Accommodations Starter Guide

Choice of accommodations in Japan typically includes: Rider House, Couchsurfing, Homestay, Capsule Hotels, Hostel, Minpaku(like Airbnb), Long Stay Hotels, Minshuku, Business Hotel, Western Hotel, Ryokan, Lodge, Ski Resort, Onsen Resort, and Monthly Rental.

For the ultimate in frivolity, Couchsurfing and some Rider Houses are free (not all, some Rider Houses are more like hostels, and are similarly priced).  The free Rider Houses can be as simple as a container unit or panel-built shack with a door, some windows, and some clean-ish mats on a concrete floor where people bring in their own sleeping bag, similar to the huts along the Mt. Fuji climb.

Homestay can sometimes cost money or have setup or membership fees.

Hostels are usually fairly cheap, but you do have to watch out for valuables or expensive camera equipment, and some hostels can be quite expensive during peak season.

Airbnb(and similar sites like VRBO and HomeAway) and Long Stay Hotels can be cheaper in the long run (MyStays hotel chain has a selection of Resi-Stay serviced apartments that are comparatively cheap) but many choose Airbnb for other reasons such as private kitchens for dietary restrictions.

Minshukus (sometimes called Pensions, in the West they’re called Bed & Breakfast) are a cheaper alternative to Ryokans and Onsen Resorts if you’re out in the boondocks and want the Japanese experience.

Business Hotels(alternatively called Cheap Hotel, Budget Hotel, ...) originally were catered to traveling businessmen, they’re like the Japanese version of Motels, but usually they’re quite clean, newer ones especially.  There are many chains such as Toyoko Inn, Dormy Inn, or MyStays and in general make up the bulk of tourist accommodations.

Western Hotels I don’t normally recommend unless it’s really cheap due to being part of a flight+hotel package, otherwise they’re just like any other global chain hotel.  They're pricey, and this being Japan, many smaller, cheaper budget hotels can match the service quality, albeit the western beds(japanese mattresses tends to be on the hard side), room size, amenities, and concierge do give these luxury hotels some additional appeal.

Lodges aren’t that common, but there are some in more rural areas like Kanayama Lake in Hokkaido or Mt. Yatsugatake in Yamanashi, they usually come with kitchens, although it could be a shared kitchen.

Ski Resorts and Onsen Resorts are usually fairly high priced, but they often come as a packaged deal with meals included.  Typically there are 3 sizes of such resorts, big ones that tour groups tend to stay at, like Noboribetsu Onsen's Daiichi Takimotokan or Kinugawa Onsen's Kinugawa Kanko Hotel(Kanko means tourism).

There are other ways of staying in Japan, renting a Camper Van or Camping in legal campgrounds is one. Auto-camps are all over Japan from just a designated parking space on a grassy-field to rentable bungalows with full kitchens and bathroom facilities. If you’re traveling by rental car of any kind, there are Roadside Stations(called Michi-no-eki: 道の駅) or Service Areas on expressways which are similar to truckstops, but far cleaner and usually include a great mini-mall with local products. These are great to have some cheap food, brush teeth in the bathroom, and sleep in the car. On expressways there are also Parking Areas, and those are much smaller, with no mini-mall but maybe a vending machine for canned drinks.

WWOOF is a good way to get free food and a place to stay, all you need to do is a few hours volunteer work each day. Another interesting choice is if you can book a temple stay, here are some places that offer this http://templelodging.com/

For urban areas, if you really need to spend a few hours just to take a nap and don’t want to be outdoors(sleeping bag on the side of a convenience store), find a Net Cafe/Manga Cafe(called Manga Kissaten or Manga Kissa for short) or even a Love Hotel, but i really wouldn’t recommend staying at either for long. you won’t get a good night sleep in either place (because Japanese walls are thin), but it does mean you’ll have a place to shower (larger manga cafes often have coin-operated shower stalls). I know people are curious about Capsule Hotels(aka coffin hotels), it can be fun to try for a night, but I wouldn’t recommend it for sleeping more than a night since they do make you leave in the morning and re-checkin daily. (Here's a mostly English website for locating net cafe/manga kissa)

On Business Hotel chains, it doesn’t mean they’re always going to be cheap, but they’re common enough to be found in most cities or around major landmarks, and even some smaller towns. On average, they start from 2000yen per person (usually for a double or triple room, booking more than 30 days in advance) up to around 8000yen for a single room in busy areas like Akihabara or Nihonbashi. You do not want to walk in for a room in most budget hotels, their walk-in prices are usually listed much higher than prices available on booking websites.

One of the budget chains I recommend are the KKR hotel group, they’re subsidized by the government and cater mainly to Japanese public servants, so they’re usually very cheap. (KKR is short for Japanese 国家公務員共済組合連合会).