Izu Peninsula
A terrific budget choice just three minutes from the beach, Maruya rocks a hip open-plan lounge-kitchen fronting a corridor of lockable sleeping capsules,…
Must-see hotels in Japan
Nagano Region
In a great spot in front of the Ichinose bus stop, and with English-speaking staff and a friendly atmosphere, this inn is popular with overseas guests…
Nagano Region
This wonderful ryokan, the oldest in town, has a wide range of inviting traditional room types, many with private bathrooms and great views. The communal…
Southern Higashiyama
The Seikōrō is a classic ryokan with a grandly decorated and homey lobby. It’s spacious, with excellent, comfortable rooms, attentive service and a fairly…
Hakone
A sociable hostel run by a team of friendly young staff, Tent offers Japanese-style futon dorms and private rooms in a stylishly renovated ryokan that has…
Sendai
Set atop a chic shopping complex on the main thoroughfare running through Sendai, the Westin is the best five-star chain hotel in the whole far north. The…
Tokushima & the Anan Coast
Hip little Agnes lies 200m west of the station and offers a more sophisticated aesthetic than the usual business hotel. Rooms are sleek, with stylish…
Sendai
Converted from an old restaurant into the best guesthouse in Sendai, Keyaki has sleek wooden floors, stylish, spotless dorms and a first-class bar. In the…
Nagano Region
As the name suggests, these fully self-contained cabins, in a forested setting five minutes' walk from Naka-Karuizawa Station, have rustic appeal. This is…
Hokkaidō
This new hostel offers great service, friendly staff, and dorm bunks that have solid privacy curtains and still smell like fresh cut wood. It's got a big…
Magome
This popular minshuku (guesthouse) is almost halfway up the hill, just before the Tourist Information Office. Room-only plans are available and English is…
Matsumoto
Between Nakamachi and the river, this creaky wooden ryokan dates from 1868 and has lots of traditional charm, including a bamboo garden and a coffee shop…
Kyūshū
This lovely, family-run traditional ryokan is nestled among cypress and bamboo. A variety of onsen make it a lovely spot for dippers, and one of the…
Beppu
In-room onsen with water views, gorgeous common baths, savvy contemporary design, excellent restaurants and oodles of personal service make this Beppu's…
Hokkaidō
Make the most of your foray into the mountains: this inn, only open 123 days each year, is like staying at a mountain hut without having to walk five…
Hakone
Established in 1890 and lovingly maintained, Fukuzumirō embodies the aesthetics and spirit of a traditional inn. There's intricately carved, original…
Kyūshū
This cheerful, busy resort is the place to stay, especially with kids in tow. English-speaking staff are welcoming, and there's a large family-friendly…
Okinawa & the Southwest Islands
For a secluded and romantic experience, head to Soraniwa on the south coast. This small, stylish cafe-hotel is run by a young couple transplanted from the…
Izu Peninsula
An idyllic retreat enveloped by greenery but only five minutes' walk from Ōhama beach. The old Japanese house here perfectly embodies the wabi-sabi …
Kyūshū
Gracious and friendly, this modern minshuku is a one-stop shop: a place to stay, a (guests-only) bar, a lunchtime cafe and a surf-rental outlet (boards…
Hokkaidō
This old-style resort is the fanciest spot in town and sprawls over three buildings. The honkan (main hall) rooms are the cheapest but don't have lake…
Kyūshū
This friendly onsen hotel boasts some excellent facilities, including mountain-view rooms (mostly Japanese style), coin laundry, and English-speaking…
Kushiro-shitsugen Tōro Youth Hostel
Hokkaidō
This hostel, run partly on solar power, was designed with birdwatchers in mind. A porch (partly glassed in) looks directly over the marshes and there are…
Hokkaidō
Run by local adventure guide Watanabe Toshiya, Rera Mosir is the best place on the island for active types – whether you're here to climb Rishiri-zan in…
Western Honshū
At this waterfront ryokan, you can laze about in the outdoor saltwater bath while watching boats sail by. The rooms are spacious, the shared indoor…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
Imagine being able to step out of bed and straight into the shinkansen (bullet train). This is almost possible when you stay at the Hotel Granvia, which…
Kyūshū
Crisp, comfy and contemporary, this stylish new hotel sits behind a black-box facade. Most of its 68 rooms are Western style (twin-bed rooms are…
Around Tokyo
A Never-Never Land of rustic wooden cabins, walkways and ladders perched on a leafy mountainside, Pelan Village offers an eco-retreat designed for self…
Fukuoka
The 3m-tall sculpture of a cat in a diving suit standing guard outside is your first clue that this place is not like the others. Spanking-new, 164-bed,…
Kyūshū
There's atmosphere aplenty in these dozen thatched-roof huts with Japanese rooms, sink and toilet surrounding a beautiful rotemburo. The antique-filled,…
Naha
There's a lot to love about this homely little design hotel, which could have been plucked from Tokyo's Omote-sandō and transplanted into Naha's up-and…
Northwest Kyoto
As the name suggests, this intimate hostel is set in a restored machiya (traditional Japanese townhouse) on an atmospheric street in the old geisha…
Western Honshū
Kōraku has classy touches such as local museum pieces displayed on each floor, and pampering extras such as complimentary aroma pots for your room. Beds…
Okinawa & the Southwest Islands
Kume-jima's nicest digs are found near the airport, fronting the lovely-at-sunset Shinri-hama beach. The resort boasts an attractive (though shallow and…
Nagasaki
This magnificent old-school ryokan has been in business since 1894. Offering shippoku-ryōri (Nagasaki-style kaiseki) and personalised service, Sakamoto-ya…
Kii Peninsula
An excellent modern B&B in a glen near central Hongū, with immaculate, comfortably minimalist design, lots of English-language sightseeing info and…
Otarunai Backpackers' Hostel Morinoki
Otaru
While the sights of Otaru can be done in a day, if you're looking for somewhere to hole up for a few, this is a fantastic choice. Morinoki is an old,…
Beppu
This sprawling, family-run 1930s inn has wonderfully preserved Japanese rooms and well-chosen art and furnishings evoking periods from art deco to today…
Kyūshū
Fukudaya is a hip, stylish onsen hotel mixing Western and Japanese decor. The rooms with private rotemburo are gorgeous, with milky water and decks…
Aomori Prefecture
Run by a wildlife photographer who takes pride in the region's natural attractions (including snow monkeys!), this remote hostel is perched on a hillside…
