Where to Sleep in Tokyo

Accommodations vary greatly in the city of the rising sun. With many options to choose from it is clear to see that some accommodations are not for everyone, take capsule hotels or youth hostels for instance. Rates are generally high for normal hotels, however between $80 and $100 you can find very acceptable lodging.

Youth Hostels

The most affordable by far, Youth Hostels are easy on the wallet but what you gain in finance you loose in privacy and comfort, so either way you have to pay. For those who don't mind bunking with 3 or more other travelers Youth Hostels provides a terribly affordable lodging solution, at 2,500 - 3,500 yen per night. However it should be noted that there are curfews to follow typically at Youth Hostels, this may be unacceptable for some travelers. Bathrooms are of course shared. Read more...

Ryokan Hotels

The traditional Japanese inn, ryokans offer you an old world experience at a fraction of the price you spend at a modern day hotel (they cost around 4,000 – 6,000 yen). Granted, they don’t have the amenities and comforts that you would expect. For example you would most likely be sleeping on the floor, on a roll up futon. So its not for everyone. On the plus side however, they do provide you with a Yukata to borrow during your stay. Read more...

Capsule Hotels

A Japanese innovation, guests climb into boxes of 1m x 1m x 2m, which are stacked in pairs. Enough space to sit up and to lie down its not as claustrophobic as you might suspect. Rates float between 3,000 and 4,000 yen. With no room for luggage it doesn't provide the traveler much of an option. Unless of course you're willing to leave your items in a general storage area. There are public baths and bathrooms for guests. Read more...

Hotels

Hotels from $80 to $150 a night generally fall into this category. Alas you have a proper room with your own bathroom. Think of hotels in this range as similar to a 'Comfort Inn" or "Holiday Inn". Most are modern, clean, new and attractive. Especially the Tokyo Green Hotel, which is located off of Toei Mita Subway Station Suidobashi. Some serve a Western breakfast in the morning and most have English speaking staff, which is a boon to any traveler.

For our purposes we will consider any hotel with rates over $200 a night for a small room a Luxury Hotel. Keeping 'frugal' in mind throughout this website we don't pay too much attention to luxury hotels, however that doesn't mean that you shouldn't give them some attention (if of course you can afford it)

To put things into perspective, a night at the Ritz Carlton Tokyo would cost $700 US, and a night at the Tokyo Hyatt would cost $500 US. Not bad! Almost the cost of your roundtrip plane tickets!

And just as an aside, that same Hyatt room in Osaka would only cost $120 US.

Lodging/accommodations will be the bulk of your expense for your trip to Tokyo. There are many options available, some affordable and some expensive.

Whether its Capsule Hotels, Youth Hostels, Ryokan (traditional Japanese inns), or standard hotels, our guide will give you all the information you need in order to make an informed decision for where you should stay in Tokyo. Read more...