Hotel & Japanese Inn

Japan Is Home to a Wide Variety of Hotels and Inns

Photo：Ryokan

There are various types of accommodations in Japan, including hotels and ryokan.

There are five-star luxury hotels popular with wealthier individuals, business hotels where you can stay at a relatively reasonable price, ryokan where you can experience Japanese culture and history, shared houses and guesthouses where you can enjoy a simple stay, hotels with an element of entertainment, including quirky robots at the reception desk, as well as resorts, capsule hotels, and classic hotels.

The Most Popular Hotels and Ryokan in Japan

Photo：Hotel bed

Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel and review site, has announced their "Travelers' Choice! Top 20 Hotels in Japan by International Travelers 2020." That ranking is as follows:

No. 1 Club Med Hokkaido Sahoro [Shintoku, Hokkaido]
No. 2 Conrad Osaka [Osaka City, Osaka]
No. 3 Club Med Hokkaido Tomamu [Shimukappu, Hokkaido]
No. 4 Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo [Chuo City, Tokyo]
No. 5 Park Hyatt Tokyo [Shinjuku, Tokyo]
No. 6 MIMARU TOKYO HATCHOBORI [Chuo City, Tokyo]
No. 7 Tokyo Station Hotel [Chiyoda, Tokyo]
No. 8 NEST AT Nishiki [Kyoto City, Kyoto]
No. 9 Cross Hotel Kyoto [Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture]
No. 10 MIMARU Tokyo Ueno Inari-cho [Taito, Tokyo]
No. 11 Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo [Chiyoda, Tokyo]
No. 12 MIMARU Tokyo Akasaka [Minato, Tokyo]
No. 13 Club Med Kabira Beach [Ishigaki City, Okinawa]
No. 14 Mume [Kyoto City, Kyoto]
No. 15 Pullman Tokyo Tamachi [Minato, Tokyo]
No. 16 HOTEL GRACERY ASAKUSA [Taito, Tokyo]
No. 17 Conrad Tokyo [Minato, Tokyo]
No. 18 Kyoto Shijo Takakura Hotel grandereverie [Kyoto City, Kyoto]
No. 19 Palace Hotel Tokyo [Chiyoda, Tokyo]
No. 20 BnA Alter Museum [Kyoto, Kyoto]

These famous and popular hotels in Japan, including foreign-owned hotels, offer the highest level of Japanese hospitality.
Many of the hotels in Okinawa and other Japanese resorts with ocean views and swimming pools are stylish and recommended for their luxury feel, which will make your travels even more exciting.

Business hotels, such as Sunroute Hotel, Toyoko Inn, APA Hotel, and Dormy Inn are always available in major cities and tourist cities throughout Japan at relatively low rates, so you can save money on sightseeing and souvenirs by searching for cheap accommodations on websites like air bnb when you visit Japan.

Ryokan Where You Can Enjoy Hot Springs Are Also Very Popular!

Photo：An open-air bath along the sea under blue skies

In recent years, ryokan (Japanese style inns) have become popular overseas, and more and more tourists come to Japan to experience staying at ryokan as opposed to hotels.
Most ryokans are wooden and have a relaxed, Japanese-style atmosphere, and many have Japanese-style gardens utilizing wabi-sabi, an ancient Japanese aesthetic.
You can enjoy the unique atmosphere of Japan with its hot springs, Japanese-style rooms, futon bedding, yukata, and food, which are things you can rarely find outside of Japan.
You can book accommodations according to your preferences, including rooms with hot springs or open-air baths, non-smoking rooms, rooms that allow pets, rooms with private baths, rooms with meals, and more.

Rakuten Travel's "Hot Spring Resort Ranking for the First Half of 2020" is as follows:
No.1 Atami Onsen [Shizuoka Prefecture]
No. 2 Beppu Onsen [Oita Prefecture]
No. 3 Kusatsu Onsen [Gunma Prefecture]
No. 4 Hakodate Onsen and Yunokawa Onsen [Hokkaido]
No. 5 Kinugawa Onsen [Tochigi Prefecture]
No. 6 Gero Onsen [Gifu Prefecture]
No. 7 Akiu Onsen [Miyagi Prefecture]
No. 8 Shirahama Onsen [Wakayama Prefecture]
No. 9 Nasu Onsen [Tochigi Prefecture]
No. 10 Ito Hot Spring [Shizuoka Prefecture]
No. 11 Ikaho Onsen [Gunma Prefecture]
No. 12 Hakone-Yumoto Onsen [Kanagawa Prefecture]
No. 13 Gora Hot Spring [Kanagawa Prefecture]
No. 14 Arima Onsen [Hyogo Prefecture]
No.15 Kinosaki Onsen [Hyogo Prefecture]
No. 16 Dogo Hot Spring [Ehime Prefecture]
No. 17 Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen [Niigata Prefecture]
No. 18 Toba Onsen [Mie Prefecture]
No. 19 Yufuin Onsen [Oita Prefecture]
No. 20 Jozankei Onsen [Hokkaido]

Inns in these hot spring areas have their own unique Japanese manners, so be sure to take care when staying at them.
・Tipping is unnecessary as tipping culture does not exist in Japan
・Be sure to remove your shoes before stepping up from the genkan (entrance), or entering the guest rooms of the ryokan.
・The innkeeper will prepare food for you in your room and lay out a futon for you.
・If you have tattoos, you may not be allowed to bathe in the onsen or large shared baths.
Although some manners may seem strange, please respect the rules and etiquette to enjoy your stay at Japan's ryokan.

Enjoying Japan's Accommodations

Photo：Front Desk Staff

Although there is no tipping culture in Japan, you can rest assured that the quality of customer service is consistently high even without tipping.
Toilets with bidet functionality, popular among foreigner visitors, are also available in hotels of a certain rank and above.

For sightseeing in Japan, you can rent an RV, travel by night bus, or sleep at an internet cafe or health land/health spa instead of booking a hotel.

In recent years, capsule hotels have become a popular accommodation option for foreign tourists.
You can stay in a clean, well-located hotel with a lounge and bar, bedding, Wi-Fi and recharging facilities.
There are also many very beautiful establishments, which have become popular among visitors to Japan through social networking sites.

In recent years, home-stays and guesthouse/share house facilities have become more and more popular among tourists for long-term stays.

When visiting Japan, you can choose from a variety of accommodations to suit your purpose and budget.
Japan is also one of the safest countries in the world, so no matter which accommodation you choose, you can rest assured that you'll enjoy a safe and comfortable stay.

Luxury ryokan and hotels, day trips to onsen at ryokan where you can feel the unique atmosphere of Japan, glamping in Japan's great outdoors, and more. All of these can be viewed through travel videos, promotional videos, and inbound videos on YouTube and Vimeo.

COOL JAPAN VIDEOS is a site that introduces the charms of Japan through videos related to hotels and ryokan in Japan!