Western-Style Accommodations

Western-style lodgings range from luxurious first-class hotels to inexpensive ones catering primarily to Japanese businessmen.

When selecting and reserving your hotel room, contact the hotel directly to inquire about rates, even if a North American toll-free 800 number is provided; sometimes there are special packages, such as weekend or honeymoon packages, that central reservations desks will not be aware of. Special rates are also often available only through the hotel's website. In any case, always ask what kinds of rooms are available. Almost all hotels in Japan offer a wide range of rooms at various prices; room size is the most important factor in pricing. Rooms with views -- whether of the sea or a castle -- are also generally more expensive, as are rooms on higher floors. In Japan, a twin room refers to a room with twin beds, and a double room refers to one with a double (or larger) bed; most hotels charge more for a twin room, but others charge more for doubles. Since Japanese couples generally prefer twin beds, doubles are often in short supply, especially in business hotels. A Hollywood twin means two twin beds pushed together side by side.

Some of the upper-priced hotels also offer executive floors, which are generally on the highest floors and offer such perks as a private lounge with separate check-in, more in-room amenities, complimentary breakfast and evening cocktails, extended checkout time, and privileges that can include free use of the health club.

Once you decide on the type of room you want, ask for the best in that category. For example, if you want a standard room, and deluxe rooms start on the 14th floor, ask for a standard on the 13th floor, where you might have a better view than on the 4th floor. In addition, be specific about the kind of room you want, whether it's a nonsmoking room, a room with a view of Mount Fuji, or a room with a dataport for your computer modem.

Be sure to give your approximate time of arrival, especially if it's after 6pm when they might give your room away. Check-in ranges from about 1 or 2pm in first-class hotels to 3 or 4pm for business hotels. Checkout is generally about 10am for business hotels and 11am or noon for upper-range hotels. In any case, it's perfectly acceptable to leave luggage with the front desk or bell captain if you arrive early or want to sightsee after checking out.

Hotels -- Both first-class and medium-priced hotels in Japan are known for excellent service and cleanliness. The first-class hotels in the larger cities can compete with the best hotels in the world and offer a wide range of services, from health clubs and aesthetic spas with massage services to business centers and top-class restaurants and shopping arcades. Unfortunately, health clubs and swimming pools usually cost extra -- anywhere from ¥1,050 to an outrageous ¥5,000 ($10-$48) per single use. In addition, outdoor pools are generally open only in July and August. Rooms in upper-range hotels and many moderate hotels in large cities catering to tourists come with such standard features as a minibar, bilingual cable TV with pay movies and English-language channels like CNN or BBC, a clock, a radio, cotton yukata robe, a hot-water pot and tea (and occasionally coffee, though you usually have to pay extra for it), a hair dryer, and a private bathroom with a tub/shower combination. (Since Japanese are used to soaping down and rinsing off before bathing, it would be rare to find tubs without showers; similarly, showers without tubs are practically nonexistent in this nation of bathers.) Most hotels nowadays also have "Washlet" toilets, which are combination toilets and spray bidets with a controllable range of speeds and temperatures. Because they're accustomed to foreigners, most hotels in this category employ an English-speaking staff and offer nonsmoking floors or rooms. Services provided include room service, same-day laundry and dry cleaning, and English-language newspapers (often complimentary) delivered to your room. Note that in medium-range hotels, same-day laundry service is not available Sundays and holidays and you must turn in your laundry by 10am to receive it by 5pm that day.

The most expensive hotels in Japan are in Tokyo and Osaka, where you'll pay at least ¥30,000 ($285) for a double or twin room in a first-class hotel and ¥15,000 to ¥29,000 ($143-$275) for the same in a medium-priced hotel. Outside the major cities, rooms for two people generally range from about ¥18,000 to ¥22,000 ($171-$209) for first-class hotels and ¥12,000 to ¥16,000 ($115-$152) for medium-priced hotels.

Although some internationally known chains have a presence in Japan, including Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com), Hilton (www.hilton.com), Hyatt (www.hyatt.com), Holiday Inn (www.holiday-inn.com), Marriott (www.Marriott.com), Radisson (www.radisson.com), Ritz-Carlton (www.ritzcarlton.com), and Westin (www.starwood.com/westin/index.html), Japanese chains naturally dominate. ANA (associated with All Nippon Airways; www.anahotels.com), New Otani (www1.newotani.co.jp/en), Nikko (associated with Japan Airlines; www.nikkohotels.com), and Prince (www.princehotels.co.jp) are some of the top names.

In addition to the hotel recommendations in this guide, you can also check out the more than 400 members of the Japan Hotel Association listed in the brochure Hotels in Japan available from the Tourist Information Centers in Japan or online at www.j-hotel.or.jp/welcome-e.html.

Finally, some 50 hotels that are members of the Japan Railways Group (www.jrhotelgroup.com), almost always located next to major train stations, provide discounts (usually 10%) for holders of the Japan Rail Pass.

Business Hotels -- Catering traditionally to traveling Japanese businessmen, a "business hotel" is a no-frills establishment with tiny, sparsely furnished rooms, most of them singles but usually with some twin or double rooms also available. Primarily just places to crash for the night, these rooms usually have everything you need, but in miniature form -- minuscule bathroom, tiny bathtub/shower, small bed (or beds), and barely enough space to unpack your bags. If you're a large person, you may have trouble sleeping in a place like this. There are no bellhops, no room service, and sometimes not even a lobby or coffee shop, although usually there are vending machines selling beer, soda, cigarettes, and snacks. Some business hotels do not have nonsmoking rooms, though this is slowly changing. The advantages of staying in business hotels are price -- starting as low as ¥6,000 or ¥7,000 ($57 or $66) for a single -- and location -- usually near major train and subway stations. Check-in is usually not until 3 or 4pm, and checkout is usually at 10am; you can leave your bags at the front desk.

As for business-hotel chains, I'm partial to the Toyoko Inn chain (www.toyoko-inn.com), which boasts more than 100 locations around Japan. Often managed by women, they offer minuscule rooms outfitted with about everything you need, including free Internet access, and have raised the bar in business-hotel amenities by adding lobby computers with free Internet access, free domestic calls from lobby phones, free movie channels (often in English), and free Japanese breakfast. Another chain to look for is Tokyu Hotels (www.tokyuhotels.co.jp), including its budget Tokyu Inns, all with specially designed Ladies Rooms with female-oriented toiletries and amenities.

For a short list of business hotels in Japan, check the Japan City Hotel Association's list at www.jcha.or.jp. Another good site is http://travel.rakuten.co.jp, Japan's largest online hotel reservation company for budget and moderately priced accommodations.

Pensions -- Pensions are like minshuku, except that accommodations are Western-style with beds instead of futons, and the two meals served are usually Western. Often managed by a young couple or a young staff, they cater to young Japanese and are most often located in ski resorts and in the countryside, sometimes making access a problem. Averaging 10 guest rooms, many seem especially geared to young Japanese women and are thus done up in rather feminine-looking decor with lots of pinks and flower prints. The average cost is ¥8,000 to ¥10,000 ($76-$95) per person per night, including two meals.

Youth Hostels -- There are some 350 youth hostels in Japan, most of them privately run and operating in locations ranging from temples to concrete blocks. There's no age limit (though children younger than 4 may not be accepted), and although most of them require a youth hostel membership card from the Japan Youth Hostel Association, they let foreigners stay without one at no extra charge or for ¥600 ($5.70) extra per night (after 6 nights you automatically become a YH member). Youth hostels are reasonable, costing about ¥3,500 ($33) per day including two meals, and can be reserved in advance. However, there are usually quite a few restrictions, such as a 9 or 10pm curfew, a lights-out policy shortly thereafter, an early breakfast time, and closed times through the day, generally from about 10am to 3pm. In addition, rooms generally have many bunk beds or futons, affording little privacy. On the other hand, they're certainly the cheapest accommodations in Japan.

Because youth hostels are often inconveniently located, I have included only a couple in this guide, but if you plan on staying almost exclusively in hostels, pick up a pamphlet called "Youth Hostel Map of Japan," available at the Tourist Information Centers in Japan, or check www.jyh.or.jp. For youth hostel membership in the U.S., contact Hostelling International USA (tel. 301/495-1240; www.hiusa.org). Cards cost $28 for adults, $18 for seniors older than 54, and are free for children younger than 18.

Capsule Hotels -- Capsule hotels, which became popular in the early 1980s, are used primarily by Japanese businessmen who have spent an evening out drinking and missed the last train home -- costing about ¥4,000 to ¥5,000 ($38-$48) per person, a capsule hotel is sometimes cheaper than a taxi to the suburbs. Units are small -- no larger than a coffin and consisting of a bed, a private color TV, an alarm clock, and a radio -- and are usually stacked two deep in rows down a corridor; the only thing separating you from your probably inebriated neighbor is a curtain. A cotton kimono and a locker are provided, and bathrooms and toilets are communal. Most capsule hotels do not accept women, but those that do have separate facilities.

International Villas -- International Villas are such a great deal for foreigners that I want to give them special mention here. These small country inns are financed and maintained by the Okayama prefectural government and are open only to foreigners, although accompanying Japanese guests are welcome. Each villa is small, with a half-dozen or so guest rooms (usually without private bathroom), and is equipped with public bathroom and kitchen facilities. No meals are served, but you can cook your own or visit one of the local restaurants. There are five International Villas, most of them in small villages or rural settings with mostly Western-style twins. An overnight stay is ¥3,000 ($29) per person for nonmembers and ¥2,500 ($24) for members, but membership costs only ¥500 ($4.75) and is available at any villa.

Love Hotels -- Finally, a word about Japan's so-called "love hotels." Usually found close to entertainment districts and along major highways, such hotels do not provide sexual services themselves; rather, they offer rooms for rent by the hour to couples. You'll know that you've wandered into a love-hotel district when you notice hourly rates posted near the front door, though gaudy structures shaped like ocean liners or castles are a dead giveaway. Because many of them have reasonable overnight rates as well, I have friends who, finding themselves out too late and too far from home, have checked into love hotels, solo.