and now for something completely different

The eight-tatami room.

The courtyard a the ryokan.

Me and our hostess.

When Kenny booked the trip, he booked two nights in a ryokan, or traditional inn, in Ise. He says everyone should have this experience.
And after a couple of nights in the ryokan in Ise, I would have to agree, but I would never suggest more than a couple of nights.
In this case, the inn we stayed at, Hoshidekan, is run by a woman who was well into her 80s, at least. It was a little like staying with someone's great-grandmother.
The inn is well known for the food (many are) and the other parts of the experience, the room, the baths, were charming in their own way, and sometimes a little like camping out.
I never figured out the bath, for instance. Both nights, she asked if I wanted a shower or a bath. But I couldn't locate a towel, and couldn't figure out which room to use. Kenny said I could have asked, but by that time of the evening I really truly didn't want to bother our hostess.
The sleeping room was an 8-tatami room (you measure by how many tatami mats fit). We were also served dinner in this room, although breakfast was in the dining room downstairs.
And dinner in our room meant that this very old woman had to bring multiple trays of food and dishes up and down the stairs.
But oh the food. She is well-known for her macrobiotic cooking, and all that healthy food might explain why she is able to run the inn at her age. I gave her the card I've been carrying, in Japanese, explaining that I can't eat wheat, and she went through it very carefully when we checked in. So I was able to enjoy two breakfasts and two dinners with no worries about wheat. The ingredients were largely fresh and local, and great-grandmother is a very good cook.
When we checked in, she was wearing a mask, which is common here, either to prevent the spread of cold germs or control allergies. We never saw her once without her mask, even when she took off her house-sweater to pose for a photo with me.
From what I've been able to find out, the inn dates to 1926. It is all wood, with a little outside bridge to the second floor washing area, and a well-kept courtyard, where a plum tree was in bloom.