengthening the immune system is essential to maintain our physical, spiritual, and mental wellbeing. Believe it or not, such macrobiotics or mindfulness recognized in wellness actually have roots in Japan. Ryokan experience is abundant in top tips of immune system booster. Imagine you're immersing yourself in nature, cultures, and food. Your extraordinary experience awaits in Japanese ryokans.