The first thing I have to say is the staff was excellent. They could not have been nicer. The reason I gave it only four stars was we simply did not enjoy sleeping on the floor OR the options for breakfast. Communication was a bit lacking too, but that was partly the language barrier. Also, although we enjoyed the ryokan experience, we won't do it again. Dinner was awesome, prepared in our room, traditional Japanese fare, mainly sushi, soup, salad, etc. A LOT OF FOOD! The room was small, though, and the futons on the floor were not comfortable at all. I think we just prefer western style hotels, and that is not their fault.