takeaway7

I arrive in Japan mid May 2014 for a two-week trip. I'll be staying the first night at a Narita hotel (after 13 hour flight), then I want to travel north, visiting a number of cities. I hope to make it all the way to Sapporo. I will have Japan rail pass. I would prefer to be somewhat spontaneous and do not have hotel reservations except for the first night. I'd like to just arrive in a city and walk around to look for hotels with vacancies.

Do you think this plan is wise or foolish? Would it be smarter to have the trip fully booked with hotel reservations?

Thank you for any suggestions!

mrwunrfl

Tohoku, Hokkaido, mid-May. You could do that. It pretty much means that you will be staying at business hotels next to the JR stations. Show some discomfort or surprise at the quoted rate and/or ask for a discount and you might get one.

Better would be to use a travel agent at a JR station. Do this at you departure station, especially if you plan to go to a small town. Best to do it a day or two or three in advance.

Language is a low hurdle, not a barrier, for a transaction like this with an agent.

mrwunrfl

It is possible to use an agent to book a room for the night on arrival in a city like Sendai.

takeaway7

Thanks mrwunrfl: I didn't realize there were travel agents at JR stations to help with hotels and that will be helpful.

kalihiwai2

I don't think it would be foolish to do a trip without reservations depending on your style of travel. In my case I considered "winging it" and then decided against.
I thought of saving the amount of time spent finding a place on the day of arrival/departure as opposed to making an itinerary of the cities/towns to be visited and using a internet reservation service (in my case booking.com) with flexible cancellation options accessible by smartphone made more sense.
Another point is as mrwunrfl pointed out you will most likely be using business hotels close to the station. Even here there can be a difference, staying at a Dormy or Toyoko Inn with an onsen or nice free breakfast as opposed to a brand x on the "wrong" side of the station two blocks down. Being able to chose a location closer to the sights you want to see in a town can save you time as well.
Also having reservations in advance gives you the opportunity to send baggage ahead while you travel light for two days to a onsen or hiking location.
I suppose its all up to your style of travel , it could be fun to trust to serendipity and maybe find nicer undiscovered places. I found it easier to research online and pre book the higher rated (and not necessarily higher priced) hotels and ryokans, knowing I could change with 24/48 notice.
Have Fun
places using various

mrwunrfl

So what is your plan? Ideas? Winging it for lodging is ok, but you do need something of a plan. "Somewhat spontaneous" is ok, but I suggest that you firm it up to make it something more like a plan with open options. Hoping won't get you to Sapporo, if that is where you want to go.

lcuy

I would suggest that you fly directly to Sapporo , then work your way back to Tokyo. Eliminates the need to cover the same route by train in both directions, and you don't have to worry about rationing your time as carefully, as you'll only be heading "back" to Tokyo. You might even be able to get by with a one week rail pass depending on how many days you'll be in the Sapporo and Tokyo areas.

I actually did this exact trip many years ago. It was the first time my husband would be "winging it"' and we were traveling with an infant. I had reservations for an inn near Sapporo , but used the tourist info centers (usually across from the train stations) to book hotels each evening as we travelled south. It was a wonderful trip and we loved just getting on or off the train whenever we felt like it.
We've done this many times since then with equal success. I only make reservations when I have a specific place that I don't want to miss, or if we are traveling in a busy season.

takeaway7

These are all great suggestions. I've decided on a modified spontaneous plan with some reservations and will be giving Toyoko Inn a try. They appear to be ubiquitous and very close to JR stations. Thanks!

Mara

And you can usually cancel a Toyoko Inn reservation up to 4 pm of the day of arrival...so you can change your mind easily....

I haven't gone up in that direction but I have stayed in many of them...and have been very satisfied.

mrwunrfl

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3601.html

hawaiiantraveler

You ask about the wise way to travel. That would be to have a definite plan and reservations ahead of time.

It is not foolish to have no reservations and as others mention above it is very easy to book hotels once you arrive in a town. But you are a first time visitor to Japan. There is a learning curve there and you would be thrust right up against the edge with no reservations and no direction. Japan can be done spontaneously no doubt but for a first timer reservations and a definite plan would help immensely.

I like Lcuy's plan of starting from Sapporo and making your way to Tokyo....makes more sense and you won't have to backtrack wasting valuable time.

Aloha!