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Sleep and eat
Ryokan, capsule or business hotel; ramen, konbini or izakaya: how to pick your bed and your table.
- Where and how to stay
- Eating well in Japan
Where to stay, and how
Business hotel, ryokan, capsule or temple: the type of stay changes everything, from the price to dinner. All our addresses are in the city chapters; here is how to choose.
From manga café to palace
- Manga café · a booth for the night, often open 24/71,500 to 3,000 ¥
- Hostel · dorms and a shared kitchen2,000 to 5,000 ¥
- Capsule · a bed, shared bathroom and lockers3,000 to 5,000 ¥
- Apartment · a whole place; in Kyoto, an apartment hotelfrom 5,000 ¥ per unit
- Minshuku · the family guesthouse, one or two meals5,000 to 14,000 ¥
- Ryokan · tatami, futons, bath, dinner and breakfast6,000 to 60,000 ¥
- Temple stay · on Koyasan, about fifty temples (book)15,000 to 25,000 ¥ with meals
- Business hotel · small Western-style room, well located7,000 to 20,000 ¥ per room
- Large hotel · international and Japanese chains8,000 to 200,000 ¥ per room
Per person per night, unless stated; typical prices recorded in 2025, higher in Tokyo and Kyoto in high season.
Taken from the city chapters, where you'll find all our addresses. $ budget, $$ mid-range, $$$ comfort.
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PlanJapanSleep and eat · Where and how to stayA night in a ryokan, how it works
The traditional inn is priced per person, dinner and breakfast included: about 15,000 ¥ a night on average, according to the tourism office.
A tatami room opening onto an autumn garden- Check-in around 3–4 pm
Luggage accepted earlier. You'll be asked your meal times: let them know if you'll arrive late.
- Shoes off at the entrance
No slippers on the tatami; another pair for the toilet.
- The yukata and the bath
The yukata is provided. The large bath needs no booking, often open late at night and early in the morning.
- The kaiseki dinner
Several seasonal courses, in your room or a dining room. The door often locks at night; check-out between 10 am and noon.
Accommodation taxes, per person per night
- Tokyo0 to 200 ¥
- Kyoto200 to 10,000 ¥
- Osaka0 to 500 ¥
- Hiroshima0 or 200 ¥
- Hokkaido (Sapporo: 300 to 1,000 ¥)100 to 500 ¥
- Fukuoka200 or 500 ¥
- Kanazawa0 to 500 ¥
- Takayama100 to 300 ¥
- Nagano0 or 200 ¥
- Tokyo, April 2027 (none under 13,000 ¥)3%
- Okinawa, from February 20272%
- Fuji Five Lakes, April 2027 (planned)200 ¥
The amount depends on the nightly rate per person: nothing under 5,000 to 6,000 ¥ in several cities, up to 10,000 ¥ in Kyoto above 100,000 ¥. Miyajima: 100 ¥ per visit, paid with the ferry.
Allergies, vegetarian or gluten-free? Tell the ryokan several days ahead: dinner is prepared in advance.
PlanJapanSleep and eat · Where and how to stay