JAPAN

Japan offers a wide range of accommodation types in both Japanese and Western styles, including some unconventional forms such as capsule hotels and temple lodgings.

Japanese Style

Ryokan

Ryokan are traditional Japanese-style inns with Japanese-style rooms. A stay at a ryokan typically includes dinner and breakfast and is recommended to all travelers to Japan as it gives you the opportunity to experience a traditional Japanese lifestyle.

Minshuku

Minshuku are Japanese-style bed and breakfast lodgings. They are usually family run, offer Japanese-style rooms, and often include one or two meals in the price.

Western Style

Western-Style Hotels

Western-style hotels, including various international and Japanese hotel chains, can be found across Japan, especially in the larger cities.

Business Hotels

Business hotels offer small, simple Western-style rooms with snacks and drinks provided by vending machines. Some business hotel chains, such as Route Inn, APA Hotel, Super Hotel and Toyoko Inn, operate dozens of hotels across Japan.

Pensions

Pensions are comparable to minshuku (see above), except that they offer rooms in Western-style rather than in Japanese-style. They are typically found in mountainous resort towns and in the countryside.

Hostels and Dormitories

Hostels offer lodging and meals at the lowest budget level. Japan Youth Hostels, a member of the International Youth Hostel Federation, operates more than 300 hostels across Japan.

Japanese and Western Style

Vacation Rentals

Airbnb and other vacation rental services are popular in Japan. On offer are apartments and rooms with traditional or modern interior, as well as restored historic houses. A new legal framework for vacation rentals came into effect in June 2018.

Unique Lodgings

Capsule Hotels

Mainly targeting a male clientele in need of nothing but a bed, capsule hotels accommodate their guests in small capsules. A television, a shared bathroom and coin lockers are usually provided.

Temple Lodgings

It is possible for tourists to spend the night at some Buddhist temple lodgings (shukubo). A stay often includes two vegetarian meals and the opportunity to join the morning prayers. One of the best places to experience a night at a temple is Mount Koya.

Manga Cafes

Manga cafes are establishments that provide their customers with seats or booth to read manga (Japanese comics) and surf the internet. Many of them are open 24 hours and provide various amenities that make them an option for low-budget overnight stays.

Love Hotels

Not meant as tourist lodgings, love hotels are visited by couples who wish to enjoy some undisturbed time together. Rooms at love hotels can be rented for 2-3 hours during the day or for an overnight stay.

Overnight Buses

Overnight buses combine cheap transportation with one night worth of accommodation. Services are available between many cities and are particularly economical along the most popular routes, such as Tokyo-Kyoto/Osaka. Seating ranges from regular bus seats to private compartments.

Longer Stays

Apartments

Apartments and shared apartments, rented on a monthly basis, are among the most inexpensive ways of staying in Japan for an extended period. Several companies specifically target foreigners in Japan and offer rental contracts from as short as a single month.

Japan's road spending has been extensive. Its 1.2 million kilometres (0.75 million miles) of paved road are the main means of transportation. As of 2012, Japan has approximately 1,215,000 kilometres (755,000 miles) of roads made up of 1,022,000 kilometres (635,000 miles) of city, town and village roads, 129,000 kilometres (80,000 miles) of prefectural roads, 55,000 kilometres (34,000 miles) of general national highways and 8,050 kilometres (5,000 miles) of national expressways. A single network of high-speed, divided, limited-access toll roads connects major cities on Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Hokkaido has a separate network, and Okinawa Island has a highway of this type. A single network of high-speed, divided, limited-access toll roads connects major cities and is operated by toll-collecting enterprises. New and used cars are inexpensive; car ownership fees and fuel levies are used to promote energy efficiency. However, at just 50 percent of all distance traveled, car usage is the lowest of all G8 countries.

Japanese culture has evolved greatly from its origins. Contemporary culture combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. Traditional Japanese arts include crafts such as ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, swords and dolls; performances of bunraku, kabuki, noh, dance, and rakugo; and other practices, the tea ceremony, ikebana, martial arts, calligraphy, origami, onsen, Geisha and games. Japan has a developed system for the protection and promotion of both tangible and intangible Cultural Properties and National Treasures. Twenty-two sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, eighteen of which are of cultural significance.