11 Best Hotels in The Japan Alps and the North Chubu Coast, Japan

Just south of Toyama Station, the DoubleTree is one of the smartest options in Toyama, with simple but contemporary interiors, plus nice extras like communal hot-spring baths, a bar, and a 24-hour fitness center. Rooms range from twins (also for single occupancy) to spacious suites suitable for families. To get the free Wi-Fi, sign up for a free Hilton Honors membership; otherwise it's ¥1,100 a day.

One step up from a standard Japanese business hotel, the Buena Vista has a glowing marble lobby and facilities that include a coffeehouse, café-bar, and three restaurants. Single rooms snugly accommodate a small double bed, while standard doubles and twins have space for a table and chairs. The hotel is four blocks southeast of Matsumoto Station, and there's a free shuttle bus from the station.

This sleek hotel offers spotless, if cramped, rooms at reasonable rates. There's a comfortable lobby lounge, and from there you have direct access to the train station or the shops and restaurants of the CoCoLo shopping center. Breakfast, served in an adjacent eatery, is good value.

This 30-story hotel's exotic lobby is more reminiscent of Singapore than Japan, with tropical plants, cherry-oak slatted doors, and colonial-style furniture. A winding staircase curls around a bubbling pond in the middle of the lobby and leads to a brasserie called Garden House, which serves wonderful coffee and cake. The colorful top-floor lounge, Le Grand Chariot, has panoramic views over Kanazawa, cocktails, and soft piano music. Guest rooms begin at the 17th floor, and the Western-style ones are decorated with creamy pastels and blond-wood furnishings and have striking views of the sea, city, or mountains. An underground passageway connects the hotel to the JR Station.

Opened next to Kanazawa Station in 2020, the Hyatt Centric delivers stylish rooms and common areas, but with deliberately trimmed back facilities in an attempt to keep fees down. The rooms and suites are all spacious, combining natural tones and natural lighting with the occasional bold motif and modern amenities. There's a chic rooftop bar, plus a café and grill that serves a Western-style buffet breakfast. Unlike some of Kanazawa's older accommodations, the Centric also has an accessible room available. Next door you'll find another new property, Hyatt House, better geared toward longer stays and families.

This fresh, budget option from luxury hotel operator Hoshino Resorts opened in Katamachi in 2022, offering simple, Western-style rooms that are decorated with light woods and pastel accents. The common areas include a chilled-out cafe-lounge and library. Nice extra touches are the on-site cultural experiences, such as a confectionary workshop and a tea-tasting session. It's especially good value on weekdays, as the Saturday rate is (unusually) double other nights.

A coffee table and easy chair are squeezed into each compact Western-style room here, which is all you need if you're en route to other Alps destinations. The guest rooms are accented with wood paneling from Nagano forests, and all rooms have free Wi-Fi. The escalator across the street from JR Nagano Station leads to the reception area and tea lounge. There's another branch on the opposite side of the station, but this one is more convenient for catching the bus or walking up the road to Zenko-ji Temple.

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.

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.

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.

In a century-old geisha house in the Eastern Pleasure Quarter, Yogetsu is a small, stylish minshuku. The owner is a welcoming hostess and keeps a neat shared bath. The guest rooms are small and sparsely furnished, but rustic exposed beams add character. Only the second-floor rooms are air-conditioned. A traditional Japanese-style breakfast is included, but the owner is happy to adapt to Western tastes.