Japan offers numerous options for accommodation you can choose from when travelling to Japan – from traditional ryokans with onsens to apartments to capsule hotels to business or luxury hotels.
In general, Japanese accommodation is known to be smaller in size, than most travelers would be used to. Unless you go to rural locations and stay at fancy ryokans or choose and international brand hotel, you will most probably find the hotel rooms small. This is due to the high concentration of population in cities.
A well-known budget option is so-called capsule hotels (which aren’t really hotels but rather hostels). However, in reality they won’t save you much money, especially if you aren’t travelling solo. I highly recommend finding business hotels instead, given that those are really good value for money. In most of these, space is small, but you will have your private space and all amenities for very little more than the cost of capsule hotels.
Here are the details on the business hotel chains and what to expect.
If you have the means, a very popular option is to stay at least one night in a ryokan – traditional Japanese accommodation. Do stay in one for the experience, if you are interested. There are smaller ryokans – budget options, as well as very fancy ones with onsite onsen. I skipped this, as I preferred business hotels far more.
Tips for Booking Accommodation in Japan
Book in Advance
If you want to find an accommodation with reasonable prices, absolutely book in advance. This is especially important, if you are travelling in high season (most of spring, July-September, October-November, New year period – so basically most of the year). I would suggest booking at least a few months in advance, if you can. Just keep in mind that some hotels open their bookings six months in advance, some – three months in advance, so you will have to find a way to check very early on and then when other hotels also become available.
Either way, Japan is not a country, where you will find cheap places last minute in high season. Last minute hotels are far more expensive. I booked hotels several months earlier and changed a couple eventually. When I looked a month before our trip, the prices at least doubled. We paid a range of 6,000-11,000 yen per night for double rooms (depending on the city and the location).
Explore both Direct and Third-Party Options
Some people may suggest to exclusively book the hotels directly; however, I can’t say this is always best. I personally looked at prices directly, as well as on Booking and Agoda and found that third parties provided better deals, which were not offered on the hotel websites, so I booked via third party. It worked out well in all cases.
Consider Right Timing for the Most Popular Destinations
Keep in mind that in popular cities like Kyoto and other popular weekend destinations, such as Kumamoto, the rates often increase on the weekends, as well as on holidays. So make sure to double check, how much the rates increase if you include the weekend and modify your dates accordingly if you need to save money. For instance, I booked our Kyoto stay Sunday to Friday, skipping the weekend days, which made the stay cheaper. The weekends we spent in Osaka and Tokyo, where staying on the weekend didn’t increase the price that much.
Book Near Metro and Train Stations
Many people prefer to stay in the most popular and crowded areas, like Shibuya in Tokyo or Dotonbori in Osaka. While that might be a good option, if you aren’t budget conscious, these locations are certainly expensive.
To save money, I suggest looking at hotels near the metro stations in big cities and bus stops in smaller ones. Given the great public transportation system in most Japanese cities and towns, you won’t feel like you are missing out or spending too much time on transportation.
City Specific Recommendations for Accommodation
Where to Stay in Tokyo?
As one would expect, the city has a wide range of accommodations all around. Most people would suggest finding a hotel in Shinjuku, Shibuya or Ueno, but honestly these locations are often more expensive than those a couple of metro stops away. In reality, wherever you stay, you will need to use transportation every day. So stay near a metro station (I can’t stress enough how important this is) and it doesn’t really matter which part of the city it is exactly, as long as you get back to your hotel before metro closes at midnight.
Where we stayed: We stayed at Sotetsu Fresa Inn in Tamachi district one time, it was near Yamanote line (a circle line, which basically gets you to most sightseeing spots in the city) station and got us everywhere easily. The hotel was half the price than the same chain in Shibuya or Shinjuku, so it definitely was best for us. Â Another time we stayed at Henn na Hotel in Asakasa area with 2 metro lines nearby. This was also a pretty good option for getting to most parts of the city.
Where to Stay in Kyoto?
Given the popularity of the city (for a good reason), this may be the most expensive accommodation you will book during your trip to Japan. Some people choose to stay in Osaka instead and travel from there every day to see Kyoto sights. This really can be an option, as from Osaka to Kyoto travel time can be even less (especially with Shinkansen), than from one part of Kyoto to another (if you take buses). Besides, public transportation for sightseeing in Kyoto is not as great, as you may expect. You will more often need to use buses, which can be crowded and very slow.
Location wise, if you can find a cheaper option nearer the main train station, it might be slightly more convenient. Many people also love staying in Kawaramachi area, which has a number of food places and shopping options and is close to Gion. However, this area is certainly more expensive overall. Otherwise anywhere within the central areas is fine, as long as you have metro and bus stations nearby.
By the way, I chose to stay in Kyoto from Sunday to Friday, skipping the weekend, which ensured that we didn’t pay weekend premium on hotel rate. I also booked our hotel over 5 months in advance. When I looked at hotel prices closer to our travel dates they kept increasing and tripled a month before.
Where we stayed: We stayed at Toyoko Inn near Shijo-Omiya station, which had two metro/train connections and a number of bus stops nearby. If I found a hotel with a similar rate near the train station, I would go for that, but otherwise, this location worked out quite well for us.
Where to Stay in Osaka?
Whether you choose Osaka to sightsee in the city itself or to do day trips, being near the stations of the Midosuji line is a pretty good idea. It gets you to major train stations, as well as most sightseeing spots. If you can afford it and don’t wanna take metro in the evenings, being near Dotonbori is nice enough, however it increases price significantly in my experience and it wasn’t worth it for us.
Where we stayed: During both of our trips to Osaka, we stayed near Yodoyabashi station on Midosuji line (once in Sotetsu Fresa Inn and at the Keihan hotel next time) and we could get to almost most sightseeing spots and major stations in the city without line changes.
Where to Stay in Kanazawa?
Central areas of Kanazawa aren’t all that large, therefore basically anywhere near Nagamachi district or Omicho market is quite good. Just make sure you have bus stops nearby and with direct line to the Kanazawa train and bus station, which will make your travel to and from the city easier.
Where we stayed: We stayed near Omicho market at the Unizo Inn – the location offered good bus connections to the train station and all around the city.
Where to Stay in Takayama?
Central area of Takayama is small and the hotels are concentrated here anyway. I just suggest staying nearer to the Takayama train and bus station, which will make your trip to and from the city easier, as well as give easier access to Hida Furukawa and Shirakawago, if you are doing day or half day trips.
Where we stayed: I chose to stay near the train station for convenience. Wing International was a nice choice.
Where to Stay in Fukuoka?
As a gateway to most of the Kyushu island, most people stay in Fukuoka to get easy access to various other locations. For this reason best option is to stay near the train station in Hakata area. This area also is pretty good with food option and shopping. Another good location is the Tenjin area. This area also has good transport options and is very lively part of the city. One could say this is the heart of the city.
Where we stayed: Given that we mainly used Fukuoka stay for day trips, we stayed in Hakata area at the APA hotel.
Where to Stay in Kumamoto?
Most people stay in Kumamoto downtown area – south of the Kumamoto Castle. I also think this is the best option given that you have most of the locations to see around the city closeby. The only issue is that you won’t be close to the train station, but you have a direct tram link, so you should be fine. In many cities I suggest to stay near the train station, but here there are almost no options and the area isn’t very nice either.
Where we stayed: I chose Sotetsu Grand Fresa in the downtown area and it certainly was a good option all round.
See also:
A Guide to Japanese Business Hotels: Perfect option for budget conscious travelers.
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