Japan is a fascinating country, and its different accommodations provide good insight into its contrasting culture. Many people who visit Japan like to tour the country, which provides an excellent opportunity to spend one or two nights in accommodations unique to Japan.
Capsule Hotels
These hotels used to be for businessmen who wanted somewhere cheap to stay. Nowadays, both men and women stay at these hotels, and foreigners like to stay there for their unique value and also because they are cheap.
At a capsule hotel, you get a very small, enclosed area with a mattress on the floor, which is your bedroom. You will get an electrical socket and maybe even a TV. It is like sleeping in a large box. There are no windows, and the entrance to your box or pod might have a door or just a curtain. The pods might be stacked on top of each other, so be prepared to climb a short ladder to get to your pod.
There are communal toilets, showers, and lockers for smaller bags. Sleeping in a capsule can be noisy, as you can hear everyone else. You might find the room a bit cramped if you are very tall. The average Japanese man is 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) compared to a UK man, who is 5 ft 10 in (178 cm).
The rooms can also be very claustrophobic as they are so small, you won’t be able to stand up in the room, and they have no windows. We opted not to stay in one as my husband is 6 foot 3 inches, and I have had problems with claustrophobia in the past. However, if you are going to stay in one, they can be found in most major cities and often near railway stations. You can get capsule hotels that look very futuristic or quirky, like book-themed hotels where you sleep on bookshelves next to books you can borrow.
Temple Accommodation (Shukubo)
Staying in a temple will give you a small glimpse into the life of a Buddhist monk. The price for one night can be around £100. Your accommodation will be basic, and most likely, you will not have your own bathroom. A couple of meals are usually included, which are vegetarian or vegan and include five distinct colours and flavours. You will have a chance to meditate and take part in morning services.
Temples offer different experiences, so you might want to shop around. There are temples for women only, those that offer non-vegetarian meals, and some that offer chanting, a fire ceremony, or therapeutic calligraphy.
Love Hotels
You can book love hotels for 2 – 3 hours or overnight. Japanese couples often use them to have somewhere to go in private if they are having an affair, but married couples also use them to get away from their everyday surroundings and add a bit of fun to their lives. Some tourists do use them, and the rooms are reasonably priced.
When you check in, you might not even see anyone. You might see hands at a window or pay once in your room. In many rooms, you are locked in until you are ready to leave, so you can’t pop out if you have forgotten something.
These hotels have themes; the whole hotel might have the same theme, but usually, each room has a different theme, for example, pirate theme, Hello Kitty or jungle. The rooms are over the top, and you can smell smoke from previous customers, but they are clean. You will get a bed, TV, Karaoke, a massive bath with jacuzzi facilities, and maybe a fridge or microwave. There will be complimentary snacks, toothbrushes, and champagne if you choose the right hotel. Of course, adult toys are on offer, probably in vending machines.
Robot Hotels
Robot-staffed hotels were meant to be efficient ways of running a hotel. These types of hotels have had teething problems, but things are improving now.
When you arrive at a hotel, you are greeted by a robot that could look like a young lady or a dinosaur. You then have your documents photocopied, and a photo of your face is taken so you can use facial recognition to open your hotel door. Your bags are taken to your room by a robot luggage trolley. Once in the room, the lights and heating are set by voice control. You may find no restaurant or eating facilities in your hotel, but you can usually order a takeaway. Which a robot will bring to you.
Robot hotels have been a problem, particularly for foreign guests. The robots cannot cope with their passports or understand what the guests say. I have heard of foreigners using the torch on their phones to see in their rooms as they couldn’t get the lights switched on. The robots also won’t let you in the room before the official check-in time; unlike real people, they can’t be persuaded to let you in early if you feel dreadful after a long flight.
Ryokans
Ryokans are traditional inns that offer Japanese-style accommodation, which means a tatami floor, a futon bed, yukata robes, and a kaiseki multi-course meal. Ryokans vary in their offerings.
We chose a ryokan that offered both Western-style rooms and Japanese. We chose a Western-style room as we didn’t want to sleep on a futon on the floor; they can be a bit uncomfortable if you are not used to them. We did, however, have a tatami floor, which you must remove your shoes before standing on it. We found the yukata robes provided for us to be great fun, but we were a little worried that we might be wearing them incorrectly, and it felt a bit strange wearing them to our meal. It was a bit like going for a meal in a hotel restaurant wearing pyjamas. We had a very low table in our room, which meant you had to sit on the floor, but it made good photo opportunities with the pretty tea set and us dressed in Japanese clothes. We had a 5-course meal, which was nice except for what I think was seaweed.
Our hotel had an onsen, a traditional large hot spring bath. The baths are communal and have set times for men and women, or you could pay for a private session. You do have to be naked like you would in a normal bath.
Bed and Breakfast (Minshuku)
Photo of guest house
This is a great way to see Japanese life, as this accommodation is in the owner’s own home. The rooms will normally be Japanese-style, and they expect you to get your futons out of a cupboard and put them away the next day. You will probably share a bathroom with the family.
Occasionally, dinner is also included in the accommodation rate. Bed and breakfast rooms tend to be in tourist areas such as hot springs or ski resorts, not large cities. They are much cheaper than Ryokans but more basic.
Pensions
This type of accommodation is very similar to the Minshuku, except it will be in a Western style. You will not have to sleep on a futon. The rooms will be basic, and you will share a bathroom, but they are much cheaper than a hotel. You will get breakfast and maybe an evening meal as well.
Airbnb
Renting an Airbnb apartment is a great way to see how the Japanese live. Not just the bedrooms but also the kitchen. If you cook your own meals, you can have the fun of shopping in a Japanese supermarket. One day, we weren’t sure if we were cooking our evening meal in oil or wine.
Airbnb can sometimes be cheaper than hotels, but you must watch all the add-ons to the price. Our Airbnb had a washing machine, but if you wanted to dry your clothes, you needed to put them on the balcony. To get to the balcony, you had to climb over the bed.
Find out if your apartment is Western-style or Japanese before you book. I found it amusing that our host provided slippers for the toilet room when the toilet was only two feet from the door. The bath was like a sink; it was only long enough for me to sit down with my legs bent, and my husband was too tall to sit down.
Business Hotels
You don’t have to be a businessman to stay in a business hotel. They are cheaper than Western-style hotels but are more basic. They are best suited to a businessman who will be out in the evening and just wants a place to sleep. They therefore won’t have a gym or pool and no restaurant for an evening meal. They might provide noodles or a list of local restaurants you can visit or have a vending machine with snacks. They usually provide a very basic breakfast. Rooms are Western-style but small, with a bed, desk, and TV. They have their own bathrooms and sometimes a communal bath. This hotel could suit you if you are looking for a place to sleep with no extras.
Western-Style Hotels
There are many Western-style hotels across Japan, much like the chain hotels you find worldwide. I found Japanese-type toilets in some of these hotels, where the lid moves up automatically, and birds sing as you approach. The rooms might be smaller than you are used to, but they have some very ingenious ways of using every space. I kept finding secret drawers in one hotel we stayed in.
Deciding which type of hotel
When deciding on which hotel type to book, you might want to consider the following-
- Futons are uncomfortable to sleep on if you are not used to them, as futons get put on the floor. It is especially uncomfortable if you don’t sleep on your back. You might not want to sleep in a Japanese hotel if you are very tired from travelling or jet-lagged. Give it a few days before you try a futon.
- If you are worried about being understood in Japan, stick to the larger hotels. Only 30% of Japanese speak any English at all. So don’t expect to be able to communicate with the staff at your accommodation without a translation app. When we stayed in a large Ryokan, we were given a drink and waited about 20 minutes while they found someone who spoke English well enough to discuss what we would like to eat for our 5-course meal. We were a bit confused about why we had to sit down because no one could speak English to explain what was happening.
- Do try some Japanese hotels even if it is only for one night. It will enhance your trip immensely.
- Many of the things people like to see in Japan are in large cities, and it is in these places that the most expensive hotels are located. If you have a budget, consider having a variety of hotels, including some of the cheaper ones.
- If you have a large suitcase, you might have problems staying in a capsule hotel, as they don’t accommodate them.
- If you are travelling by train, consider business hotels as they are often near train stations.
- When booking, pay attention to the price and see if it is per room or per person. Nowadays, many Japanese hotels charge per room, but some still charge per person. This is especially true if they provide meals as part of the room price.
Summary
Japan has its own unique style. Large hotel chains tend to be the same across the world. Japan has such a different lifestyle that it would be a shame to spend all your time in accommodations that don’t reflect Japan’s personality. If you are touring around Japan, you could easily spend a night or two testing out the different types of accommodations. I enjoyed Japan, and I am sure you will too.
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