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Basis for J-Hopping

Staying

Japanese style inn

Ryokan

Traditional Japanese style guestrooms with tatami mats and futon bedding. Normally they serve dinner and breakfast. The rate is usually from around 8000 yen par person including 2 meals. If you take only breakfast, it would be around 5000 yen (This is kind of the cheapest ryokan)

Minshuku

Smaller version of ryokan. Normally a minshuku is run by a family and you can feel a homey atmosphere. The rate is almost the same as the cheapest type of ryokan (around 7000 yen with two meals).

Shukubo

Japanese style accommodation run by temples. The differences from ryokan /minshuku are:
-Meals of shukubo are vegetarian food
-In some shukubos, you can experience zazen (meditation) or morning work.
Popular places for shukubo are Koyasan (Wakayama Pref.) and Kyoto. The rate varies by temples.

Koyasan shukubo
http://www.shukubo.jp/eng/index.html

Shukubo list of Japan (Japanese only)
http://syukubo.com/spot/01syukubo.html

Budget places with dormitories

Backpackers hostel

Budget places to stay, which have at least one dormitory. Features and atmosphere vary between hostels. J-Hoppers hostels are categorized here. Most backpackers hostel are concentrated in Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa. The number of backpackers hostels in Japan is increasing these days and you may be able to find something even in small cities. Please see our link for the list.

Youth hostel

Hostels that belong to International Youth Hostel Association. There are around 300 Youth Hostels in Japan. Youth hostels are also good for your budget stay. The rates are normally 2500-3500 yen for a dorm bed. You have to acknowledge that many youth hostels charge additional 1000 yen if you don't have a International YHA card. Some Youth Hostels are located in inconvenient area. Also, All Youth hostels in Japan has the curfew and the lock-out time between checkout time and check-in time, which are sometimes subject of complain by backpackers.
http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/index.html (Japan Youth Hostels, Inc.)

Guesthouse

In Japan, the definition of "guesthouse" is hazy. It is sometimes the same meaning as "backpackers hostel". However, some of monthly share-houses are named "XXX Guesthouse", too. To make the things more confusing, some of the monthly guesthouses accommodate overnight guests without the license. So you'd better check out if the "XXX Guesthouse" is a right place when you make a reservation.

Toho-yado

Toho-yado is a generic name of accommodations that belong
to Toho Network http://www.toho.net/english.html.
The style is something like between backpackers hostels and Minshuku.
Most Toho-yados are family-owned accommodation and they serve breakfast (some serve dinner, too). Most of their guest rooms are dormitories. The average rate is around 5000-7000 yen with two meals, which is quite cheap. Many Toho-yados concentrate in Hokkaido. If you plan to travel Hokkaido, please consider this as an option. You might have some difficulties to communicate in English with some Toho-yados, so please ask some help to a native Japanese when you make a booking.

Riders house

Extremely cheap places mainly for motorcyclists. You may need your own sleeping bag. The price range is 0-1500 yen per night. Many of them are underperforming (it is almost volunteerism). As well as Toho-yados, many riders houses are in Hokkaido. It would be ideal for budget cyclists travelling in Hokkaido or throughout Japan.

Emergent sleeping

It is possible you fall into a "lodging refugee" if the day you intend to stay is a weekend or a special day like a fesitival. In case all hostels or hotels are are full, we will tell you a last resort.
Just for your information, we have a listing for a budget places to stay on our link page.

Internet Cafe

There are some internet cafes in big cities. Most internet cafes are open for 24 hours. Many of them have a semi private box and a comfortable reclining seat is installed.
Free vending machine for soft drinks are in the floor and most cafes have thousands of manga comics. Moreover, some have shower facilities. The fee structures depend on the cafes but many of them have a overnight fixed fee for around 1000 yen to 2000 yen. Normally the fee is applied from midnight till 6am or so. If you fail in finding a proper place, please go to the downtown of the city and look for a internet cafe.

Net Cafe Navigation (Japanese)
http://www.cafeman.jp/
Itasan's page
http://www.itagaki.net/pc/ic/

Karaoke Box

A karaoke boxes is a small private room to enjoy Karaoke.
They have some sizes of rooms to number of guests
As well as internet cafes, Karaoke boxes can be seen almost every city and many of them have a overnight fixed fee plan, too. The price range is also similar to that of internet cafes. The fee is usually a little higher on weekends. The room is relatively quiet cause each room is made of soundproof construction. You can have a nap or you can shout and shout through the night according to its intended use.

Sauna

In some big cities, there are some sauna building. The facility is some kinds of souna, Japanese style bath with shower and
one or some rest rooms. Usually some temporary sleeping gears are installed in those rest rooms and you can take a nap as if you were in a dormitory room of a hostel, though your roommates would be exhausted office workers instead of backpackers. Normally the overnight price is around 3000 to 4000 yen per person.

Love Hotel

If you a a couple, Staying in a love hotel must be a wonderful experience.
A ｌarge sized double bed spacious bathroom, luxurious interior and many kind of amenities.
They have two type of use. One is use-by-the-hour and the other is overnight stay. Rates are dependent on the facilities but I could say 2000-4000 yen per hour and from 8000 yen or so for a overnight stay. Normally overnight stay service starts sometime between 22:00 to 24:00. So you have to be careful. For example, if you check in at 7pm, you will be charged by hour till 22:00 and have to pay the overnight fee in addition. It would cost you quite much. So when you stay a love hotel, please make sure if it is already overnight-stay time or not.

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