Where to stay in Japan
A ryokan inn and a chain hotel look like two prices for the same thing, and they aren't: they sell different goods on different schedules, and booking them the same way costs you either money or the room you wanted.
A ryokan sells beds. Its price barely moves, but the inventory disappears, so book it the day reservations open, roughly 6 months out. A chain hotel sells prices that change every day, and it can wait.
The four types, and when each one gets booked
This is the only thing worth understanding before you start searching.
Ryokan
Traditional inn: tatami floors, hot baths, and dinner usually served at a fixed time, chosen when you book rather than on the evening itself, and it is priced per person rather than per room.
Business hotel
A compact, functional room, always within a few minutes of a station, run by one of the national chains.
Capsule hotel
For a night in transit, not for a stay. A large suitcase won't fit and goes to a locker, and floors are often single-sex.
Minshuku
The family-run version of a ryokan, simpler and cheaper. Mostly rural, and common along the walking routes.
Which site to book on
No single site shows all of Japan. Rural ryokan inns live mostly on the Japanese sites, chain hotels are everywhere, and the temples of Koyasan have a desk of their own.
Which site to choose for your case →Where the type matters more than the city
The neighborhood decides your daily journeys far more than the room rate does.
Tokyo
Shinjuku for the train connections, Asakusa for budget rooms and the few ryokan inns.
Kyoto
The home of the traditional ryokan, and the city that fills up earliest.
Hakone
Onsen hot springs and half board. Here the ryokan is the norm, not the exception.
Osaka
A business city, so rates peak midweek and drop at the weekend.
Takayama
A small town with a tiny supply. Everything goes at festival time.
Kanazawa
Few beds for a lot of visitors, and the gap shows the day booking opens.
Hiroshima
You cross the center by tram, and sleeping on Miyajima is a separate decision.
Nara
Almost everyone comes for the day, and the hotel stock has settled around that.
Nikko
A valley that climbs: the shrines at the bottom, the hot baths at the top.
Fukuoka
The gateway to Kyushu, with affordable business hotels around Hakata station.
Kinosaki Onsen
A hot-spring town, almost entirely ryokan inns, with seven public baths you walk between in a yukata robe.
Nagoya
A business city and a rail junction, rarely a destination in itself but a useful stop.
Miyajima
The last boat decides your evening, and a night on the island is priced per person.
Koyasan
Temples that put you up rather than ryokan inns, dinner included and the gate shut early.
Kawaguchiko
The north shore for Mount Fuji at breakfast, but no shinkansen stops here.
By month
Pick your month to place the crowds.
Tanuki Trip never books and never takes payment on your behalf. You book it yourself, wherever you want. We tell you what to book and when.