Ryokan Tachibana

We have 2 kids, 11 and 4, and live in the Meguro area of Tokyo. My wife (Japanese) learned that Meguro arranges discounts for its residents to stay at certain ryokan, and Tachibana was on the list. When Spring Break arrived, we took the 1 hour express train from Yokohama to Atami - a very easy trip, with no transfers. Tachibana is best reached by taxi from Atami Station, as it is on the seacoast a couple of miles away. Tachibana is a very nice, clean, unpretentious traditional Japanese ryokan, with a medium-size indoor ofuro and a small but delightful outdoor rotenburo (men and women separate, of course). In typical ryokan fashion, all meals are served in the tatami-covered rooms, by very polite kimono-clad women, who explain the multitude of dishes set before you. (Note: we have the benefit of a native Japanese speaker in the family, but everything they served, primarily coming from the sea, was excellent, so if you are willing to try most things, it isn't essential to have everything explained.) Our youngest had the children's menu - mostly fried fish or meat, and he didn't complain. The rooms are very spacious, and the futons are quite comfortable. Incidentally, although the hotel does not offer internet, there was no problem obtaining a non-secure signal close by the window of the room. We have been to a fair number of ryokan in both Kanto and Kansai regions, and although not the most elegant of them all, Tachibana was quite delightful and offers an authentic Japanese ryokan experience. We were quite pleased.