Western Honshū
This is a traditional ryokan on a narrow lane in the Tonomachi area. Fusuma (sliding screen doors) glide open in the rooms to reveal a garden, and there…
Must-see hotels in Japan
Nagoya
This fabulously friendly hostel about seven minutes' walk from Nagoya Station has its own cafe and bar that's popular with locals and guests alike. Staff …
Central Honshū
This newish hotel is five minutes' stroll along the elevated walkway from JR Gifu Station. Bright rooms are functionally compact. There's an on-site onsen…
Hiroshima Region
If you want to sip and stay in Saijō, this hostel next to the station is very handy. Dangerously, there is free sake in the communal kitchen's fridge, but…
Western Honshū
On Nishino-shima, Oki Seaside Hotel Tsurumaru has a pleasant waterfront location and a large restaurant, and it runs regular cruises. The nautical theme…
Ginza & Tsukiji
You're unlikely to find anywhere cheaper to stay in central Ginza than this branch of a capsule hotel chain. The footbath to soak weary feet at the ground…
Yaeyama Islands
This quaint guesthouse is two blocks north of the shopping arcades in Ishigaki city, and has attractive Western- and Japanese-style rooms in a couple of…
Naha
In the middle of the action on Kokusai-dōri, JAL City has 304 swish, modern rooms, in which even the single beds are wide enough to serve as snug doubles…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
This immaculate 10-room inn has beds on tatami, hot-spring baths (including a private-use rotemburo – outdoor bath –for an extra charge), dark woodwork,…
Tokyo
The Mandarin's atrium lobby and all rooms offer breathtaking views. Kimono-weaving designs add a local touch to the sleek, spacious rooms. There are three…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Architecturally open and bright despite its somewhat labyrinthine layout, the Grand Hyatt is gorgeously chic. Smooth mahogany and natural fabrics give an…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
The Cerulean is Shibuya's only luxury hotel, just slightly removed from the train station area and up a small hill. It has big rooms with big beds;…
Fuji Five Lakes
Traditional lodgings on quiet Shōji-ko where some rooms have lake and mountain (not Fuji) views and all have shared bathrooms. Some English is spoken…
Fukuoka
Across from the station, this shiny, spotless 503-room hotel has decent-size rooms but really scores points for its common baths and sauna (in addition to…
Mitsui Garden Hotel Nagoya Premier
Nagoya
More stylish than your average business hotel, the Nagoya outpost of the Mitsui Garden Hotel chain is sleek in its shiny black veneer. Popular with…
Asakusa & Sumida River
This homey, modern hostel, with comfy sofas in the living room, cooking facilities and a roof terrace, is a backpacker fave. Service is friendly. From…
Osaka
The excellent Hotel Nikkō Kansai Airport is connected to the main terminal building by a pedestrian bridge (you can even bring your luggage trolleys right…
Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
This lovely little ryokan in Happō has smart, though compact, traditionally styled rooms with lots of hinoki (cypress) detailing and lovely views. Only a…
Konashishidaira Camping Retreat
Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
About 200m past the Kamikōchi Visitor Centre, this campground can get crowded. Rental tents are available from ¥7000, and there's a small shop, a…
Niseko
This friendly mountain lodge, which sees many repeat customers, is constructed entirely from hardwood and sits conveniently within a five-minute walk of…
Hakone
Simple, homely ryokan with lovely owners, enormous tatami rooms with kitchenettes, and communal onsen with outdoor barrel tubs (available to non-guests, …
Fuji Five Lakes
Ex-model and outdoors author Tokichi Kimura is the convivial English-speaking owner of this campsite right in the centre of the lake's north shore, which…
Kyūshū
This seven-room minshuku is no frills but spotless and has onsen baths and washlet toilets. Some rooms have balconies. It uses home-grown produce in its…
Downtown Kyoto
Within a few minutes’ walk of the Karasuma-Oike subway station, this upmarket business hotel is a good place to stay if you want to be downtown: it’s on…
Tokyo
Mixing subtle Japanese details with contemporary design, Ryumeikan strikes the right balance between comfortable amenities, polite service and a winning…
Kanazawa
Run by a friendly Japanese man who did a stint in Southeast Asia as a monk, Pongyi is a charmingly renovated 140-year-old kimono shop alongside a canal…
Nagano Region
Yokokura Ryokan is in a thatched-roof building from the early Meiji era, about 150m from the steps up to Chūsha shrine. It's both a hostel and a ryokan,…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Rooms are stark to the point of having zero personality, but this fairly new hotel has easy access to the subway and Shinjuku's nightlife. Double rooms…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
The hipster capsule-hotel brand occupies a glass box building with floor to ceiling windows – not massively private or spacious, but cool to look at…
Okinawa & the Southwest Islands
All six rooms at this cosy inn share bathrooms and a terrace with one-person soaker tubs. It's a one-minute walk to the beach if you dawdle. It closes…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
At 2450m, this sprawling, high-altitude lodge can squeeze 750 happy hikers into its four dorm buildings. In low season (May to June) dining choices are…
Gas-san Shizu Onsen Ochimizu no Yu Tsutaya
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Perform some toji (restorative bathing) at this mellow onsen hotel in Shizu village, then walk the attractive streets in between feasting on mountain…
Western Honshū
Futons are sectioned off with tarps for privacy in this clean, modern addition to Manabe-shima, just 50m from Honura Port. The friendly couple who run the…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
With an idyllic location in the historic Bukeyashiki area, Tamachi is a surprisingly modern hotel, blending Japanese and Western aesthetics. All rooms…
Downtown Kyoto
Len has minimalist yet stylish mixed dorms, as well as a female-only dorm, and private rooms with shared bathroom. Rooms are on the small side, but who…
Yaeyama Islands
This airy pension offers Japanese-style rooms with small terraces downstairs and Western-style rooms with balconies upstairs. There's also a rooftop…
Nagoya
Brilliantly located opposite Hisaya-ōdōri-kōen (Central Park), between Sakae and Yaba-chō subway stations, the b has enthusiastic staff who are eager to…
Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
Near the end of the road to Nakabusa Onsen, this seasonal forest lodge has basic, dorm-style rooms and a nourishing onsen (day use ¥600). The lodge is at…
Osaka
Close to all the Dōtombori and Namba nightlife action, but tucked away in a quiet street, Kamon is a great choice for penny-pinchers. Some rooms are a…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Massive Japanese- or Western-style rooms, many with mountain views, are the selling point of this fastidious ski hotel, with a wonderful outdoor onsen and…
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