Booking accomodation in advance in november?

Hi,

That's a busy season in Kyoto, but Kyoto has a huge amount of hotels and places to stay, so I'm sure you'll find something. You certainly won't necessarily get your first choice if you book last-minute though. The same goes for Tokyo.

That is a very popular season in Koyasan. If you're looking for a temple stay, there are many options there. So again, I imagine you'd find something, but you might want to start looking now and seeing what the availability is, in order to get an idea of what your options are. If you want something cheap at Koyasan, your options are very limited, and you'll want to book ASAP.

In Japan, it's generally the etiquette to book in advance, even if that's just a phone call in the morning. Turning up at places unannounced isn't usually the best option.

Agree with above,though mostly depends in which type of place you are going to stay,as well as time of year.

Anything 'Japanese' (minshuku,ryokan,temple in Koyasan etc.) you must book in advance.

Business hotels,chain hotels..usually no need to book in advance but during peak times I would.

Hostels...those used a lot by westerners in particular..no need to book in advance,but again..your first choice will probably be full that time of year,if you don't.

For Koyasan you must book the temple stay on their website.
You also must book for all weekends when everything is often fully booked, and then it becomes hugely expensive.
It is better to book all the nights BUT in Japan most accomodation offer free cancellation so you can still change your mind afterwards.

No need to book more than a day in advance for most cities, but as others said small botique experiences will be sold out.

Also beware weekends. Nikko on Tuesday night might be fairly dead. Saturday night might be booked for weeks in advance.

I think you only need to book in advance if you have your heart set on a particular place. If you aren't too picky, there's never a shortage of places to stay in Japan. Businessman hotels, capsules, love hotels and internet cafes are all last minute things. People just show up. I have never been turned away at any of these places. That's the point of them.

Thanks everyone so much for the usefull advice! We will definitly book the special places in advance, because we do want to try some nice ryokan etc.

In Tokyo you should be fine. Nikko and Fuji area - it would be wise to book in advance, especially if you are staying on the weekend. I would be careful about Kyoto in November/early December. The entire city gets booked out, and nearby cities like Nara, Osaka, and Otsu (in Shiga) also get booked out. Tour groups have their guests stay in Nagoya, which is halfway between Tokyo and Kyoto because there is so little availability at busy times in Kyoto (spring is another bad season). If money is no issue, then leave it to the last minute - the only thing left will be $500/night (or more) rooms. There are not enough hotel rooms in Japan as a whole, and in Kyoto in particular. Even by the 2020 Olympics the country will still be at least 4000 beds short for all the tourists they expect by then. I don't understand what the problem is with booking in advance. In most cases you can cancel anywhere from 4 to 24 hours in advance with no penalty (on sites like Booking.com), which is more than enough to change plans if that's what you want.

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