Sonnibabes

Hi<BR><BR>I'm going here in November and with my reservation they need to know if I require breakfast. Does anyone know what it's like?<BR><BR>Thanks

Florence

Bonjour Sonnibabes,<BR><BR>Do they offer both Continental and Japanese breakfast ? Both are in my experience standard in Japan: the first may consist in a salad, egg sandwiches, toasts, jams, tea or coffee etc. The second will be rice, miso soup, grilled fish, meat or eggs, maybe a salad, tea.<BR><BR>In any case, you will find lots of places to have a breakfast in the nearby alleys.

Sonnibabea

Hi Florence<BR><BR>Thank you so much for replying. I got the idea from staying at this ryokan from you in the first place, you are a star! <BR><BR>Sonia

Audrey

Hi. We stayed at the Shigetsu in December 2001 and the breakfast was fine. We ate the western breakfast and from what I can remember, it was very good. Don't forget to ask what time the curfew is though . . . most ryokans do have one and will lock the door. Enjoy your trip to Japan. It's a wonderful country.

Kathy

Stayed at the Shigetsu in September 2002. As I recall, we had to decide the night before whether or not to have breakfast at the hotel the next morning. It was nice to be have that flexibility. We only had the traditional Japanese breakfast but liked them very much--loved grilled fish in the morning! <BR><BR>I would caution you on relying too much on other restaurants being open for breakfast--especially if you want a good breakfast. When we opted against eating at teh Shigetsu, we had a hard time finding a good restaurant nearby--most shops and restaurants were still closed at 9am. And the place we did settle on wasn't cheaper than the hotel, and we enjoyed it less.

nori

I have not stayed at Ryokan Shigetsu. According to their site, the breakfast is 1200 yen either Japanese or Western . 1200 yen is what I would pay for lunch (or maybe even for a modest dinner) in Tokyo so I would hesitate taking the b’fast at Shigetsu. But on the other hand, it would be a fun experience for you to try a traditional Japanese Ryokan b’fast. If you are staying more than one night there, why don’t you have the Shigets b’fast for the 1st morning and eat out cheaper for the other days. Florence said “In any case, you will find lots of places to have a breakfast in the nearby alleys”. She didn’t mean restaurants most of which are of course closed at those hours. But there are many coffee shops (dotor chain for example) which serve b’fast hours. You can pick coffee and some pastries for about 3 or 400 yen if you don’t need a big b’fast. Also the stations such as Asakusa and Ueno Stations do have restaurants which are open for business people who need quick b’fast (I think some people don’t have time to eat before leaving home.). Some are Western style and some are Japanese. When I visit Japan, I sometimes try these station restaurants for Japanese b’fast which could cost about 500 – 800 yen. For 1200 yen, Shiegetsu should serve a better b'fast though, quality-wise.

lcuy

We've had both the Japan and Western styles at Ryokan Shigetsu. The Japanese one was really good (if you like fish, miso, vegetables, etc), and the western one even had bacon. They're really good for the price, and very convenient if you want to head out for a busy day. Our first time we tried to order the night before, but it was too late for them to shop. You may want to book ahead for your first day, then you can decide after eating if you want it on day two. <BR>As someone pointed out,there aren't a lot of places open in the early morning (or late evening) between Shigetsu and the station. If you turn left as you exit the inn, then left at the next corner, you'll find more early/late dining about 2 blocks up on the main street.<BR>Have fun!