I don't think you'll be unhappy in one the less expensive rooms...the more you spend, the bigger the room and the better the view. Keep in mind that you will be in your room at an onsen much more than in a hotel. At onsen, it is all about your room and the bath.

I don't think this place would outright tell you they don't take foreigners...that's technically illegal but sometimes done anyway...but might say they are fully booked or not reply at all. Probably going to Gero Onsen after Kyoto is a good idea, like you said...relax. From there, train to Takayama. Bus to Shirakawa-go and back to Takayama. Then train to Kanazawa. Then train back to Kyoto.

In Kanazawa, you should be sure to see Kenrokuen, the Higashi Geisha district, Nagamachi samurai district and omicho market. There is a really cool temple called Ninja Tera which has secret passageways and trick doors for escaping attackers...right near my house actually...anyway, it's neat. You need a reservation for the Japanese language only tour but just seeing, even if you can't understand, is interesting. It's located in an old residential/temple district minutes from downtown - the neighborhood is worth wandering around. Every day when I bring my daughter to school I'm still impressed with the "Japaneseness" of the area. We'd be happy to show you around for a day provided our schedules coincided (no work for us).

Chaya ryokan near Kanazawa station is fairly nice, has a simple bath, nice food, and they do speak some English there. We stayed at Chaya once to evaluate it for the city. The ANA hotel is directly next to the station and is OK if you get a good deal on a room (under 10000/person with breakfast is the most I'd pay at ANA). The Nikko hotel is across the street from the station and is quite nice. There is a new APA hotel in Katamachi (downtown)...there are many APA hotels but only the Katamachi APA hotel and sauna is new.

Kim- Your mention of the Ninja house reminds me of a funny story. We visited there when our girls were about 5 and 7 years old. The youngest wasn't allowed in (too Young) and was VERY upset, as sho\e loved Ninja stuff.

My husband saved the day by buying her a Ninja star though, and she held it (literally) for the remaining time we were in japan.

Fast forward about 9 years, when that daughter and I were flying to the mainland (pre 9-11 luckily). We got to the x-ray counter and they pulled us aside...They'd found our "weapon" under the bottom of her suitcase.

Luckily my husband was walking us to the gate. He had to hide it in planter box outside security and pick it up after seeing us off! Now we have the star in a frame...

Would customs allow one to pass through with artifacts like a samurai sword, nina star, etc..?? I've had bokens and swords imported to me from Japan for Iado (Iai-do) class a few years ago. However, I'm wondering if I should have them shipped to the US once I'm there or if there's a claim form I could fill out to fly with it. Any suggestions?

In Kanazawa, I stayed at the Holiday Inn that is (was) at the train station. It doesn't appear on the list of Japan hotels at holiday-inn.com, so maybe it was sold to another hotel chain?

I chose that hotel for it's convenience to the JR station, the good price, and because I thought that it would be good to have a familiar, reliable, western-style hotel. It was all that I expected. Funny thing was that I was slightly bummed because it had a western style bathtub instead of a nice deep Japanese one.

I'm thinkin of picking up a copy of Frommer's guide, but I'm guessing he won't cover the Roppongi Hills as it was recently developed. With that said, how often do Frommer guides get updated? How does Roppongi Hills fair against the main shopping districts in Tokyo so far?

The Holiday Inn in Kanazawa has changed hands...but I don't remember right now what it is now. In any case, it's one of the most run down hotels in the station area now. My colleague's parents stayed there 2 years ago and were very disappointed in the value for price...or lack of...high price, run down room.

http://www.roppongihills.com/en/information/index.html should give you everything you need to know about Roppongi Hills. Don't make too much of it...despite it's publicity, basically it's a glorified shopping mall. The residences are exclusive, as are most of the restaurants and shops. It's a great to place to visit for an afternoon...maybe get coffee if you can find a place with empty seats...shop around a bit if you like designer stuff, and see the view from the top (you have to pay to go up in the elevator).

Do you mean bringing swords in or out of Japan? Anyway, I don't think you can take them on an airplane. Check with US customs/Japanese customs to be sure.

I was referring to exporting swords. I didn't know wether I could classify it as an artifact or wether they'd look at it as a weapon. Nevertheless, it seems that I'd be restricted in purchasing these items due to discretion of the customs agents. I intend to simply place the sword on a mantle. In that case could I just ship it after I purchase it there or is there some kind of document that would allow me to export in when flying out?

When you export guns, swords, or high-quality personal computers that require an export license, you must obtain said license from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry prior to its export. http://www.customs.go.jp/asem/partne..._passenger.htm

This regulation applies to real swords. If you a decorative sword apparently the regulation doesn't apply. How to tell which is which may require the guidance of an experienced craftsman/dealer familiar with export regulations.

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KimJapan, you are the best!! I am traveling on family business lately and have not been able to get to a computer so my replies have not been timely. This will continue for the next month or so. We have emailed Yunoshimakan and not yet had a response. If this continues, I may use AbsoluteAsia to make the reservation (or just reserve elsewhere). One night in Japanese style room is about all we can do, so we want to select carefully. Yunoshimakan has room(s) with western beds (one picture showed it) so if we stay there we could do another ryokan. We will plan to stay 2 nights in Kanazawa and 2 in Takayama going to Shirakawa-go as a day trip since there seems to be no "Western" style accomodations there. If there were, we would certainly stay overnight. We also want to get to Matsumoto (overnight) and Tsumage/Magome (day trip). We would love to take you up on your very kind suggestion to spend some time together in Kanazawa. How old is your daughter? Is there anything from US or England she would like? We love to bring stuff for kids!! Our trip is getting better and better.

Elainee...when you have time, why don't you e-mail me...address right beside my name, right? Kim