Choosing your base in Japan
Compare the walk from the relevant station exit, the room dimensions and any meal or arrival times attached to the offer. In a wider itinerary, choose hotel nights after checking the order of your destinations.
Explore destinations in Japan
Aomori
Aomori city is in northern Honshu's Tōhoku region. Identify your arrival and onward departure points before selecting a local hotel base.
Read the guide →Asahikawa
Asahikawa is a city in inland Hokkaido. Decide whether it is the focus of the stay or a base for travel elsewhere on the island.
Read the guide →Atami
Atami is a city in Shizuoka Prefecture. Compare a convenient arrival base with accommodation chosen mainly for time spent at the property.
Read the guide →Beppu
Beppu is an Ōita city known for hot springs. Decide how much of the stay you want to spend bathing and whether the property itself supplies that experience.
Read the guide →Chiba
Chiba city is on Tokyo Bay, east of central Tokyo. It is distinct from the wider prefecture, so choose the exact local area before booking.
Read the guide →Ehime
Ehime is a prefecture on Shikoku. Choose the town or local area first, then compare accommodation against the route you intend to follow.
Read the guide →Fujikawaguchiko
Fujikawaguchiko is a lakeside town on the northern foot of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture. It covers four of the Fuji Five Lakes, Kawaguchi, Sai, Shōji and Motosu, with most hotels, inns and shops around Lake Kawaguchi. Kawaguchiko Station, at the end of the Fujikyū line, is the hub for local buses around the lakes and up to the mountain.
Read the guide →Fukuoka
Fukuoka is Kyushu's largest city and grew from two towns split by the Naka River: merchant Hakata on the east bank and the castle town of Fukuoka on the west. The main railway station still carries the Hakata name, while Tenjin, a few subway stops west, is the shopping and nightlife centre. The airport sits unusually close to both.
Read the guide →Furano
Furano is in inland Hokkaido. Decide which part of the area fits your plans and check the seasonal services relevant to your visit before booking.
Read the guide →Gotemba
Gotemba lies on Mount Fuji's southeastern side in Shizuoka Prefecture. Choose a local base around the specific outing or onward route that brings you here.
Read the guide →Hachioji
Hachiōji is in western Tokyo. Choose accommodation around the places you intend to visit locally and check the journeys before using it as a base for the wider metropolis.
Read the guide →Hakodate
Hakodate is a port city in southern Hokkaido. Choose the local base around your arrival route and the places you want to explore during the stay.
Read the guide →Hakone
Hakone is a hot-spring district in the volcanic hills west of Tokyo rather than a single town. Hakone-Yumoto sits at the foot of the valley, Miyanoshita and Gora climb the slopes along the mountain railway, and Lake Ashi lies beyond the steaming vents of Owakudani. Where your inn sits on that loop decides how far you haul luggage after the train.
Read the guide →Hamamatsu
Hamamatsu is in western Shizuoka Prefecture. Decide whether your stay centres on the city or uses it as a stop within a longer route.
Read the guide →Himeji
Himeji is a city in Hyōgo Prefecture. Choose a base around the visits you want to make and the arrival station used for your itinerary.
Read the guide →Hiroshima
Hiroshima spreads across a river delta on the Seto Inland Sea. JR Hiroshima Station lies on the eastern edge of the centre, about a 25-minute walk from Peace Memorial Park, and trams link the two. Station-area addresses fall in Minami ward, while the park, the Hondōri arcade and the main nightlife streets are in Naka ward.
Read the guide →Hyogo
Hyōgo is a prefecture in Kansai, with Kobe and Himeji among the places in this collection. Choose the local destination first, then compare accommodation.
Read the guide →Ibaraki
Ibaraki is a prefecture in the Kantō region. Choose the town or local area you need before comparing hotels carrying the wider prefecture name.
Read the guide →Izu
The Izu Peninsula lies west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast. Choose the part of the peninsula you want to explore before comparing accommodation with a broad Izu label.
Read the guide →Izumisano
Izumisano is in Osaka Prefecture and is relevant to trips using Kansai Airport. Decide whether your stay is an airport stop or time in the local area.
Read the guide →Kagoshima
Kagoshima is a city on Kyushu. Start with your arrival point and the local places you want to visit, then compare the hotel neighbourhoods.
Read the guide →Kamakura
Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture. Decide whether you want an overnight base for a slower visit or a short stop within a wider trip.
Read the guide →Kanazawa
Kanazawa is a former castle town on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu, between the Asano and Sai rivers. Its main sights, the castle park, Kenroku-en garden, the teahouse districts and the samurai quarter, are packed into a compact centre a short bus ride south-east of the station, so much of a hotel decision comes down to walking versus taking the bus.
Read the guide →Karuizawa
Karuizawa is a resort town in Nagano Prefecture. Choose the local area around your plans and decide how much time you expect to spend at the accommodation.
Read the guide →Kisarazu
Kisarazu is a city in Chiba Prefecture. Choose accommodation around the local places you intend to visit and the route you will use to arrive.
Read the guide →Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture. Choose the district around your plans instead of treating the whole city as a single hotel neighbourhood.
Read the guide →Kobe
Kobe is a long, narrow port city pressed between Osaka Bay and the Rokkō mountains in Hyōgo Prefecture. Its centre runs along the shore from Sannomiya, the main rail and shopping hub, west through Motomachi to Harborland, with the old foreign merchants' houses of Kitano on the slope above. Arima Onsen, one of Japan's oldest hot-spring towns, lies over the mountains within the city boundary.
Read the guide →Kumamoto
Kumamoto is a city on Kyushu. Decide how much time belongs in the city and whether it will also serve as a base for outings farther afield.
Read the guide →Kyoto
Kyoto sits in a basin enclosed by hills on three sides, and its centre still follows the grid laid out in 794, with east-west streets numbered from north to south. Kyoto Station anchors the southern edge, the main shopping streets lie a few kilometres north around Shijō and Karasuma, and the temples spread up into the eastern, northern and western hills.
Read the guide →Kyushu
Kyushu is one of Japan's main islands. Choose the cities or regional stops you want to combine before looking for a single hotel base.
Read the guide →Matsumoto
Matsumoto is a city in Nagano Prefecture. Choose a base around your city plans and any onward journey before comparing hotels with a wider regional label.
Read the guide →Matsuyama
Matsuyama is Ehime Prefecture's capital on Shikoku. Choose the local base around the part of the city you want to explore and any onward travel.
Read the guide →Mie
Mie is a prefecture in Japan's Kansai region. Choose the towns or local areas that belong in your itinerary before searching for one base across the whole prefecture.
Read the guide →Miyazaki
Miyazaki city is on Kyushu. Decide whether the hotel is for time in the city or as a starting point for outings across the wider prefecture.
Read the guide →Morioka
Morioka is Iwate Prefecture's capital in Tōhoku. Choose the hotel around your arrival route and the places you expect to visit during the stay.
Read the guide →Nagano
Nagano city and the wider prefecture are different accommodation searches. For a city stay, start with your arrival point and the places you want to visit from there.
Read the guide →Nagasaki
Nagasaki is a city on Kyushu. Choose a base around the specific places you want to visit and the route from your arrival point.
Read the guide →Nagoya
Nagoya is Japan's fourth-largest city and the industrial centre of Aichi prefecture, with the car industry dominating the local economy. The city spreads over 16 wards, but visitors mostly need three hubs, all linked by subway: Nagoya Station, Sakae and Kanayama. It lies on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto, which makes it a practical stopover.
Read the guide →Nara
Nara was Japan's capital in the 8th century, and its great temples, Kasuga Taisha shrine and free-roaming deer are grouped in Nara Park on the east side of the city. Two stations serve the centre: Kintetsu Nara, closest to the park, and JR Nara, further west. Most visitors come for the day from Kyoto or Osaka, so evenings are quiet.
Read the guide →Narita
Narita is a city in Chiba Prefecture as well as an airport destination. Separate an airport stopover from a visit to the city before choosing a hotel.
Read the guide →Niigata
Niigata city sits in the northern part of its namesake prefecture. Choose a hotel around the part of the city you intend to use and your onward route.
Read the guide →Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture covers a wider area than Niigata city. Decide which part belongs in your trip and choose a local base before searching for accommodation.
Read the guide →Nikko
Nikkō is in Tochigi Prefecture. Choose the local base around your planned visits and the connections you will use to reach them.
Read the guide →Niseko
Niseko is a ski area in south-western Hokkaido, spread across the slopes of Mount Niseko Annupuri and facing the volcanic cone of Mount Yōtei. Four interlinked resorts, Hanazono, Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Annupuri, run along the mountain, straddling the towns of Kutchan and Niseko. Hirafu is the busiest village, and most visitors arrive by road from Sapporo's New Chitose Airport.
Read the guide →Noboribetsu
Noboribetsu is in southwestern Hokkaido. Check the hotel's exact area and access before choosing a stay centred on bathing or time at the property.
Read the guide →Okayama
Okayama is a city in western Honshu's Chūgoku region. Decide whether you want a city stay or a base for a wider itinerary before choosing accommodation.
Read the guide →Okinawa
Okinawa is Japan's southernmost prefecture, and most visitors stay on Okinawa Island, the largest of its islands. Naha, the capital, sits beside the airport; from there Route 58 runs about 120 km up the west coast to the forested Yanbaru region in the north. Apart from Naha's monorail there are no trains, so where you stay decides how much you will drive.
Read the guide →Osaka
Osaka has two centres linked by the Midōsuji boulevard and subway line: Kita, around Umeda and Osaka stations, is the main rail hub with department stores and office towers; Minami, around Namba and Dōtonbori, is the neon-lit eating and nightlife district. Most visitors base themselves in one or the other, and the choice shapes every day of the trip.
Read the guide →Otaru
Otaru is a port city northwest of Sapporo in Hokkaido. Decide how much time you want locally and choose a base around your arrival route and planned walks.
Read the guide →Saga Prefecture
Saga Prefecture is on Kyushu. Choose the local area that fits your planned visits, then establish how you will get to the accommodation.
Read the guide →Saitama
Saitama city incorporates areas including Ōmiya and Urawa. Choose the part of the city you need before comparing hotels under the wider Saitama name.
Read the guide →Sano
Sano is a city in Tochigi Prefecture. Use the specific places you want to visit to choose a hotel area, then check the arrival and return journeys.
Read the guide →Sapporo
Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido and the island's main transport hub, built on a grid that makes block addresses unusually easy to follow. Ōdōri Park divides the centre into north and south, with JR Sapporo Station a few blocks north of it and the Susukino nightlife district a few blocks south, all on the Namboku subway line.
Read the guide →Sasebo
Sasebo is a city in Nagasaki Prefecture. Use the specific area and visits on your itinerary to narrow the hotel search before comparing rates.
Read the guide →Sendai
Sendai is Miyagi Prefecture's capital and a major city in Tōhoku. Decide whether it is the main stop or a base for journeys elsewhere in the region.
Read the guide →Shizuoka
Shizuoka city and Shizuoka Prefecture are different search areas. For a city visit, choose accommodation around the places you intend to use and the arrival station.
Read the guide →Takamatsu
Takamatsu is Kagawa Prefecture's capital on Shikoku. Choose accommodation around the arrival point and the journeys you want to make during the stay.
Read the guide →Takayama
Takayama, often called Hida-Takayama, is a mountain city in northern Gifu Prefecture whose merchant quarter of dark timber houses survives from the Edo period. The centre is compact and walkable: the station sits on the west side and the old streets lie across the Miyagawa River a few minutes east. The city's boundaries also stretch deep into the Japan Alps, taking in the Oku-Hida hot-spring villages.
Read the guide →Tochigi
Tochigi is an inland prefecture in the Kantō region. Narrow the search to the local area your itinerary needs before comparing hotels across the prefecture.
Read the guide →Tohoku
Tōhoku is the northeastern part of Honshu. Build a route through selected destinations rather than trying to use one hotel for the whole region.
Read the guide →Tokyo
What visitors call Tokyo is really 23 self-governing wards inside a much larger metropolis. The JR Yamanote Line loops around the centre, and most practical hotel choices sit on or just inside it: Shinjuku and Shibuya on the west of the loop, Tokyo Station and Ginza on the east, and the older Asakusa and Ueno districts beyond its north-east corner.
Read the guide →Toyama
Toyama city is on the Sea of Japan coast in central Honshu. Decide whether it is the focus of the stay or a base for journeys elsewhere.
Read the guide →Utsunomiya
Utsunomiya is Tochigi Prefecture's capital. Start with the places you need to reach and the station or road route used for arrival.
Read the guide →Yamagata
Yamagata city is in the Tōhoku region. Decide whether the hotel is for time in the city or as a base for journeys elsewhere in the prefecture.
Read the guide →Yokohama
Yokohama, Japan's second-largest city, lies on the western shore of Tokyo Bay about half an hour by train from central Tokyo. Most visitors stay along the harbour strip that runs from Yokohama station through Minato Mirai and Kannai to Chinatown, or inland at Shin-Yokohama, where the shinkansen stops. Pick between harbour evenings and fast exits to the rest of Japan.
Read the guide →Yufu
Yufu is a city in Ōita Prefecture that includes the Yufuin hot-spring area. Check the actual local address before comparing properties under the wider Yufu name.
Read the guide →Yufuin
Yufuin is a hot-spring area within Yufu in Ōita Prefecture. Choose accommodation around the time you want to spend bathing, eating and exploring locally.
Read the guide →
Before choosing a room
Confirm bed or futon arrangements, smoking status and occupancy for the exact room category.
Compare the exact room category, including bed layout, cancellation terms and the full stay total. Hotel photographs may show several categories. If a detail matters to you, look for it in the room description or ask the property.
Where guest evidence is available, use it to investigate specific questions about the stay. Read the supporting comments and their dates. A neighbourhood description cannot establish how quiet an individual room will be.
Planning resources
Our stay advice is editorial guidance. Room facilities, transport services and hotel offers can change. Confirm the details for your trip before booking.