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Where Should You Stay in Japan? Accommodation 101 | Upcoming Patreon Vlog (Patreon)

Published:
2019-04-30 13:57:15
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

 

Hey guys,

I hope you all had a great weekend!

So I’m currently in the midst of producing this week’s Patreon vlog, which is dedicated to accommodation in Japan as I recently stayed in an Airbnb in Tokyo (something I rarely do).

I've always had my reservations with Airbnb in Japan after a rocky few years, and it certainly didn't help that the last time I used Airbnb (back in the UK), the door lock randomly broke from the inside of the apartment, leaving me TRAPPED INSIDE a four storey building with no escape (if ever there was a premise for a genuine horror film).

But I decided to give Airbnb in Japan a shot, and I was pleased to find that whilst it cost about the same as your standard Tokyo business hotel, you got far more bang for your buck in terms of room size.

I filmed inside the Airbnb apartment, and I'll also be covering  accommodation in Japan in general, discussing the types of places I typically stay when travelling around AND where I recommend staying in Tokyo, with an overview of your options, from hotels and hostels, to Airbnb and capsule hotels.

Before I wrap up filming though, I thought it'd be good to answer any questions you guys might have related to accommodation, as I know it’s a popular topic.

With that in mind folks, please go ahead and leave your questions below and I’ll try to fit in as many answers as I can in this week’s Patreon vlog!

And whilst I’ll save all the key updates and news for the vlog, weirdly I awoke this morning to find a message from Pete Donaldson (whose birthday it is today!), who'd seen an article written by the Sun newspaper (the UK’s largest newspaper), featuring my video on the Tomb of Jesus Christ.

Article: https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/8963709/japanese-village-jesus-dead-buried-shingo/
 

Clearly it was a slow news day in the Sun newsroom, and whilst I was initially annoyed to find they hadn't done the best of jobs crediting my video or linking it to Youtube, nevertheless, at least I can say Abroad in Japan got featured in “The Sun”. 

- What more could one possibly hope for on a Tuesday afternoon.

Chris

 

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Comments

Anonymous

Do you have any recommendations for finding good Ryoukans? If get the feeling that websites like booking.com are always a little pricy.

Rein It In Matt and Rachel - Podcast

Fortunately you've covered some of this indirectly on the podcast and in previous videos because my wife and I leave for Japan in a week and probably won't be able to benefit from this new one in time. :) I really appreciated your suggestions in the podcast to book early! We've had most of our places lined up for a few months now. Thank you for the hours and hours of videos and podcasts, they've been super helpful in giving us ideas and direction on itinerary. We've even decided to do a bit of an informal podcast while we're traveling. :) (Also Happy Birthday, Pete! (If you are reading this.))

Anonymous

Any recommendations on places to stay if traveling solo through northern Honshu (Sendai, Aomori, Niigata etc) to make the most out of the cities and their surrounding areas? Ryokans, capsules, Airbnb ?

Dr Dia

I second Leon Fdkr's question and will add is there an easy way to find accommodations that aren't the Western Style hotels but have a bit more space in their rooms?

Rein It In Matt and Rachel - Podcast
>>22244888

I'm sure Chris will have better suggestions and we'll see in a few weeks if had some luck, but we used booking.com to find places that had potential, then went to their sites directly and either used their English language site or in line google translate to book direct. To be honest most of the prices seemed to be pretty similar (Ryokan are just expensive), but we could usually get a slightly upgraded or more customized package for about the same cost, plus we could better see what exactly we were getting and choose specific rooms.

Eels

I don’t know how much you are into the concept of staying overnight in a bookshop, but I’ve been really curious about the Book and Bed chain of ”accommodation bookshops.” They have three different locations in Tokyo. Perhaps someone here has stayed in one of them? <a href="http://bookandbedtokyo.com/en/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://bookandbedtokyo.com/en/</a>

Anonymous

I'm sure I'm overthinking it and it wouldn't be an issue, but my husband and I are planning on visiting Japan (hopefully soon) and I've wondered if we should expect any issues as two dudes sharing one room/bed? Friends sharing a room is probably commonplace, so I'm sure no one will care, but I have little to no clue on what LGBT life in Japan is like as a native or a visitor. What about in smaller towns or rural areas?

Anonymous

Do you think you could/would eve do a video on the Lost in Translation hotel? I'd love to see more of the inside of it.

Anonymous

For people traveling to Japan for the first time what do you think are the best accommodations to make(ie. Hotel, Airbnb, or Ryokan)? I want to plan a trip for my wife and I to the north of Japan for sightseeing and visiting onsens. Thanks Chris! I always enjoy your content which is why I'm a patron now keep up the great work!

Sian Smith

With all the new restrictions imposed on airbnb and the similar places, how has that changed this kind of accommodation. Especially given Japan is in the run up to hoards of Olympics tourists?

Anonymous

Hey Chris, Mitch from Montana here. So we popped into Tokyo last summer and had a great time. The hotel I booked had great reviews but the room was so small! It looked much larger in the pictures and once I was in the room could not help but wonder how the hell they got the angles they did. I hated the room but the staff was so cool I could not bring myself to leave a bad review. Anyway, for those here, don’t stay at The B Ochanomizu, super small rooms, great staff though. You mention room size differences in your initial post, are these room typically super small but the advertisements try to make it look much bigger?

Anonymous

Not entirely an accommodation question, but: are there places to store luggage between check-out and check-in? That time between checking out of one place, while it's still too early to check in to the next is perfect for exploring, but having to lug luggage around would be a pain, as well as taking up unnecessary space on transit. (Though, it is Japan, you could probably leave your suitcase in the middle of a park all day and no one would bother it). Would you recommend staying at one place the whole time while visiting Japan (particularly if it's your first time), or moving around to different places or different styles of accommodations?

Anonymous

With regard to capsule hotels, do they offer accommodations for couples? I think it'd be good to save money on a hotel and spend the extra exploring the local area but i believe in your previous capsule hotel video, it looks as though men and women are separated. Is this the case for most/all capsule hotels. Capsule. Capsule. Hate the word capsule.

Jess Noack

Hi Chris, couple of questions. Firstly, how much importance do you put on getting accomodation close to main train stations? I’ve had a mixed experience in the past- in your opinion is it better to get somewhere a bit nicer further away and explore a different area or play it safe by keeping close to a station? Secondly- smoking rooms- are they that bad? I’m not a smoker but for a trip to Tohoku later this year I’ve had to book a smoking room due to availability. I’m sure it will be fine but keen to hear what you think. Any tips for finding accomodation for a male and a female travelling together but not as a couple? My friend and I have booked twin rooms but have noticed some are “women only”- do you think we will have issues with this? Thanks, and have a good one.

Simon Dixon

What do you think the handiest train station to stay near is that isn't right in the middle of everything (ie Shibuya, Tokyo Station etc)

Anonymous

Really looking forward to this vlog. As we are JUST about to start booking hotels for our honeymoon in November. It being our honeymoon, we're obviously willing to shell out more than normal. Having a comfortable "home base" is my number one priority. Couple curiosities: 1. Is there a reason to go with any one thing over the other (aside from cost)? (AirBnB vs Hostel vs Business Hotel vs Hotel vs Ryokan) 2. Do you find it's better to book directly with hotel/ryokan whenever possible or is there a website that you use/recommend to foreigners? (I see a lot of people using booking.com and forgive me for being a bit of a design snob, but that website is ugly as sin and very hard to use.) 3. How do you feel about luggage forwarding services (in relation to your accommodations)? Lot's of other commenters covered everything else already, go team!

Anonymous

Hey Chris! This autumn I'm heading to a small city in Niigata prefecture to study at a local university, but I'd love to also do some short trips around Japan during my 7-month stay, mostly solo. What are your thoughts on couchsurfing in Japan? I do speak a bit of japanese, so I though this might be a fine opportunity to meet new people and also get a cheap accomodation. Thanks a lot for any advice!

Mathew Percival

Hi Chris, as a wheelchair user what are entrances like into hotels, ryokan, airbnb places etc like. I'm hoping to go to Japan later this year and would really appreciate if you could help me out with this.

abroadinjapan
>>22668287

Hi Mathew, I thought I'd answer this question here quickly as I've already recorded the video; generally I've found Japan is one of the better countries for wheelchair accessibility. Most stations/hotels are accessible by wheelchairs, and have disabled toilets - the one place that doesn't would be smaller restaurants and Izakayas as many are in tiny basements that are difficult enough to get in on foot down the cramped stairs, let alone a wheelchair. So I think travelling on public transport won't be an issue, nor accommodation, just potentially dining out. There's a great website that you might find useful though: https://www.accessible-japan.com/ I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions

Matthew
>>22247263

Hi Eels, Just watched the Patreon vlog in which Chris answers your question, so sorry this is late. Another YouTuber has stayed at one, check out his video here, if you wish: https://youtu.be/rCGlWwv3Rr0