[janita]

Is is necessary to book the ryokans in advance? We are going from 17 september till 1th of october. I want to book some in advance, but i'm wondering what kind of ryokans we might find for those who aren't online. Sometimes this can get a nice experience as well (and it shouldn't be more expensive).

Or do you think we might be in trouble to find a place to sleep at a "normal" rate?

In tokyo, kioto, japan, koyasan we defintly want to book in advance, but i'm talking about the mountains between tokyo and japan. (takayama, matsumoto, tsumago/magone, ...).