There are also the Japanese Suites at the Takanawa Prince - these are often to be found through www.utell.com for 32,000yen per night (+15.5% taxes).

Quite a range of experiences...my only ryokan stays were at the truly budget family run Super 8's and Motel 6's of the more rural areas of Hokkaido and Kyushu.

One unisex tub at the smaller places.
Can't stay in the room during the day.
Footwear etiquette should be closely observed.
Breakfast and dinner were included, in a communal area...fish in the seaside villages, but the proprietors tried to accomodate us by attempts at western cuisine (their idea).
Local TV in the room, phone available but no internet access.
Communal toilets, although the commodes were of the latest electronic "butt washer" design. And heated. Why western pampered rears haven't wholly embraced this technology escapes me, although it's probably because it's a guilty 'pleasure'.
Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Sapporo, Osaka, and the other big cities are islands where you can get by on only English without too much trouble. The further you are out in the country, the more difficult it is too communicate. And the signs stop being written in Romanji...

MHO...Stay at a ryokan, it's a great time. The folks I encountered have been great. Wouldn't rely on it as the only place to stay for any more than a few days, though, unless you really want an "immersion" experience.
If you need to save some money, either get way out of town or stay in a "business class" hotel in town to save some yen. Plenty of western places to stay in the large cities for $100 USD or so if you ask around.

However, if this is your first visit to Japan, you may want to stick to the western accomodations until you get the more accustomed to things, and hit the ryokan and onsen on the next trip. And yes, once you've gone, there will probably be a next trip.

Hope you have a great time!

I used to think it was a bizarre luxury. Then I spent a week in an unheated farmhouse-cum-luxury ryokan in mid-February in the mountains a couple of hours inland from Sendai, and realized that it's an absolute necessity.

The cleansing/showering before the hot bath is not optional. You are supposed to be clean before you enter the tub.

And never, ever get soap or shampoo in the bath. That all gets rinsed off before entering the tub.

I know. We received expert instruction and also read up on it. The only thing we really bungled that we could tell was that I did the dead man yakuta wrap.

Don't worry. So did all those Chinese actresses in Memoirs of a Geisha...

Are you implying I should watch this movie on Krisworld or rent it for 100 Yen when it comes out?

I went for a soak yesterday afternoon, hitogomi .......was able to rent my own bath to share with my honey though ^ ......50 minutes of bliss and no we didn't get any soap in the bath!

Oh dear lord. I havent seen it yet. I got a tsk, tsk and a little giggle from the attendent in our room (do they have a specific name for them by the way?) but in a big budget movie for a geisha to make that mistake, yeow.

I was at an international scientific meeting last year in Kyoto and on the last night they had a banquet which included music and dancing by geishas. They then came around and talked, with the help of some of the Japanese scientists in attendence, with people in the audience. It was fascinating to hear about the training, although it is obviously quite different now that it was in the book.

Just looked at the video clip for the film on the Sony website - the way they wrap their kimono does switch around an awful lot, doesn't it?

I wonder if wardrobe actually did get it right, but the film itself was reversed for continuity/aesthetic purposes. I'll probably try and catch the film in the UK at some point (opens 13 Jan), I'll be interested to see if any Kanji are reversed. If the editors can't detect the wardrobe cockups (or are happy to create them), I doubt they'll care very much whether any words are shown back to front.

I guess I'm slowly coming of age as last year got my first invitation to a "Geisha" staffed tea house. No, not in Japan but in Seoul. Sadly, I had to stay at a meeting and offend my Korean friend. I've rarely felt so cheap...

Have any of you ladies and gents had the pleasure of an evening at a Ryotei/tea house with real "Geisha"?

Nobody has seen fit to treat me to that experience yet...

For those of us who don't feel like shelling out on the whole-9-yards geisha experience, there are a few places to see "real" geisha.

Kyoto - of course - is the best known city for geisha. During the early evening, when they are making their way to their appointments, the geisha sometimes find themselves surrounded by tourists, who want to take a few photographs of a "real" Kyoto geisha.... that's as close as most people ever get to the real thing.

However, there are sometimes other opportunities to get a teeny bit closer without breaking the bank:

Back in my youth, I spent several months in Kanazawa (which has two geisha districts). I learnt that you could sometimes cross paths with geisha after they had finished their work for the evening - just by hanging out in a bar in the Higashi Chaya district. Pub "Lennon" was a good choice back then - it might be different now:
http://gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/gourmet/r...017010409.html

And there are a couple of geisha houses in Tokyo too... for example in Kagurazaka. I was able to participate in an "open day" at a Kagurazaka geisha school/ house for just a couple of thousand yen. The geisha performed a few dances and played games for an audience of curious cheapskates, like me. It was good fun.

Finally, there are plenty of "fake" geisha around. Quite a few onsen hotels will be happy to arrange for some women in kimonos to perform a few songs on a shamisen and do a dance or two. Sometimes these "fake" geisha can be quite talented... but "fake" onsen geisha have a "less elevated reputation" than the "real" ones. (Nudge, nudge - know what I mean? - a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat - say no more! say no more!)

But I wonder, if they like, click, click photographs, eh?

You mean... holiday snaps?

Could be... could be... nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Say no more!