Accommodation

Western style hotels
The standard category is similar to tourist class hotels (3 stars), where we put the location as the highest priority, so you have the best options for sightseeing. Expect rooms to be small but clean and functional. All rooms have a private bathroom, Wi-Fi, empty refrigerator, water boiler, hairdryer and air conditioner. Simple English is spoken at the reception. Facilities include a breakfast area but generally do not include any onsite shops, gyms, wellness, bars, or restaurants.

Japanese ryokan
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. Rooms are fitted with Japanese tatami mats, and you sleep on the floor on a futon mattress. Rooms are equipped with a toilet, while the bath is the facility's hot-spring baths (both indoor and outdoor). Dinner and breakfast are often included, where dinner is kaiseki, a traditional Japanese tasting menu with local ingredients and specialities.

Japanese minshuku
A minshuku is an authentic experience and is a small family run bed and breakfast in Japan, often located in small villages in the countryside. Expect simple accommodation (2-star) with basic facilities. Rooms are fitted with traditional tatami mats, and you need to make your own bed.

Single, twin, double, triple, family or any other specific needs. We will do our utmost to deliver according to your needs.

It is possible to comply with specific hotel requests based on availability.

Western style hotels
The superior category is a more upgraded experience (4 star) with more centrally located hotels. Expect bigger rooms. These hotels generally offer more onsite facilities such as shops, restaurants and bars. Some also have a gym and pool facilities which usually incur an additional charge.

Japanese ryokan
With a superior room, you get a more luxurious room, always with private bathrooms and some even equipped with private hot springs. In some Japanese style ryokans, you can rent your own hot-spring bath for private bathing too (chargeable).

It is not an option to share rooms with other participants not stated on the invoice before departure.

Check-in at accommodations in Japan is usually in the afternoon at 15:00 and early check-in is often not possible. Local rejections may occur.

We always strive to offer the best possible locations. However, it will always vary based on several variables. The location of all products will be clarified before payment of the deposit.

Check-out time at accommodations in Japan is usually in the morning at 10:00, and late check-out is often not possible. Local rejections may occur.

The vast majority of forms of accommodation in Japan have air conditioning or a temperate indoor climate. There may be specific exceptions.

Food and drink are generally not included in the trip's price unless otherwise stated in your travel documents, including confirmation and itinerary. 

At most city hotels, you have the option of purchasing catering for direct payment to the hotel. We do not automatically include this because there can be great variation in the selection of food depending on the place. 

Therefore, we recommend that you either only buy the food after you have seen what it looks like or, as we recommend in the larger cities, that you go for a walk in the local area to try some of the different cafes and restaurants.

However, in smaller towns where there are not many dining options and at many temples, ryokans and minshukus, we have often booked the stay with either breakfast or half board (breakfast and dinner). This also applies to the places where we think the catering is in such a traditional form that it is something we want our guests to try. Be aware that these are fixed menus that often cannot be customized or changed.

Many hotels now have internet, and often there is free Wi-Fi in the lobby. Most of the time, the internet is free, but some hotels charge for it. At the ryokan and minshuku (traditional hotels), there is usually no or limited internet. Kyoto city offers free internet at various tourist spots in the city, and more and more cafes throughout Japan provide free Wi-Fi, like Starbucks.