Author: keith

Back to another Western-style hotel that wouldn’t look out of place anywhere in the world. Into a cool, pristine lobby where Guest Operatives (or Receptionists in old money) spoke reasonable English (better than our Japanese, of course) and invited us after checking in to raid the toiletries store – we duly obliged and nicked some body sponge cloth thingies.

Rooms are tiny – so small we had to dump 2 of our cases in the kids’ room, there was so little space. The en-suite bathrooms were miniscule, I couldn’t stand up inside, making showering a challenge. We thought they were very much like those used on cruise ships, pre-fabricated and fitted out before being hoisted into place the building/ship constructed around them.

Breakfast was had twice, both days causing some amusement – ranging from Coco Pops in tiny bowls you might put kids jelly into (I found much bigger bowls at the other side of the restaurant to carry a greater load of chocolatey puffed rice and WHOLE milk) to what looked like something you’d find in your Chinese takeaway. Funnily enough we opted for familiar things. Not an amazing food selection though.

The beds were comfortable, with no bean bag pillows – instead a choice between a feather filled pillow or a proper memory foam option. Voted accommodation with best pillows so far!

Location was excellent, being only 500m from Kanazawa station and the start/end of the bus loop line.

Otherwise a non-descript hotel, just somewhere to sleep and clean!

Our second Ryokan was a very different experience to the first. A proper guest house with paper walls, shared wash facilities and a very welcoming owner, found in a town which looked (from the main street) as it would have done when travellers hundreds of years ago used the Nakasendo Highway, a trail stretching from Tokyo (or Edo as it would have been known as then) to Kyoto.

The rooms again were very simple with tatami mat floors, futons (which even I would admit are incredibly comfortable) and bean bag pillows (which are noisy when you move your head so less comfortable!) The restaurant again had dividing curtains between tables, and of course all shoes to be left at the door! They found me some enormous woollen slippers – much better than the normal ones that just don’t fit!

Dinner and breakfast were amazing. Even the kids ate the majority of each 8 course affair. The owner and waitress took time to explain the food, all locally sourced. Best was the little chicken dumpling in an otherwise mildly tasting soup. The beef was pretty good too!

Our favourite accommodation so far, the only negative for me was the height of the ceilings – not really something our Japanese hosts would be troubled by!!

Set in a beautiful and seemingly remote location outside the postal town of Tsumago, this Ryokan was, I think, the posh end of the scale. Rooms had ensuite facilities, it was more like a boutique hotel than a guest house. On arrival our host asked our plans, talked us through the hike we were undertaking the next day, then took us for a tour of the Ryokan walking backwards (him, not us) the whole way! The same host served our meals. Service was excellent.

A proper hot spring onsen – actually two, one for each gender – was the highlight alongside the food which was extraordinary.

Both dinner and breakfast were traditional affairs – multi-course with what we are now realising is either tourist torture or is genuinely local cuisine. Horse meat – enough said. The Wagu need was amazing, as was the Sushimi.

The only downside was the general decor. It was very dated and a bit scruffy. If only I’d had my wood polishing kit with me….

Given we’re staying in so many different places, I thought it would be good to review each – mostly so our agent, Tim, can see what we thought!!

First then, the Citadines Central Shinjuku in Tokyo. We had 4 nights in a pretty soulless but otherwise pleasant hotel located in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. Shinjuku reminded us of the Leicester Square/Soho area of London – neon lights, strip-joints, seedy restaurants, bars, and lots of tourists! It felt pretty safe – though the walk back to the hotel late one evening was different as some of the “gentleman’s clubs” (which were labelled ‘Tourist Information Centres’) now had bouncers of an African origin sat outside.

The hotel itself was of a typically Western style, rooms very small but functional, very clean, beds comfortable – though who designs pillows that have a bean bag on one side? Just weird. We had two rooms – our double was tiny, with a pretty rubbish bath/shower affair; the kids’ twin room was bigger and had a wetroom – so we all used that! The view out of the windows was of a huge and sprawling bar area – hundreds of tiny bars that demand an entry fee – and a large red shrine!

The staff were exceptionally helpful, their English was amazing and nothing was too much trouble for them. Breakfast was the only meal we had, it was a mixture of bacon, eggs, fish, toast, limited cereals, and pork dumplings.

The nearest Metro station was a couple of blocks, 5 minutes, away by foot. Aim for the Tiffany’s store and it’s right outside!

Overall – 4/5 – a great base from which to explore Tokyo and start the adventure.