Where to Stay– category –

Can you stay at Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto? Not on your own: the guest house takes guests only on scheduled retreats. Autumn 2026 dates, what the overnight retreat includes, the Kissako Zen and tea session, cancellation and dress rules. From the temple's official pages.

BOOK AND BED TOKYO lets you sleep in a bed built into bookshelves. The official site lists two locations, Shinjuku and Shinsaibashi (Osaka). Guests must be 3 or older, the booker 18 or older; check-in is 16:00, and a booking may be canceled if you have not arrived by 8:00 pm. From the official pages.

Hotel Okura Kobe in Meriken Park, before you book: the pool is paid even for guests (3,300 yen with sauna, 5,500 yen with the gym), tattoos and printed tattoos are refused, children 12 and under share a bed free, cancellation is 20 percent the day before and 80 percent on the day, and parking is 1,500 yen a night. From the official pages and terms of stay.

Can you leave luggage at a hotel in Japan before check-in or after checkout? We read the official rules of 34 hotels and chains. 25 hold bags after checkout and 2 refuse; 9 set a same-day deadline, 2 charge for longer storage, and 10 refuse cash-on-delivery or want prepaid parcels.

La Vista Hakodate Bay, before you book: check-in 15:00 and checkout 11:00, late checkout at 2,200 yen per room per hour until 14:00, a rooftop onsen that asks guests with tattoos not to use it, breakfast for hotel guests only, free late-night noodles, and parking at 1,000 yen a night. From the official pages.

Ibusuki Hakusuikan is a 196-room onsen hotel in Ibusuki, Kagoshima, with an indoor sand bath. Sand bathing costs 1,540 yen for adults and cannot be booked; the front desk closes at 10 pm; meals are in dining rooms only; vegan and halal meals are not offered. From the official pages.

Ryokan Sanga is a forest ryokan about 5 minutes by car from Kurokawa Onsen, with seven baths from two of its own springs. The outdoor baths have no washing area, the three private baths are free but cannot be booked ahead, and the booking pages list check-in from 15:00 to 17:00. From the official pages.

How much is hotel breakfast in Japan? We checked 61 hotels on their own official pages. The median paid breakfast is 2,750 yen for an adult guest, from 500 yen to 6,800 yen. Three hotels raise prices on October 1, 2026, and child pricing starts at different ages.

HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO near Nijo Castle, before you book: a mixed Thermal Spring where everyone wears a swimsuit, tattoos that may need a rash guard or cover patch, a 100 percent cancellation fee from 3 p.m. the day before under the terms of stay, a 15 percent service charge with tips declined, no QR or e-money payments, and valet parking at 4,000 yen a night. From the official pages and terms.

Aman Kyoto in Takagamine, before you book: no gym or pool, a single-sex hot spring bathed without clothing from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. by reservation, seven inclusions on every stay, age rules that change by facility, and what the official site does not say about check-in, cancellation and tattoos. From the official pages and menus.

Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport, before you book: about 5 minutes on foot from Terminal 1 (the 2F entrance is reached only through the North Wing), a free connecting bus from Terminal 2, check-in 15:00 and checkout 11:00, an 8 p.m. no-show cutoff unless you give an arrival time, and cancellation fees from 7 days out. From the official pages.

Can under-18s stay at a hotel in Japan without a parent? We read the official rules of 29 hotels and chains. Seventeen say under 18, ten say only minors, none says under 20. Four refuse or set 18 as the check-in age; sixteen have a consent form to download, four in English.