Where to Stay

What a night in a Japanese capsule hotel is actually like: prices, luggage rules, women-only floors, and who should (and shouldn’t) book one in 2026.

Skip the flight to a hot spring town — these ryokan near Tokyo with private onsen rooms are 40 minutes to 2 hours away by train.

Where should you stay in Osaka? A Japan-based guide to Namba, Umeda, Shin-Osaka, Tennoji and the Bay Area — plus the 2026 accommodation tax change — for first-time visitors.

Hotel or ryokan in Japan? A Japan-based guide to what each one actually costs in 2026, how ryokan meals and check-in times work, and how to combine both on one trip.

Where should you stay in Kyoto? A Japan-based guide to the best areas — Kyoto Station, Gion/Higashiyama, Downtown and Arashiyama — plus ryokan tips, for first-timers in 2026.

A Japan-based guide to the best areas to stay in Tokyo for first-time visitors in 2026 — Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo Station, Asakusa and Ginza compared, with who each suits.