Bed and Breakfast Japanese Style!

The prices of Japanese inns (ryokan) and bed and breakfasts (minshuku or pensions) vary depending on the place. Some of the famous ryokan in the atami or izu area will cost you 1000 dollars per night. These places will definitely have superb service including traditional meals using fresh local ingredients. Just as there is the upper extreme in the spectrum, there are cheaper inns too. I am just looking into staying in Izu overnight and am seeing prices at around 40 dollars per person for one night. This is very cheap keeping in mind that it is summer season, when people visit izu for its beaches. If you want to stay at an inn for a reasonable price, the key is to do "sudomari" （素泊まり）. Japanese inns (not hotels) usually at least one meal as part of your stay, which raises the price. If you stay "sudomari", you will have no meals but the price will reduce significantly. The deals I'm looking into right now are all "sudomari" deals. Still, meals at Japanese inns can be very special, since they often serve you in your room, so paying the full price for meals may not be such a bad idea!