Saitamaya Ryokan - Soka City (outside Tokyo)

This Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn) is yet another example of serendipity at work during our travels. Were it not for the unexpected difficulty in finding a place to stay during a peak three day weekend, we would not have ended up staying here.

Soka City is a bedroom community on the Northern reaches of Tokyo. It was beyond our budget range, farther out than we wanted, but it had availability. So, we took our three different trains to get there and schlepped with our backpacks from the train station to the Ryokan with no idea of what we would find.

In the end, we found one of our favorite places to stay during out visit to Japan. We had a traditional Japanese room, complete with robes, tea and sumo wrestling on TV our first night (check out the pictures). They even had framed pictures of the sumo wrestling champion who stays here every year when visiting the local schools. The staff was very welcoming for their only non-Japanese guests during our stay. They even loaned us a number of english language guidebooks to supplement our Lonely Planet which was very limited. On our last day the owner’s son offered to take us to a number of historic sites in Tokyo and then gave us all some parting gifts of Japanese calendars, miniature happi coats and the famous rice crackers made in town.

WGGSH - Yes, but she might not use the public baths.

WWSHA - Definitely, yes.