Ginza & Tsukiji
With a giant red snapper painted on the side of the building you can't miss this place in Tsukiji's outer-market area. It's a combination of business…
Must-see hotels in Japan
Western Honshū
Deliciously isolated on the island's northwestern flank, about 16km from Saigō Port, Hotel Uneri has log cabins in a peaceful location near the water and…
Around Tokyo
The English-speaking owner of this workaday ryokan, a five-minute walk south of Narita-san temple behind a large high school, can trace his lineage back…
Iwate Prefecture
This is a very hospitable, upscale hotel near the town museum. Staff are highly knowledgeable about the local area and encourage guests to venture out…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
The Ritz-Carlton's lobby – with giant paintings by Sam Francis and views clear to the Imperial Palace – is on the 45th floor, and capacious rooms go up…
Matsumoto
A few minutes' walk from JR Matsumoto Station, this large business hotel is in great shape and in a top location. The deluxe double rooms are large by…
Western Honshū
Perched up on Hino-yama, Kaikyō View has professional service and a choice of Japanese- or Western-style rooms, all with water views. Some of the Japanese…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
Popular with Japanese tourists (the result of a ubiquitous television advert), the Kyubei onsen ryokan (traditional hot-spring inn) is a long, narrow…
Kamikōchi Gosenjaku Hotel & Lodge
Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
Part of the Alpico Group, this complex has things nicely covered with its hotel on the bus-station side of Kappa-bashi and its lodge on the far side. The…
Fukuoka
Recently refurbished and hidden on a side street, the 84 rooms here are tiny (small as singles, super-tight as doubles) but clean and good value for the…
Mt Fuji
Taishikan is located at just about the midway point, at the lower 8th Station (3100m), on Mt Fuji's Yoshida Trail. Sleeping is in warm sleeping bags…
Southern Higashiyama
Tucked in a quiet part of Gion, the Granbell comes with a knockout location, standout service and a lot of style. Snug rooms (the Japanese-style feel a…
Imperial Palace & Around
There is a lot to appreciate about this fine eight-room ryokan in the northern part of town: there is a nice little garden; it’s entirely nonsmoking; and…
Tokyo
Taking its name from the traditional sunken hearth that's used for heating and cooking (there's one in the hostel's cafe-bar lobby), Irori occupies an old…
Beppu
This spanking-new guesthouse sits on a quiet side street near Beppu Station. Spotless, bunk-bedded dorms are mixed and female only, and there are some…
Nagoya
This little guesthouse outside the hustle and bustle of downtown Nagoya in the pretty Arimatsu district really is an extension of the friendly owner's…
Takayama
Visitors love the friendly homestay vibe of this small, centrally located guesthouse. Pleasant rooms with homely touches are kept spotlessly clean. There…
Imperial Palace & Around
Overlooking the Imperial Palace Park, this good-value hotel is looking a little dated but has a lot going for it, starting with friendly English-speaking…
Dormy Inn Premium Shibuya Jingūmae
Harajuku & Aoyama
Dormy is a popular chain of business hotels that offers some perks that others don't, like a traditional-style communal bath and sauna (in addition to in…
Shikoku
Just below the peak, Tsurugi-san Chōjō Hutte offers basic lodgings. It's simple, as you'd expect at a mountain hut, but the food tastes great at 1955m,…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
A 15-minute walk north of Shinjuku Station (five minutes from Shin-Ōkubo Station), Sekitei is a traditional inn with clean and comfortable tatami rooms…
Hiroshima
This clean old favourite near the Peace Memorial Park feels more like someone's house than a standard hostel. Private rooms and get tatami treatment, and…
Izu Peninsula
On a residential street, this unprepossessing minshuku (family-run guesthouse) provides comfortable, traditional accommodation and onsen. It's also less…
Naha
About three minutes' walk from Kokusai-dōri, the Sun Palace is a giant step up in warmth and quality from a standard business hotel. Staff are friendly,…
Kanazawa
This classy, masculine hotel shares its location in the heart of Kōrinbō's high-end shopping district with the likes of Gucci and Tiffany. Although it's…
Amami Islands
While it's almost too cool for school, this classy collection of converted Airstream campers will undoubtedly elicit more smiles and sighs of delight than…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This art deco gem from the 1930s exudes personality and charm, with antique wooden furniture and a wood-panelled lounge. Mishima Yukio wrote his last few…
Matsumoto
Free pick-up (arrange in advance) and free bicycles make up for the fact that this inn is closer to Asama Onsen than Matsumoto. It's run by a friendly…
Southern Higashiyama
This is a fine budget guesthouse in an old wooden Japanese house, which makes the place feel more like a ryokan than your average guesthouse. There are…
Yaeyama Islands
Two minutes' walk from the ferry landing in Uehara, this hospitable minshuku has basic Japanese-style rooms and an informative manager who produces…
Izu Peninsula
A block east of Tōkaikan is this charming wooden inn from the 1940s with an onsen bath, old fashioned gym and pleasant rooms, some with ocean views. On…
Matsumoto
This newer property has compact, well-designed rooms with pleasant, neutral decor. There's an onsen featuring a sunny rotemburo (outdoor bath) and the…
Asakusa & Sumida River
With a dash more style than business hotels, the Gate offers pleasant rooms decorated in monotone, a splash of colour added by the wall art. Bathrooms are…
Asakusa & Sumida River
One of Tokyo's largest hostels (with 162 beds), Sakura is rather utilitarian but does have compensating factors: super-friendly English-speaking staff and…
Western Honshū
Ruco is a modern wonderland of handmade furniture and vintage decor, effortlessly stylish and minimalist from the cafe-bar to the bathrooms. Cramped but…
Kyūshū
At Kurokawa Onsen's oldest ryokan (in its seventh generation, run since 1722, though rebuilt in the mid-20th century) all 10 rooms have a rustic…
Nagano Region
The tranquil Hotel Alp lies at the base of the slopes and is extremely conducive to a ski-in, ski-out holiday. There are fewer than 20 rooms, allowing for…
Kamakura
Steps from the beach is this campus-like former company retreat turned hostel, with capacious dorms, bags of socialising space and top spec facilities…
Kanazawa
This interesting hotel adjacent to Kanazawa Castle Park and near Higashi-chaya-gai is quiet and removed from the action. Formal, Western-style rooms are…
Osaka
Conveniently located a short hop from Higobashi Station, close to the river and Naka-no-shima's sights, and a 20-minute walk from the Umeda area, Cordia…
