Dear Diary, 

When Qu told me about his stay at a Ryokan, or a traditional Japanese inn, I was so jealous. These somewhat elusive inns are like stepping into a time machine and traveling back to ancient Japan. He got the tatami floor with the futon bed, communal baths and hot springs, multi-course meals with seasonal delicacies, you know, the works. So, why wasn't I invited, Qu? 

Anyway, he sent me a list of the best ones, and I’m trying to narrow down which one to go to, but there seem to be some mixed reviews online. First I looked at a Ryokan near Mt Fuji - I figured go big or go home if I’m going to splurge on this experience. So when I started reading reviews to make sure to get the biggest bang for my buck, this was the first one I saw:

I highly recommend paying a little extra for a private bath in your room. This ryokan was beautiful, and they served traditional Japanese course meals. They have tons of amenities like free drinks, ramen, and popsicles. Best birthday I've ever had ❤️5/5

Great! I scrolled through pictures of the food and the beds. Looked fine to me. But, then the next review made me pause:

You will be disappointed. Disregard the 5-star reviews. Yes, the environment is stunning but the hotel is old, the futons are dirty, and the food was bland. 1/5

Yikes. Okay, there's other fish in the sea, right? Moving on to the next - Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park:

Come here if you want to experience the complete Japanese hospitality. They were very friendly, the room was comfortable and clean. Dinner and breakfast were mesmerizing, we have never seen food prepared so beautifully! 5/5

I’m mostly interesting in things because of the food and presentation alone didn’t sway me after seeing a few reviews like this:

Very very expensive (900$) and poor living spaces, none of the food was freshly cooked. Poor service. This place was terrible. Not worth the price. 2/5

No thank you, next. The last place I looked had a million pictures and I immediately knew that was a good sign. Whats the point of doing something if you can vet it on Yelp first? 

Looking for peace and tranquility? This is my favorite place in Japan. The attention to detail was perfect and the staff made me feel like a VIP. 5/5

The people and service were superb. True Japanese professionalism. Dinner and breakfast were beautiful and delicious. 5/5

And these were the ONLY bad reviews: 

Overall the experience was a bit too fancy for us (the staff are very attentive and accommodating, but too much for our tastes, and one of the dinner items was not to our liking). However, I would attribute this mostly to preference! 3/5 

So, why bother to post a review? 

I left my room key in the public bathhouse locker and took a bath, but it was gone. How did it open? Who took it? Customer? The staff?? Ghost??? The hotel takes no responsibility. 2/5

That's it? The worst reviews I could find was that a ghost may or may not have taken their keys and the experience was not their cup of tea. I’ve had a few close encounters with ghosts on this trip so far, so bring it on, ghosts, I found my perfect Ryokan in Hanayura. 

Off to find a train to Hanayura and maybe a part-time job to pay for it. 

Xoxo, 

Maria