8 Best Hotels in Nagoya, Ise-Shima, and the Kii Peninsula, Japan

The Nagoya branch of this business hotel chain combines an excellent central location in Sakae (on Hisaya-odori) with good value rates. As with all decent business hotels, design-wise each room is simple and modern but very well kept, plus you get free Wi-Fi, and the free coffee in the lobby helps save a few hundred yen a day.

This mid-range business hotel chain's Nagoya outlet features all the usual Dormy touches aimed to please weary business travelers, including communal hot-spring baths, free late-night ramen, complimentary ice bars after bathing, and all-you-can-drink coffee in the lobby. The rooms are on the small side but smart and clean, and all come with Wi-Fi. The hotel is a few blocks east of Fushimi subway station and a short walk to Sakae. Breakfast is available for an additional fee.

Centrally located and affordably priced, this business hotel is a good alternative when you're looking to save a few yen. The rooms are small and simple but not wanting in any of the standard amenities. The restaurant serves decent Western- and Japanese-style breakfasts for ¥800, as well as a simple ¥380 coffee and toast "morning set." The hotel is a short walk from Fushimi subway station.

Almost a century old, this traditional inn has wood-decorated tatami rooms and narrow, squeaking corridors. The hosts are congenial and considerate, and for a small extra fee will prepare breakfast. Hoshide-kan is near the quaint Kawasaki area, five minutes north of Kintetsu Station or 10 minutes from JR Station. Follow the main street and it's on the right just before the second set of signals. If you want to explore the city on two wheels, the inn rents bicycles for ¥300 a day.

Situated one block north of JR Gifu Station, this conveniently located hotel comes with larger-than-average Western-style rooms. Request an upper floor room facing Gifu Park for an excellent outlook toward Gifu Castle and the Nagara River. 

On tiny Yokoyama Island, this small inn has painted its name in large letters on the red roof. Ishiyama-so is a two-minute boat ride from Kashikojima; phone the day before and your hosts will meet you at the quay. The inn isn't fancy, but it offers six well-maintained rooms overlooking the sea. You'll find tea sets and yukata (Japanese bathrobes) in both the Japanese- and Western-style rooms, and breakfast and dinner plans are available.

Two minutes from Nagoya Station, Nine Hours is a modern take on the capsule hotel, designed for short stays on a tight budget. Unlike capsule hotels of old, this isn't a dingy, last-resort after being too drunk to make the last train home. Design-wise it's got a hip, minimalist feel, with stark concrete and metallic gray common areas. Each of the clean yet basic "sleeping pods" is just 110cm wide, 110cm tall, and 220cm deep (about 3.5’ x 3.5’ x 6.5’ feet), but there's a top-floor lounge and first-floor café to relax in, as well as lockers for luggage storage and shared showers. There are separate male and female floors. There's a 5% discount with free Nine Hour membership.

Shingu isn't blessed with great accommodation, but this business hotel with fair-size Western- and Japanese-style rooms is a reasonable option if you're staying overnight. Among the facilities is a small izakaya that serves a range of seafood (including regional whale dishes, like many izakaya in Shingu) and filling ramen. It's a five-minute walk from the train station.