Nagano Region
This stunning, though somewhat unwelcoming, eco-resort in the onsen village of Hoshino, 1km north of Naka-Karuizawa Station, is anything but basic. Modern…
Must-see hotels in Japan
Osaka
The Hilton has spacious rooms with king-sized beds and lovely touches such as shoji (sliding rice-paper) window screens. Staff speak English and are at…
Kansai
A foreign-travellers' favourite, this 10-room ryokan in a nearly 100-year-old wooden building has heaps of traditional atmosphere and friendly, English…
Sapporo International Youth Hostel
Sapporo
This oddly upmarket youth hostel – which looks like a modern apartment building – is great value, though it's a little out of the way. Both Western- and…
Amami Islands
This dive centre/resort has comfortable wood-floored Western-style accommodation perched on a promontory over a lovely bay. Guestrooms have gorgeous,…
Capsule Hotel Asahi Plaza Shinsaibashi
Osaka
This is a classic capsule hotel, with over 400 pods on separate floors for men and women as well as communal baths, conveniently located in Ame-Mura. They…
Kagoshima
Clean and compact, this five-storey hostel is very convenient to the ferry docks, which is useful if you're planning a trip to Sakurajima. Separate-gender…
Kansai
This fairly new inn, with both Japanese- and Western-style rooms, is well set up for solo travellers and those who don't want to be locked into a meal…
Kyūshū
Cheap it isn't, but how often can you stay in a samurai house? This large (100 sq metre) former castle guard house has been renovated in Japanese…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Prince Hotel's luxury flagship property occupies floors 30 to 36 of the main tower at the Tokyo Garden Terracw Kioichō mixed-use development. Designers…
Kansai
Squat and concrete, family-run Denyō doesn't look like much but delivers on dinner, which features fresh local specialities such as ise-ebi (spiny lobster…
Ōsumi Islands
With two homely, fully equipped bungalows near the local break, this place is (as you might guess) on the east coast of Tanegashima. Reservations are…
Kansai
This long-time traveller favourite is a reliable choice and has friendly, English-speaking staff. Rooms have toilet and sink, and the communal onsen bath…
Kōbe
One of Japan's most historic hotels (1870), in Kyū-Kyoryuchi (the former foreigners' settlement), the Oriental was rebuilt after the 1995 earthquake and…
Fuji Five Lakes
On Kawaguchi-ko's south shore, this sprawling vintage hotel (c 1932) offers either Mt Fuji or lake views from its Japanese-Western combo rooms. Some rooms…
Kyūshū
Choose a colourful yukata (cotton kimono) at check-in to wander this giant, recently renovated resort hotel with expansive indoor and outdoor onsen. A few…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Kakunodate is still a largely agricultural community, and this working farm nestled among rice paddies 3km north of the train station provides an…
Noboribetsu Onsen
Not many temples look like an office building, but this one does! The entrance is on the ground floor, the temple rooms are on floor two, and the priest's…
Nara
This welcoming little ryokan, conveniently located in Naramachi, has Japanese-style rooms with toilets (and some with bathroom). It's warm, homey and well…
Kii Peninsula
Miyoshiya is a simple travellers' ryokan from the 1940s, and the knowledgeable English-speaking owner makes a stay here worth it. Most of the Japanese…
Yufuin Country Road Youth Hostel
Kyūshū
John Denver fans will love staying here on a forested hillside overlooking the town. Especially pretty at night, this first-rate 25-bed hostel has its own…
Around Tokyo
Below Musashi Mitake-jinja, towards the back end of the village, this former pilgrims' inn brims with bric-a-brac and history – it's been in the same…
Fukuoka
Don't be put off by the windowless, colonnaded facade of burnt-orange stone and copper-green rebar. The lobby is as glossy as black lipstick, and the 62…
Around Tokyo
At the very south of the island, this well-maintained stretch of grass has a nice location overlooking the sea, as well as showers and a communal cooking…
Ehime Prefecture
Open from the start of May to the start of November, this is an isolated mountain hut perched on the exposed peak of Ishizuchi-san. It sleeps 50. There's…
Around Tokyo
Bed down pilgrim-style on futon in tatami dorms (sleeping up to seven) at this hostel, a handsome old building that used to be a pilgrims' lodge. It's…
Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
An elegant, refined boutique hotel located not too far from Kyoto Station. Rooms have been designed with traditional machiya architecture in mind and…
Fuji Five Lakes
Offering views of Mt Fuji from the far side of Kawaguchi-ko, this homely complex has a wide range of accommodation, from basic twins to stylish suites,…
Sapporo
If you're a man of simple needs who doesn't get scared easily by small spaces, this XY chromosome–only capsule hotel offers your standard berth plus a…
Nikkō
A Thai and Japanese couple run this comfortable guesthouse in a quiet spot close to the river, with just four rooms (tatami and Western-style) offering…
Beppu
There's new-wave decor at this hostel, which is spread over two buildings about a two-minute walk from each other. There's an English-speaking staff, a…
Kansai
Right on Yanagi-dōri, conveniently located for Kinosaki's soto-yu (public bathhouses), this long-running ryokan (350 years!) is well kept and welcoming…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Fukudaya offers the ryokan experience, with futon bedding on tatami (woven reed mats); some rooms have private bathrooms (single/double from ¥9000/12,000)…
Osaka
Opposite an elementary school, Mitsuwaya has wooden bunk dorms with lots of power points, shelves, a storage locker and privacy curtains. It's full of…
Ueno & Yanesen
Falling somewhere between a boutique hotel and a hostel, this place has a hip, modern vibe with a spacious lounge, a kitchen, a roof terrace – even a yoga…
Central Honshū
This recently built chain ryokan has traditional service, modern technology and intimate personal touches. Seventy-two rooms in a variety of sizes and…
Osaka
Minami's most elegant hotel, with stunning views and direct connections to KIX airport via Nankai line trains that depart from Namba Station below the…
Western Honshū
You'll find a warm welcome and simple tatami rooms at this family-run inn, opposite a shrine. The owners speak a little English and can collect you from…
Kagoshima
At this hotel in Tenmonkan, rooms are business-hotel-size but futuristic in style and amenities, with custom-designed beds, fluffy white duvets, massage…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
A traditional Japanese design with a contemporary spin in the public areas and the reasonably spacious hotel rooms put Niwa well ahead of the usual bland…
