Japan Help-Ryokan or no?
 

Hi, I am getting a bit confused and just thought I'd ask for a bit more advice. We are a family of 5 (kids 22, 17, 14) and are spending 10 days in Japan. We are splitting the time between Tokyo and Kyoto. I had decided to splurge and do one night at a ryokan, possibly near Hakone, or the 5 Lakes area. But now, I'm second guessing myself. Would we do better to save our time and only do Kyoto and Tokyo, and maybe splurge on a couple of really nice dinners to make up the cost of the Ryokan (I am getting 1300-1500 for one night for us, which I am happy to do if it is a "not to be missed" experience). We are arriving Tokyo on the 14th and leaving on the 23rd. Thank you for any insight and suggestions.

Also, if anyone has a not to be missed thing they love, please tell me! We are open to fun, quirky, the arts, etc, etc.

Thanks, Pam

Your call! A night in a ryokan, which can include an exquisitely presented and memorably delicious multi-course meal, can be an experience of a lifetime. But it also makes for a very quiet evening, which often involves a bath and then hours over your meal and then an early time to bed. Are your young persons into that? Will they appreciate it?

With 10 days, your time is limited, so maybe it would be better to focus your time on Tokyo and Kyoto. And yes, you could use that money to have some very nice meals in one or both of those cities.

Your call! But FWIW, I don't think you have a BAD option, just options that are difficult to weigh.

Most/much of that ryokan charge is for the dinner. Plus you get a night's lodging. Would be fun if all 5 of you were served in the same room together. It would be a big production, I think, so I would find out if they could do that. Maybe they do that in their family rooms.

>>makes for a very quiet evening, which often involves a bath and then hours over your meal and then an early time to bed

You are making the case for why staying at a place like Momijiso might not be for some people.

A megacity/big-city visit like Tokyo/Kyoto misses something that I think is not to missed: the natural beauty of Japan.

A traditional ryokan stay gives you the opportunity to engage in a uniquely Japanese tradition. The meal & service, but also the room and the layout and decorations follow a traditional form. Maybe a nice garden, maybe a scenic view of nature. An onsen ryokan also provides the opportunity to enjoy another Japanese tradition - soaking in the onsen.

Or, you could just stay in the city and go to a restaurant instead, like you will for the other 9 nights.

While I did not enjoy the evening after the meal at Momijiso, I did love waking up there.

I wrote about our ryokan experience in one of my blog posts about Tokyo and Kyoto. I was originally thinking about staying in a ryokan for 2 nights but then thought better of it after learning the price! We compromised by staying in a capsule hotel, a ryokan, and then a standard hotel in Kyoto. Lots of moving around but we really wanted to try different accommodations.

The kaiseki meal was really interesting and beautiful (and I loved dining in our room) but it wasn't among the tastiest meals we had while in Japan.

Here's our trip report - we also spent about 10 days in Tokyo and Kyoto:
http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2014/...and-kyoto.html

Enjoy trip planning!

5 people adults and children make for a loud evening to me...

Yes definitely do it!! One of many highlights in visiting Japan is staying in and experiencing a ryokan. With your family I would suggest the Hakone venue which is easier to get to from Tokyo yet sights and activities abound.

Aloha!

Goodness – it almost seems as though a few posters are trying to discredit my comment! I readily admit that I should have said, “it also CAN make for a very quiet evening” rather than asserting that it WOULD do so. And I think mrwunrfl has made a great argument for the value of participating in a unique tradition.

I still believe that none of us can say whether it would work for YOUR family or not, and as with all trip planning, there are many considerations to juggle. I return to what I suggested earlier: No right or wrong answers, just difficult ones.

In case you haven’t already seen it, here’s some more information:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2029.html

Good luck!

Actually, I give you credit for mentioning that a ryokan stay can make for a very quiet evening, depending on location. I wasn't prepared for it at Momijiso.

>>But now, I'm second guessing myself.

Pam, whatever choice you make it will be a good one.

@ mrwunrfl: Thanks for clarifying! I guess I was lucky in having been prepared for it. In fact, that's part of why I chose to stay at Momiji-so on the same day that I visited Hiroshima -- I knew I would want a very quiet evening after such an emotional day. It was perfect for my purposes. I had thought I might take a walk after dinner, but it was raining very heavily, so I just enjoyed the views from my room while I jotted notes in my journal and reflected on the day.

Just giving my opinion about children and adults in a family from first hand experience. I don't know why you would feel your advice discredited after all it is your advice and we all have different points of views.

@ hawaiiantraveler: I appreciate the clarification.