Lodging in Japan

Lodging

Japan is infamous for their capsule hotels (literally, just a bunk bed built into the wall of a train station that you rent to sleep in.) But as these cost ~3000 yen per night while some of the cheapest hotels are ~5000 yen per night, the capsule hotels actually aren't that cost effective. These are more meant for people to use as a last ditch option if they miss the final train of the night. The train services in Tokyo actually stop surprisingly early... most trains stop running around midnight! With that said, you might consider these options for lodging on your trip to Japan:

Ok, capsule hotels might be novel. But really, do they look comfortable?

Standard hotels: What you might expect to see in other large metropolitan areas of the world. The prices can vary wildy, from 5000 yen per night all the way up to 50,000 yen per night. The one thing to be aware of with hotel pricing in Japan is that they charge PER PERSON. That hotel room that looks like it's 5000 yen per night might actually be 10,000 yen per night if you're sharing it with someone else.

The Shinagawa Prince Hotel is my family's go-to when visiting Tokyo

Business hotels: These are no-frills hotels that basically just has enough room for a bed, for your luggage, and a bathroom. These are meant to be used by business travelers, so although they're not luxurious by any means, they tend to be conveniently situated near train stations. Some of them have free breakfast included with your stay. Expect to pay 5000~10,000 yen per night for these hotels.

A small, no-frills room is typical of a business hotel.
This room is at a Toyoko Inn, a big business hotel chain in Japan.

Weekly apartments: Especially in larger cities like Tokyo, you can find apartments for rent by the week. If you're planning on staying in 1 city for your entire stay, these might be an attractive alternative as these can be found for as little as 43,000 yen per week. Some of these have shared common areas, however, so they may be more similar to hostels.

Ryokan: A ryokan is a popular Japanese bed & breakfast type inn that usually also has a hot springs bath as well. The price of lodging at a ryokan includes either a buffet or multi-course dinner and breakfast. The food at these places tend to be rather extravagant and delicious. (All you can eat sushi, anyone?) But accordingly, they are super expensive. You should expect to pay at least 10,000 yen per person to stay at even the cheapest ryokan. A popular ryokan in a popular destination like Hakone might cost you more than 40,000 yen per person per night!

Hotel Shikisai - a ryokan in Nikko

The dinner at Hotel Nanmei - a ryokan in Atami

Love hotels: If you see these around, chances are, you've entered a seedy part of town. As the name implies, these hotels have themed rooms with a specific purpose in mind. These hotels post prices for both "resting" (renting a room for a few hours) or "staying the night", so they should be pretty easy to pick out. I'd avoid them, but I guess it might be an interesting cultural experience for others. 

Love hotels... they're pretty obvious.
You can't possibly go into a building like that and feign ignorance!