337 Best Hotels in Japan

Popular with tour groups, this is not a place where you will find a lot of alpine serenity, but if you are looking for a good, full-service option at a reasonable price point, you'll find it here. Perched on a bluff halfway up one side of the gorge, this hotel has the best views in the park. The hotel has sumptuous baths to take in all the nature. Rooms at the back overlook the parking lot, so those facing the gorge merit the higher prices. There is a free shuttle bus from JR Sapporo Station, four hours away. Dinner and breakfast are usually included in the room price.

One of Osaka's top luxury hotels, the St. Regis offers an oasis of comfort just a short walk from the lights and excitement of Shin-sai-bashi and Namba, and a short train ride from many of the city's major sights. The rooms strike a balance between modern chic and plush elegance, while the bright and airy 12th-floor lobby looks out over a rooftop Japanese garden. Service is impeccable as befits the St. Regis brand, going so far as to offer a full butler service that includes unpacking luggage, personal wake-up visit with coffee, and other guest requests.

Located where bustling Kokusai-dori gets quieter, this high-rise hotel's white-tiled lobby leads up to improbably spacious guest rooms done up in Western style. The location, within sight of Makishi monorail station, gives you great access to Kokusai-dori. It's often booked up by groups attending karate tournaments.

Smoothly blending modernity with traditional Japanese aesthetics, the Strings by InterContinental is one of Shinagawa's top-tier hotels, where the lobby features an artful mix of dark wood and stone—as well as a glass bridge that spans a pond—and where the rooms have high-quality linens, natural wood accents, and astounding city views (it can be mesmerizing to watch the trains pass efficiently through Shinagawa Station). Prices in the hotel restaurants tend to be high, but the Shinagawa area has dining options for every budget. Access is a breeze to the Kyoto- and Nagoya-bound shinkansen (bullet train) and direct trains to both Narita and Haneda Airport .

The original wooden structure of an industrialist's traditional estate was renovated into the river-view dining room of this gorgeous woodsy hotel, one of Kyoto's most upscale properties. The cuisine is nouvelle Japanese served French-style. As with the other facilities here, the restaurant's feel is old countryside resort but with modern hotel conveniences. The Suiran is along the Hozu River, one of Kyoto's main waterways.

This hotel is popular with budget-minded foreign visitors who prefer to stay near the small Japanese restaurants and bars of the Ningyocho area of Nihonbashi. A shallow rock pond and stone lantern welcome you inside, but that's where the graces end. The biggest twin rooms are long and narrow, and the bathrooms are tiny units with low ceilings. The best accommodations are the three tatami-floored rooms on the second floor overlooking a small Japanese garden. Multicourse Japanese meals are available at an extra cost in the restaurant, Kappo Sumisho, and the original Mitsukoshi Department Store is within walking distance.

This budget hotel chain has a welcome bar where you can make your own drinks until 8 pm, but you might not want to spend too much time in the small but functional rooms. Business travelers dominate on weekdays, but families fill the place on weekends. Many different kinds of pillows and a range of amenities are available at reception. Complimentary breakfast includes simple Western fare such as breads, eggs, sausages, and salads. The doors to the hotel lock at midnight, so you'll have to use the code to get into your room as the rooms have no keys. The code comes on a small receipt-size sheet of paper, so snap a photo of that in case you lose it.

This budget-friendly business hotel is cheap and cheerful; it's also in a convenient downtown location. The bathrooms are tiny, and for these prices you shouldn't expect stunning interior design. But you get a clean, functional space with a comfortable bed in central Kobe, halfway between the city's two main train stations.

Some rooms at this hillside hot-springs resort outside Kyoto proper have their own rotemburo (outdoor hot tub) overlooking a private garden, but gender-separated communal baths are available to all guests, and meals are included with your room. Though the building's facade is nondescript, the Japanese-style lobby's garden path–like approach and sliding paper door suggest Old Kyoto. Seasonal ingredients form the basis of kaiseki meals that can include crab, sukiyaki, and, in winter, wild boar. The scenic way to get here is aboard the Sagano Torokko train that leaves from Saga Torokko Station in Arashiyama.

A few minutes’ south of Matsumoto Station, near the Hotel Buena Vista, the Tabino added a smart budget option to Matsumoto when it opened in the summer of 2021. The Western-style rooms are simple and bright, with natural wood tones accented by greens and oranges, and there are also some Japanese-style rooms available. As well as the on-site hot-spring baths, guests get a free evening beer in the first-floor lounge, plus morning coffee in the lobby. All rooms have free Wi-Fi.

This small mountain resort is perched on the rim of the brilliant-blue Taisho Pond. The lobby, restaurant, and bath have large windows with excellent views of the breathtaking landscape. Opt for the spacious Western-style rooms, with their comfortable beds and soft, puffy quilts. The Japanese rooms are not as nice as those found in a ryokan. All rooms have a private bath, but there is a shared Japanese bath as well. Rooms at the back, without a view of the water, are about 10% cheaper.

This more-than-300-year-old Japanese inn has a sophisticated atmosphere and offers soft thermal waters, and in winter, the chance to see Zao's famous winter scenes with some of the "ice monsters" made by snow piling onto trees in frozen pillars sculpted by blizzards. In recent years, the ice monsters are struggling, but the landscapes are still striking. As you approach the inn at the top of a hill, you will be led to the low-beamed interior, which has changed little over centuries. Each room is different, but the most luxurious are the suites in the annex, recently refurbished and each with a private bath; ask about rooms with Japanese-type decor but Western-style beds.

A several-minute walk south of Takayama Station, the Ouan is a business hotel with ryokan touches. As with many ryokan, you take your shoes off in the lobby and spend your time indoors in socks or slippers. Also like a ryokan, there are top-floor hot-spring baths, including three private baths (with sweeping city views) that can be used on a first-come basis for free; a great option for families or anyone a bit shy of stripping off in public. As for the rooms, that's where the Ouan feels like a business hotel; they are small and simple but smart, and come with a tatami-like flooring, a work desk, and beds not futon.

Contemplate the Hell Valley while soaking in one of the 35 different baths at Takimotokan Hokkaido. This Japanese-style hotel is often busy with tour groups from Japan and overseas. The main draw is sitting in the sumptuous waters, where swimsuits are allowed in some of the outside baths. There's also a daily shuttle bus from Sapporo. Nonguests can bathe for ¥2,250.

Upon entering this cross between a luxury Western-style hotel and traditional inn, you'll remove your shoes and socks, sit at a counter bar with your tired feet resting in a hot-mineral-spring bath under the bar, and enjoy a tea or beer while checking in. There are Japanese rooms, Western rooms, and combinations of the two, with raised islands of tatami atop wood flooring; prices vary greatly depending on room type and meal (or no-meal) plans. There are two shared onsen baths, one outdoors and one indoors. Some rooms have private baths on terraces with wonderful views of the mountains.

Most of central Tokyo is readily accessible by train from this hotel beside the city's most popular sports facility (check the summer baseball schedule), where entertainments include a small amusement park and a hot-springs spa. Although rooms are a tad tired and awash in beige, they're reasonably sized and feature a sports motif. The 43rd-floor Artist's Cafe offers live music and overlooks the the "Big Egg," home of the Central League's Yomiuri Giants. Batter up!

There are more than 250 Toyoko Inn business hotels scattered around Japan, and this branch offers budget-minded travelers cramped but clean accommodations, reasonable rates, and a central location near Canal City. The hotel also provides a complimentary Japanese breakfast—onigiri (rice balls wrapped in seaweed), miso soup, and coffee. The hotel is one block west of the Haruyoshi Bridge along Kokutai-dori. Sign up for an international member's card to get discounts.

Just a short walk from JR Hiroshima Station, this functional Japanese business hotel is identical to the nearly 300 other hotels in the chain. Rooms are compact, but there's a free breakfast, and very reasonable rates. Staff are friendly, and the English website makes booking relatively simple. 

This no-frills business hotel has a great location next to the east exit of Sapporo Station. It has the same compact rooms and reasonable services as any of the other approximately 300 hotels in the Toyoko Inn chain. If you sign up for a Toyoko Inn members card, you'll be able to check in an hour earlier, get discounts, and be able to book rooms up to six months in advance. The free breakfast is served in the lobby from 6:30 to 9.

Inexpensive but functional accommodations, a complimentary Japanese breakfast—onigiri (rice balls wrapped in seaweed), miso soup, and coffee—and free Internet access in the lobby are among the pluses of a stay at this member of one of the country's largest hotel chains. To get here, take the streetcar to Karashima-cho. If this location is full, there are three Toyoko Inns in Kumamoto.

This reasonably priced hotel is one of Kurashiki's most popular, as it offers basic, reliably comfortable rooms at a great value. It's only minutes away from the train station's South Exit. Sign up for their member's card to get discounted rooms, and other advantages. 

Close to the laid-back cafés of Minami, the Toyoko Inn is a comfortable business hotel with rates that won't empty your wallet. All the amenities a budget traveler needs are here, including computers with free internet access in the foyer. The rates include a light breakfast of rice balls, miso soup, and coffee. The hotel is a 10-minute walk from the Shin-sai-bashi subway station.

Comfortable facilities and easy city access make for a pleasing stay at this budget chain hotel. Rooms are clean if not inspiring, and the hotel has Internet access and a coin laundry. Walking out of the train station, follow the big road that branches off diagonally to the left. There's another branch five minutes farther away from the station, if this one is full.

Just off Cat Street, which connects trendy Shibuya with equally trendy Harajuku (aka Omotesando), this boutique hotel has an open terrace, a lobby-lounge bar, and other common areas where guests have the opportunity to interact with locals and feel a part of Tokyo's creative scene. Each of Trunk's 15 rooms and suites has a unique layout, but all are on the artsy side; some feature an outdoor space. In addition, the hotel offers different experiences like area architecture tours.

At this hotel, modest, cost-conscious Western- and Japanese-style accommodations come with or without a private bath. Simple, cheap breakfasts and dinners are served in the dining room, but you needn't opt for these if you'd rather eat out. To get here, take the bus bound for Chuzenji from either railway station and get off at the Sogo Kaikan-mae bus stop. The inn is two minutes from the bus stop and within walking distance of Toshogu.

This small ryokan in the steamy village of Yudanaka has a hinoki (cypress) bathtub that's continually fed by the hot springs. The rooms are rustic and cozy and (for a small extra fee) come with either a Western or Japanese breakfast. You can try Japanese archery (kyudo) if the owner has free time. The optional dinners feature delicious mountain vegetables and local seafood. It's a seven-minute walk from Yudanaka Station, across the Yomase River and on the left.

Overlooking Sunset Beach, the Pacific Ocean, and the shopping district of Chatan's American Village, the Vessel Hotel Campana Okinawa has the perfect location for those who wish to explore Chatan. The pink and orange exterior with palm trees is more Miami than mainland Japan, but the colorful lighthearted feel fits well with the area's cosmopolitan vibe. There's an open-air public bath where you can relax and enjoy the setting sun; however, as this is central Okinawa, and near the Kadena Air Base, your sunset relaxation may be noisier than expected.

At the foot of the Philosopher's Path and near the temple and shrine-filled Okazaki area, the renovated Westin Miyako is only minutes from major attractions. Separate cottages with Japanese-style rooms are available, and the views from the restaurants take on a magical quality at night when city lights are twinkling. For several decades this was the queen of Kyoto's hotels and the top choice of visiting celebrities, but newer high-end properties have eclipsed it.

Located in the valley between the two main ski areas, the Westin Rusutsu Resort has spacious bi-level suites with views out to slopes and the fairways. Dining is in the modern, sparse, light-filled atrium lounge. Access to the main resort area, where ski lifts and slopes can be found, is by a rather slow monorail, which can be inconvenient if you are intending to have meals or start ski lessons there.  In summer, golfers can enjoy the four 18-hole golf courses.