A place to stay. Booking hotels in Japan.
When I was younger staying at a hotel was an adventure all its own, the excitement of bouncing on a big bed or checking the view and what the hotel has to offer is always very exciting. Now I am older the hotel bookings are still very exciting however I am usually the one to book them. And this can come with stress. In the UK I had my usual suspects for chains I would stay at and enjoyed. Crowne Plaza has my heart forever, who can say no to a pool that stays open late. I had a surreal experience chilling in a pool after a convention day late at night.
When I moved to Saga and began to get itchy for adventure a whole new world of hotels and chains I didn’t recognise began. The first time I booked a hotel it ended up being a hilarious accident that ended up in a love for love. I wrote an entry on Love hotels and how a certain booking site failed to mention it was a love hotel. Yet to this day it’s been my favourite hotel I have stayed at in Japan by far. In general, Japanese hotel rooms are small. Yet Love hotel rooms are very spacious and come often with a private jacuzzi and bath. Baths are somewhat hard to come by in the smaller counterparts. The takeaway here being not all Love hotels are listed as Love hotels.
Japan has many options however when it comes to needing a place to stay. From manga cafes, capsule hotels, sleeper buses and trains to its love hotels and business hotels. Standing at the top price wise is the Ryokan, I have yet to book one so for now will leave that out of todays entry. But I do have one eyed up so that’s an entry for later. This entry will be booking a Japanese hotel from within Japan. But I hope it is still useful to travellers coming to visit.
Primarily let’s look at the general booking of these and sites you can use. I use 3 different sites for booking hotels in Japan and occasionally rely on Google itself to get a general idea of where hotels are and prices. The best tip I can give for Japan is book ahead! As much as you can especially if it is a long weekend! National holidays are a blessing for me who now gets to enjoy bank holidays. But they are also a curse as everyone has the same idea, book a trip away!
Similar with flights if you can stay flexible you will have more options to save yen. When I do an initial search, I tend to keep in mind what do I want to see? Transport options! Is there a tram or bus stop nearby? In bigger cities you can search a wider area because transport and connection’s will be better but check times for the last trains and buses just to be sure. I have written an entry on Taxis in Japan, and they are a solid option if you do end up in a pinch.
Once you figure out the area you want to stay in next is to check those dates and what’s available. I will run a quick google search for hotels to get an idea of what’s around and prices. You may also be able to tell how fast an area is booking up as sites often include sold out hotels. Once you have a list of potentials it’s time to hit that incognito and cross check the usual sites. I already have an account on Booking.com so I was happy to see it still usable in Japan as I get a member’s bonus. But I must make sure I’m on the Japanese page and that pricing is in yen or it raises the prises considerably.
My favourite tools for hotel hunting are the price slider to set a limit for price per night or total. Be sure to check if the totals you are seeing are per night or total. I have been caught out by this before and ended up staring at a hotel priced at nearly 2k in UK pounds. The map tool on most sites is very handy and will allow you to check your transport routes. If you are a member of a site, you may find exclusive deals always cross check these first as they can be deceiving and not actually save you anything.
Another thing to bear in mind that I only recently noticed when booking a hotel for Tokyo was room size. I am staying in Yokohama this year and when looking at potentials I started noticing the room size. It ended up pushing me to pay for a slightly pricier hotel as I wanted a little more space. If you are staying somewhere for just a night and this is not a concern a capsule hotel could be your way forward.
Also, during my Yokohama search I noticed certain hotels only came up on certain booking sites. For example, after my search on Booking.com I checked Agoda to find a hotel not even listed on Booking.com. So, it’s important to cross reference and use a few tools to make your final selection. Once you are at a short list check around again just ensure you have the best site and price to book on. Sometimes the hotels official site can surprise you with the cheapest option. Japan is a country that not unfamiliar with Typhoons and natural disasters so with this in mind I use the pay later option this can be pricier, but it is often advised with Japan to leave extra days or be mindful nature doesn’t plan around holidays.
Hotel planning is the priciest part of travelling for me, but it can lead to some nice surprises and deals. There are many options in Japan at differing price points the ones briefly mentioned above and even sites like Airbnb and locally run inns. The best advice is plan and consider all your options. Work out what you want from your place to stay, when I travelled with my Mum a free included breakfast was a must. But when I am booking hotels now, I often want space and a bath or good connections that will allow me to see more and spend less time travelling around.
Hopefully this blog entry gives you some help when you come to booking hotels in Japan and allow you to have a very fun experience whilst you travel.
