Hi,

I almost booked the entire 2 weeks of my 21 day trip. The budget is up to 150$, preferably below 100$, exceptions in case of extremely worthy Ryokans are acceptable. Need recommendations for the ones that are left:

Nagoya October 7-8
Bizen 13-14
Hiroshima 14-15
Hagi 15-16
Fukuoka 16-17
Arita 17-18

Thanks a lot!

I don't have recommendations for any of these cities,* but Trip Advisor is pretty good for first-hand accounts of specific lodgings. I used it on a trip to the UK and learned that a B&B that came highly recommended in Frommer's had changed hand and was now operated by someone who had no skills in either cleaning or cooking. (One bad review I take with a grain of salt. Consistent bad reviews mean something.)

*I take that back. I stayed in a nice budget ryokan in Nagoya, Ryokan Marutame, but it's not centrally located, hard to find, and non-English-speaking.

Have you tried the Welcome Inn Group reservation site?

http://www.itcj.jp/ .

Or the Japanese Guest House site?

http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm .

I was more looking for a personal recommendation...

For hotel choices, the hotel specific sites (such as those that that abmj recommended) are a better bet than FT. The customer comments on the Japanese guest house site are about as personal as it gets.

Other random thoughts
- Skip the night in Nagoya
- There's an Okayama International Villa in Ushimado - near Bizen
- Several FT trip reports on Hiroshima and Miyajima provide hotel/ryokan reviews

Give a price range for Fukuoka and style of hotel you like? With regards to Arita , will you be getting there by car or train?

Arita - by train
Price and style for Fukuoka - preferably Ryokan, but up to 150$, if above - then anything else will do as well. In general I'm trying to stay with a rate of below 100$

Having lived there (nearby) for 17 years I don't recall anyplace interesting to stay in.....as Arita is all about porcelain. Might I suggest getting back on the train(or renting a car) and staying in Takeo/Ureshino onsen or in nearby Sasebo/Huis Ten Bosch!

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/r...hinoonsen.html

Below offers a map to better visualize the area....I would take the train and rent a car near the station if possible, the area offers beautiful scenery!

http://www.welcomekyushu.com/area/saga.html


For Fukuoka I would stay at one of the many hotels in Tenjin or the Hakata Station area(for transport convenience).

I have met the proprietors of this newly refurbished place.....it is quite flash!
http://www.withthestyle.com/eng/index.htm

And another new place ( 1 year old) can't beat the location as it is right in the middle of the "Tenjin/Daimiyo" area, and about 100 meters to Nishitetsu Tenjin station!

http://www.qurega-t.jp/visitors/index.html

Gotta ask, what are you going do in Bizen overnight? I'm as big a Japanese pottery fan as they get, and I was pretty much done with the place in about an hour. (Not unrelated to the fact that I wasn't in the mood to pay a million yen for a teacup, mind you...) Okayama is 30 min away by train and has much better accommodations, not to mention things to see and do. The Okayama International Villas are also one of Japan's great travel deals, try a search on the forum and grab 'em before they're gone.

I'd also suggest overnighting in Miyajima instead of Hiroshima, it's the best way to get a feel for the island.