Ryokan

[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, ...).

[siokan]

sorry poor English.
Do travel this year?
If Japanese is understood, a sudden reservation is searchable of the inn that becomes cheap.

If you travel this year......
The 20th and September 23 are national holidays.
It becomes like consecutive holidays because there will be a national holiday in two days on the weekday placed on the weekend.

It is a hazard that it searches for the inn on that day a little.
It is especially dangerous on the 25th of the 22nd of the 19th of the 18th.
(The charge rises, too)

[samokan]

It is always advisable to book in advance, but if you can't. u can always try to go the cities information service usually they are near the train stations.

they can help you find accomodations in the area.

[janita]

wauw, thanks for telling me about the national holidays, i totally forgot about them :-( In that case, i definitly should book in advance during the week of 2°-25 septembre. As i can imagine a lot of japanese people will travel (as they only have to take 3 days of holidays for a full week).

@samokan: i asked because in mexico and spain, i didn't book anything in advance and it went very good for finding places to sleep at normal prices. That's why i'm asking if that's also possible in the mountains between tokyo and kyoto.

[MMM]

I would plan on where you are staying every night in advance. Searching for a place to stay can be a very stressful and time consuming proposition, so get that all done before you step foot on the plane. Imagine not finding a place to stay for a night.

[Sangetsu]

Here's my favorite place, and you can navigate in English. This ryokan is in Yugawara which is not far from Tokyo. The seashore is nearby, and there are hot springs throughout the area, including an inexpensive park where you can enjoy the springs for 300 yen per person.

This is a first-class inn, so the rates are a little high, but it's worth it. The rooms are all freshly remodeled (many old inns smell of mold and old cigarette smoke), the service is top notch, and the food is about as good as it gets in Japan.

湯河原温泉露天風呂、料亭旅館 | ゆば懐石山翠楼