Cheap accommodation in Japan

The accommodation in Japan is very expensive, especially for a long travel. Business hotels are normally cheaper than other types of hotels but the lowest rates are around 9000 Japanese Yen in Tokyo areas. To many young travelers, Japan seems to be an unrealizable dream.

However, there are numbers of ways that young travelers or travelers with limited budgets can use to make their dream come true. I will talk about these ways based on my two-year experience in Japan

Home stay

Home stay is now very popular in Japan because Japanese people are very open-minded and they love to exchange cultures with foreigners. Japanese host families provide beds and sometimes Japanese foods. They are ready to show hosted guests around their cities and explain in details Japanese culture and traditions. Most host families can speak spoken English or perfect English. But it will be wonderful if travelers can speak some Japanese or are interested to learn Japanese.

There is a national club that groups all host families to receive foreigners: HIPPO club. Hippo club organize home stay programs, train host families to receive foreigners and cooperate foreign exchange programs. To ask for a home stay program, travelers should go to Hippo website, choose cities where they want to visit and write to host families in these cities. It is essential to provide the host families a detailed stay schedule so the host families can answer whether they are able to host or not.

Search by website

Rakuten is a website of almost all cheap hostels, youth hotels, holiday cottages, inns or individuals that have beds for rent. This website is written in English and easy to search. However, the information and photos provided by the website are not always real. Here is the link to this website:

Become a member of Japan Youth Hostels

This is a network of all youth hostels in Japan that gives discounts (up to ¥2000) to its members. To use its hostel network, foreign travelers have to buy a member cart by Internet or at offices their home countries. The benefits are that travelers can enjoy cheap accommodation with comfortable and cozy rooms in almost all regions in Japan. However, its youth hostels normally locate far city centers and room booking must be done well in advance.

Cheap hostels in Tokyo

There are numbers of cheap hostels in Tokyo. Here, “cheap” means that travelers stay in rooms shared by 6 or 8 persons in a dormitory. Each person has the room key and a small locker to keep luggage. There are normally a kitchen where travelers can cook their meals or make coffee or tea, a TV room and an internet room in such hostels. Travelers can use free internet or pay at a very cheap rates (¥500 per 10 minutes). Toilets and bathrooms are separated from rooms and shared by all users. Coin washing machines, coin copy machines and coin telephone-boxes are available. Travelers have to make their beds themselves.

If travelers go by group of more than 6 persons, it is a good solution to stay in Tokyo. For a short stay, it is also a good solution. Khaosan hostel near Sumida river (Asakusa) offers the cheapest rates in Japan: ¥1500 per person per night. Sakura hostel (in Asakura, near Asakusa shrine) offers the second cheapest rate at ¥2940 per person per night.

Remarks

- In Japan, hostel and hotel rates are counted per persons, not per rooms. It is prohibited to let other persons stay in a single room.

- There are always two styles of hostels and hotels: Japanese style and western style. Japanese style means that travelers sleep on “tatami mats” on floor. Western style means that travelers sleep in beds. Travelers should choose one style before booking rooms.