Accommodation

Ryokan - Traditional Accommodation

6,000 to 30,000 Yen per person

Ryokan are Japanese style inns. They come in all sizes and are found across Japan. A stay at a ryokan is highly recommended to all foreign visitors of Japan, as it offers the opportunity to experience a traditional Japanese atmosphere. >

Typical rates for ryokan range between 6,000 and 20,000 Yen per night and person, but some no-frills establishments offer rooms for less. Guests stay in Japanese style rooms with tatami floor and a low table. Shoes are usually removed at the ryokan’s main entrance, where slippers will be kept ready. You are supposed to remove even your slippers before stepping onto tatami mats.

Except in case of inexpensive ryokan, dinner and breakfast are included in the overnight stay. At the better ryokan, meals are served in the guest room, while common dining rooms are to be used elsewhere. Both meals are typically Japanese style and often feature regional specialties.

During your stay, you will also have the opportunity to enjoy a Japanese style bath. Most ryokan come with a gender separated, communal bath, but in many cases it is also possible to use the bath on a private basis (by reserving a time slot). In hot spring resorts, the ryokan’s bath water is directly supplied from the hot spring. Read more on how to take a bath.

Last but not least, ryokan guests sleep in traditional style, using a futon, which is spread out on the tatami floor. The ryokan staff will prepare the futon for you before bed time, except at inexpensive ryokan, where you have to do it by yourself. During the day, the futon is kept in a closet.

 

Minshuku

4,000 to 10,000 Yen per person

Minshuku are Japanese style bed and breakfasts. They are usually run by a family and offer visitors a good opportunity to meet a local family and experience a traditional Japanese lifestyle. Like in a ryokan, guests stay at Japanese style rooms, sleep on a futon on tatami floor and have the opportunity to take a Japanese style bath. Dinner and breakfast are sometimes included or optionally available. Typical rates for minshuku range between 5,000 and 9,000 Yen per night and person, but some no-frills places ask for less than 4,000 Yen per night.

 

Capsule Hotels

3,000 to 4,000 Yen per person

Mainly targeting a male clientele in need for nothing but a bed, capsule hotels accommodate their guests in small capsules. A television, a shared bathroom and coin lockers are usually provided.

 

Love Hotels

6,000 to 12,000 Yen per room and overnight stay
Not meant as tourist lodgings, love hotels are visited by couples who wish to enjoy some undisturbed time together. Rooms at love hotels can be rented for 2-3 hours during the day or for an overnight stay.

Love hotels (also known as boutique or fashion hotels) are hotels that offer double rooms for short time periods of usually two hours during the day and for the whole night (usually from 10 pm). As the name suggests, the main purpose of love hotels is to provide couples with a room to spend some undisturbed time together.

Love hotels can be found all over Japan. Many of them can be easily recognized because of their strange looks. In Tokyo exist some districts where many love hotels can be found side by side.

A stay overnight costs about 8000 Yen. The room fee for two hours during the day is usually a little bit lower, while on weekends, the prices can be much higher. The reception at a love hotel is very anonymous. The guests usually choose a room on a board by pressing a button and then pay at a little window where the receptionist behind cannot be seen.

The rooms are equipped according to their purpose with large double beds, a television offering erotic programs, a nice bathroom, etc.

 

Temple Lodgings

3,000 to 10,000 Yen per person

It is possible for tourists to overnight at some Buddhist temple lodgings (shukubo). One of the best places to experience a night at a temple is Mount Koya.

 

Hostels

1500 and 3500 Yen per night

After a friend’s home, youth hostels and dormitories are among the cheapest types of accommodation in Japan. There are over 300 youth hostels across the country, where members spend about 3000 Yen per night. Non-members pay about 1000 Yen more or purchase a one-year membership at the hostel. Dormitories typically cost between 1500 and 3500 Yen per night and are mainly found in Japan’s larger cities.

 

Western Style Hotels

10,000 Yen to 50,000 Yen per room

Western style hotels, including various international and Japanese hotel chains, can be found across Japan, especially in the larger cities.