Ryokan

Despite traveling a lot in Japan, I hardly ever stay in ryokan.

The biggest reason is that they’re much less flexible than normal hotels about arrival times. That’s understandable, since they’re run by families or individuals and not round-the-clock on-duty employees. But I sometimes want to leave whenever I want to leave, and that can mean late at night.

The other reason I don’t use them much is that I try to make business travel a benefit to myself by using international hotel chains that give points for stays. That way I can take the family and stay somewhere on vacation, etc.

They also sometimes require you to eat their meals. That’s a draw for a lot of folks, but can be a burden since the meals are served in narrow time frames during the day.

I just reserved a ryokan for next week. The place I am traveling is decently known but not a major city or destination. The food should be good and it is right next to the sea. I have to arrive between 16:00 and 18:00. Fair enough. I’ll let you know how it goes. Main goal is to savor some food and take a furtive swim. I hope the structure of the ryokan stay is enjoyable. I’ll have dinner and breakfast there before heading to the job a 25-minute drive away.