Hotels

Accommodations available in Japan range from Japanese-style inns to large Western-style hotels, in all price categories. Although you can travel throughout Japan without making reservations beforehand, it's essential to book in advance if you're traveling during peak travel seasons and is recommended at other times. If you arrive in a town without reservations, most local tourist offices -- generally located in or near the main train station -- will find accommodations for you at no extra charge. Note that in popular resort areas, most accommodations raise their rates during peak times. Some also charge more on weekends.

A note on reservations: When making reservations at Japanese-style accommodations and small business hotels, it's usually best if the call is conducted in Japanese or by fax or e-mail if available, as written English is always easier for most Japanese to understand. First-class hotels, however, always have English-speaking staff, as do many of the Japanese inns recommended in this guide.

A note about taxes and service charges: A 5% consumption tax is included in all hotel rates, including those given in this guide. Furthermore, upper-end hotels and some moderately priced hotels also add a 10% to 15% service charge to their published rates, while expensive ryokan will add a 10% to 20% service charge. No service charge is levied at business hotels, pensions, and minshuku (accommodations in a private home) for the simple reason that no services are provided. In resort areas with hot-spring spas, a spa (onsen) tax of ¥150 ($1.25/60p) is added per night. Tokyo levies its own local hotel tax (¥100-¥200/85¢-$1.65/40p-80p per person per night). Unless otherwise stated, the prices given in this guide include all consumption taxes and service charge, but not onsen or local hotel tax.

Finding a Hotel or Inn

If all my recommendations for a certain city are fully booked, or if you're traveling to destinations not covered in this guide, there are several ways to find alternative accommodations.

Surfing for Hotels -- In addition to the online travel booking sites Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, and Priceline, you can book hotels through Hotels.com, Quikbook.com, and Travelaxe.net. Other good sources include Asiatravel.com, and Asia-hotels.com. In any case, be sure to compare rates at several booking sites, as well as with individual hotel websites to make sure you're getting a good deal.

Of course, you'll also want to check all the websites mentioned earlier, including www.j-hotel.or.jp for members of the Japan Hotel Association, www.ryokan.or.jp for members of the Japan Ryokan Association, www.jpinn.com for members of the Japan Inn Group, and www.minshuku.jp for members of Minshuku Network Japan, as well as the websites for Japanese and foreign hotel chains listed above.

In addition, Japan's largest online hotel reservations company for budget and moderately priced accommodations is http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/index.html. At the top of my list for budget accommodations are also those that are members of Welcome Inns (www.itcj.jp), operated in cooperation with the Japan National Tourist Organization. Some 700 modestly priced accommodations in Japan, including business hotels and Japanese inns, are members of Welcome Inns, all priced at about ¥13,000 ($108/£54) or less for a double. No fee is charged for the reservation service, though you are asked to guarantee your reservation with a credit card.

In any case, it's always a good idea to get a confirmation number and make a printout of any online booking transaction.

Finding a Room When You Are in Japan -- In addition to booking Welcome Inns via the Internet , you can also book a room by appearing in person at one of the three Tourist Information Centers in Japan -- at Narita Airport (in the arrivals lobbies of Terminals 1 and 2); near Yurakucho Station in the heart of Tokyo; and at Osaka's Kansai International Airport. Reservations are accepted at the Narita TIC daily from 8am to 7:30pm; at the Tokyo TIC daily from 9 to 11:30am and 1 to 4:30pm; and at the Kansai TIC daily 8:30am to 8pm April to October and 9am to 8:30pm November to March. You can also make Welcome Inn reservations at the Kyoto Tourist Information on the ninth floor of Isetan department store in Kyoto Station (tel. 075/344-3300; daily 10am-12:30pm and 2-5:30pm, closed the second and fourth Tues of every month).

High-end hotels and ryokan can be booked through travel agencies in Japan, including the ubiquitous Japan Travel Bureau.

Finally, if you arrive at your destination without accommodations, most major train stations contain a tourist information office or a hotel and ryokan reservation counter where you can book a room. Although policies may differ from office to office, you generally don't have to pay a fee for their services, but you usually do have to pay a percentage of your overnight charge as a deposit. The disadvantage is that you don't see the locale beforehand, and if there's space left at a ryokan even in peak tourist season, there may be a reason for it. Although these offices can be a real lifesaver in a pinch and in most cases may be able to recommend quite reasonable and pleasant places in which to stay, it pays to plan in advance.