Watch Before You Book! ☆ Tips for Choosing the Best Hotel ★ Japan Travel Guide
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
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I would like a video of common scams, overpriced things, or sketchy situations that target tourists. I know Japan is pretty safe but as a solo female traveler I want to be aware.
A huge amount of scams involve touts from Nigeria and other African countries. They will try to lure you into bars/restaurants that are incredibly expensive. Prostitution is quite open in some areas. The workers may be Russian or non Japanese. Don't assume other foreigners are safe. Some of the worst scams I heard of when I lived in Tokyo were scummy expats stealing from tourists or new comers. Overall Japan is very safe. Avoid taxis because they are hugely expensive and public transit works well.
I've stayed in a number of business hotels in Japan, and the ones I stayed in did provide room service. However, there may be limited food options available, they generally can't accommodate for food allergies and they may only provide room service during certain hours. So as Martina said, It's a great idea to grab snacks and food outside the hotel and bring it back to your room (if you check in early enough to do that!).
That's great to know! I think business hotels like Apa are more like mid-range, even though they're called business. I enjoyed my stays at the APA Hotels but some of the smaller chains especially when you're in the countryside can be pretty basic. Good thing I like natto! Haha!
@@KingKogi when we went to Tokyo past March, we stayed at a higher end hotel with a good deal, but when we did wanted to extend our stay, we ended up at a business hotel that have a person who speaks Eastern European language. We liked the business hotel better. We loved all those vending machines all over hotels.
You are on vacation. Why do you need room service?
Not everyone travels for vacation. If you're working and only staying somewhere for a few days, unless you eat out with clients or colleagues (if you have the time), then room service may be one of your only options.
I've never ordered anything from room service, but always check what is offered, just in case I get sick and can't leave the hotel. @@brendanhunter389
One tip for Tokyo is to look at hotels in areas like Shinagawa or parts of Shinjuku where you have a lot of offices of global companies. Many of the hotels are a hybrid, catering to international business travellers with a dash of luxury at mid-range prices. Rooms on high floors with nice views, modern beds, and multi-lingual receptions are common. Cannot speak to room service, as I never used it, but all had a combini next door or attached directly to the hotel. Café and bakery density in the areas is pretty high too, so you can just take breakfast there.
This whole video is up my alley. Thank you so much for making all these travel advice videos
Yay!
i have to make a nonsense comment. so, around 2016-2017 i was studying english and watching Martina's videos on the old channel helped me SO MUCH, not only for her clear accent, but for the informal way and simple slangs all accompanied by subtitles in english. and now i'm basically improving a bit more my spanish and just discovered that there's spanish subtitles on the videos too?!!! i mean, this is so accessible! i think the subtitles are made by fans who go adding one by one on the videos. so i want to shout out to this awesome community here, THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!
This was a great comment, not a nonsense comment ☺️ thanks for sharing and I’ll pass this onto my mom who says I still speak too quickly haha 😂
I loved this! I would love a travel trip video on common Japanese phrases and costumer service style interactions and expectation to help people not from Japan be polite to the Japanese people they meet in shops and restaurants even if we don't speak Japanese.
Actually Business hotels seem awesome as a solo traveler, cheap, in the center of the city, with all the basic amenity! I personnaly only use my room to shower and sleep on vacation.
For some people, it's perfect right? That's why I don't want to say WHICH to book, but I just wanted to let people know all the things that might be unusual.
Thank you for informing us about it ❤❤❤
Business hotels are generally meant to cater to someone who only wants a place to keep a few things and sleep. That being said, they can be a great value if you want exactly that and want someplace fairly close to transportation such as trains or bus stations.
When I traveled back in November of last year, I was with my mom, my husband, and our then 3 year old. We stayed at a Mimaru hotel which was more like an apartment, but was budget friendly and allowed all of us to be in the same room for a good price. They were more "no frills" than a standard hotels; the housekeeping didn't come every day, there was no on site restaurant for meals, and the toiletries were just on a shelf at the main check in and you were responsible for grabbing what you needed. The plus side was it had a lot of space including a kitchenette that we used to make food. For some of the rooms we stayed at the rest of the trip, we ended up doing 2 rooms of two people because it was harder to find a quad capacity room. The Mimaru hotels were very nice and I would recommend them for people who are traveling with family or more than 3 people!
some people also have to be aware that business hotels usually have a shower time where showers are only open from around 4pm-9am or something like that. same with checkin time, checking can be ridiculously late like 5 or 6pm sometimes and checkout as early as 9. and, back to the shower situation, the shower might not be a private shower stall but a public bath where you have to bathe naked with other people ala mini onsen that would fit like 5-10 people.
double check tall of that. if you're not comfy being naked in a public bath, i mean, you can still shower without being naked, but you'll look strange and could get even more unwarranted attention in a place where you don't want it.
I love using business hotels when I travel to japan. Since I solo travel usually I don't like staying at capsule hotels (the other cheap option) cause most don't seem to have private bathrooms, and also i'm paranoid about my belongings.
The only thing I remember from my last trip was that if you are a light sleeper, definitely invest in buying earplugs cause the walls are usually thin, so soooo thin, and sometimes depending on positioning you'll either get a lot of street noise, or in an older business hotel building you can be put a few feet away from an elevator and end up hearing it all night!
Overall though, no matter where I've stayed in Japan, as long as I kept my expectations low it's never been too bad honestly, especially since I'm always just after a place to sleep and get clean and nothing more. Just as you said Martina, just doing a little research, compare reviews from fellow travellers and looking at photos can really tell you a lot!
My biggest hotel issue on my latest Japan trip is that prices are by person, not by room. We had issues where a hotel looked like it was in budget but pricing is listed as "per person" and is actually 2x the listed if you're a couple, or the pricing is "room cost divided by number of guests", so one of those theme park 3-single-beds rooms for $300/night will be listed as "100/person" but if you're just 2 people that isn't true. In one case we booked using a 3rd-party service where the room was advertised as a "Queen bed room" but on arrival the staff told us that was a max 1 person room despite the bed size and we'd have to upgrade to a "Deluxe queen." Mainstream US hotels are happy to sell you, say- a single queen-bed room for a fixed price no matter how many guests as long as it isn't over the max for that room type, and the max is usually a "if you bring two kids and another adult sleeps on a cot" type of max.
That actually also happens in the US and Europe as there tend to be single occupancy deals esp at places that have breakfast and even if there are 2 beds. Single occupancy rates are often in bright lights facing highways and they can be 1/2-2/3 the rate. It can also show up in searches esp in apps if you enter 1 person vrs 2 in separate searches. I heard about the occupancy issue in Japan when I was there 14 yrs ago though I didn’t come across it on my recent trip to major areas in the same way (there might’ve been a small difference to account for breakfast).
Another thing to be aware of is a double bed vs a semi double. In a regular double room you will most likely get a regular sized double bed. However in a smaller room, you might get a semi double which is narrower and can be uncomfortable for 2 adults. Also there's a difference between twin beds and a Hollywood twin with the latter being 2 twins pushed together.
Is a "double" what you'd call a full size in the US? I saw photos of them looking very much like a cross between twin size and full size....so each double bed can only fit 1 person? How do they fit couples then? How many different sizes of beds are there anyway? (Maybe easier to give approximate length and width instead?) Martina help!!!
@@wasawasabi1054 The best thing is to contact the hotel for the bed measurements. I'm used to a U.S. Queen bed and getting a semi-double was so cramped for the two of us. I ended up paying more for a room with twin beds. Major chains like Hilton have U.S.-sized twin, queen and king beds but business and boutique hotels may have different measurements because their rooms are smaller.
Martina I so enjoy your videos! Thank you so much for making them!!! You comfort me on my bad days. Its so nice to see someone else with EDS make content about their lives. Love you!!
I always get excited when Martina posts. Love you!
We ran into the smoking issue at a business-ish hotel in Kyoto. They were advertising online as having non-smoking rooms and non-smoking floors (and confirmed the same again at check-in). They had a lot of English-speaking staff and were a large hotel very much catering to tourists as well as business travelers. Early in the morning our room filled with so much smoke it was visible in the air as a bluish fog. We asked the front desk what was going on and if we could be moved to another room/floor because the smoke was enough to wake both of us from a dead sleep. That's when they finally told the truth- there were in fact no non-smoking rooms or floors in the entire hotel. It was essentially just a thing they said online to get tourists to book there. Ooooookay. Thankfully we were only there two nights.
That’s exactly why I don’t trust places in general that have any smoking rooms. They tend to lack enforcement though they can be harder to find in certain places of the world and unfortunately there isn’t always enforcement at officially fully non-smoking ones. :/ attitudes around smoke/smoking can vary quite a bit.
I've always booked my hotels in Japan via Booking and I was never disappointed. Capsule hotels are often very cheap and yet still clean and comfortable. Highly recommend if you travel by yourself 😊
Thanks so much for this Martina! The part about checking the pics to get an idea of whether its a business hotel or not was a new one for me, which I will definitely be using.
The smoking part is horrifying😮😅 Thank you for the heads up I have asthma, I would need to be constantly on ventoline 😂😂😂
The rooms are small with the business hotels but the chains do an excellent job with their beds. Extremely comfortable. The bath tub/shower combos are a bitch to get in and out of. Sotetso Fresa and APA are a couple of well done chain business hotels in great locations.
Hi Martina, I'm totally digging the King Kogi vibes! Thank you for creating such fun and informative content!
Would you ever do a video with helpful tips for those who want to visit Japan but have food allergies like gluten or dairy? Thanks so much! ✨
Your vids are always a wealth of knowledge.. I'm headed back in November and all of your efforts really help my planning.. Thanks!
Thanks so much for this resource, Martina! Hope you're staying safe during the typhooone ❤
I'm glad you're still making videos. I watched your videos before going on my first japan trip in 2017. Now that I'm going back again I'm glad I can still watch your new videos so I can plan my trip again. Sending love ❤️
Glad you found King Kogi! Hope you enjoy the other videos too, I think the Tokyo Tours (and Osaka and Kyoto) ones will be helpful for your upcoming adventures.
I've never had a bad hotel breakfast experience, even in the lower rated hotels the breakfast options and quality were superior than anything I've had in the US and elsewhere! I also felt lighter and did not feel like passing out during my outings around the city. Don't bother with the Western style breakfast -- Japanese grilled salmon, dashimaki egg, rice with raw egg, and miso soup is the way to go!
I personally have switched completely to Japanese breakfast at hotels, it’s so delicious and I feel way healthier eating fish for breakfast. However, I totally get that it’s not for everyone. When I first moved to Asia, it was really challenging to eat fish and spicy soup 😳
I believe you! I’ve had SOOO many bad experiences in the US at hotels and motels 😂 living in Dallas right now & there are some incredibly ghetto hotels here. I guarantee even the lowest rated in Japan is Better than here
There's something to be said for having the world's longest life expectancy! Making it count with better food options! 🍱🍜🥟🍮🍥🦑🦐🍚🍛
Thanks Martina! Perfect timing for me 😂. I've been searching so much for hotels, our trip is in November in Tokyo. I'm so worried about the rooms. The smoking room prices are tempting, but I don't want to deal with the smell for my family. Also it'll be my husband, myself and toddler. So the bed sizes will be interesting 😂 finding a room with 2 beds is becoming rare, maybe it's just me and my price range that's making it difficult to find. We might have to squeeze into a double bed. Anyways, great video!! Love your videos, always. ❤️
As a tip from a mom who lives here and travels with a kid. 😉You should go for hotels with futons. Would be much more comfortable and are less stressful, as you won’t have to worry about your child falling off a bed. Most hotels don’t have cribs but there are some that are child friendly. Hope you have a great time :)
I'm going to Japan in November too! If this is your first trip to Japan, and you do book a room with a single "double" bed, try to find actual measurements for the bed. A lot of times the double beds in Japanese hotels are sized somewhere between a US twin and US double mattress, so two adults would be pretty cozy (and if the toddler is also sleeping in that bed, forget about it, haha).
I just posted too, but I would suggest Mimaru brand hotels - they are more like apartments. We traveled last year with 3 adults and 1 3 year old and it gave us some more space and had multiple beds for a good price. If you don't need some of the amenities a standard hotel provides (breakfast, daily housekeeping, in room toiletries, etc) then they might be a good alternative!
@@rhiannon9673 Same but gonna start already at 30 October that I can see the Halloween Event, already nervous and excited
Amazing 👏 thank you so much Martina! Your videos are so helpful and makes me super hopeful for my future travels 😍
Crackingly informative content - hope this series continues. Go Martina - hello from London x
Martina would you do a video specifically on ryokans, how to find them, how to book them, and how to find ones with a private onsen? that world of traditional Japanese booking and the staying-there process is always so confusing and mysterious to me...
Yes, I’m going to do a video dedicated completely to Ryokans! I’ve made all the notes 📝
I am planning my trip and I tend to get soooo overwhelmed by everything related to transport and accommodation. I used to be good at these things as a solo traveler, but traveling with other people stresses me out beyond reason, so I'll take any recommendation and assistance provided. Thanks a million Martina ❤
Love love love these tips!
I love this! I am thinking of traveling to Japan with my mom at the end of this year and she has mobility limitations in her back and neck so I appreciated the insight about hard beds at business hotels 😂
This was very helpful! Thanks!
This is a really good thorough video - thank you!
Thank you for these great tips!
Thank you! I really needed a video
Like this!
Oh my goodness, I can't believe I stumbled across your page again. I used to watch your previous channel years ago. I'm finally traveling to Japan for the first time. Hope you're doing well. Thanks for the tips!
Well hello again! Glad you found me here at King Kogi 👑🐷 Hope this video helps out, there are also lots of helpful comments from members of the community sharing their experiences with hotels in Japan too, so make sure you check those out. Hope to see you around in the comment section of other videos.
This is great! I am just back from a 3 week trip to Japan (trying not to cry) and we stayed in 4 different Onyado Nono hotels across the trip, which is the posher Dormy Inn brand and I'd mega recommend them. The one in Kyoto was brilliant with a two floor bath area which I loved. One thing that was disappointing is that all but one of our hotels declined our request to book restaurants for us (even the fancy and incredible Hoshinoya Tokyo we stayed in) which was really different to when I last went 5 years ago. One of my favourite ryokans we stayed in this time was Yuyado Sakamoto towards the top end of the Noto Peninsula and very off the beaten path but basically I love any hotel with a bath.
Thanks so much for sharing all this info! 📝
Manifesting my travel dreams 🥰😌 awesome tips thank you so much!
I stayed at hotel villa Fontaine in Ueno on my first trip to Japan and where as yes it’s a business hotel small room with ridiculously hard bed, the breakfast offered was ok by me. It had a good mix of both Japanese and continental breakfast food at the time. This was in 2010 mind you, it may have changed. But it was so well located close to transit and had a lovely little market street where we would go to find all kinds of goodies and had a grocery store close by where when we were coming back late in the day they had discounted meals and onigiri which would satisfy any little hunger if any we had left for the day. Room was clean and was a surprisingly big bathroom which was nice. Staff were very friendly and managed to help us with some basic English and the little bit of Japanese I could speak. Now a days with Google translate though I doubt this would be a problem anywhere anymore. Didn’t smell any smoke but we were put on top floor in non smoking room which didn’t smell of cigaret which was nice. It had a pay for laundry room too with washer and dryer but don’t waste money on the dryer it dries absolutely nothing for the cost…. We washed and hung stuff up in our room which worked better. In the end we were mostly there to sleep and spent most of the day out and about and with the excellent transportation options was very easy to get around and quiet at night as hotel was tucked away in a somewhat residential area. We saved a lot on cost staying there and planned to stay there again on our second trip but it was full when we wanted it. We stayed at another villa Fontaine which was not as good and not as convent though and would not recommend that one…. Breakfast at that one was mostly sandwiches and on odd occasion an omelet. Good advice was given by Martina in this one which would have helped on our second trip had we known lol.
Which villa fontaine would you not recommend?
Sorry just saw would not recommend. It was the Shinjuku one. Was clean but food left much to be desired and where as it’s in Shinjuku it was louder and room was smaller and smelled a little like smoke. The Ueno one just had so many more pluses to it.
@@vanessabergamin1260 thanks so much for your response! ✨
Martina, just so you know, my parents and I love you and watch your videos. With that being said, GIRRRRRLLL YOU GOTTA BE A TRAVEL GUIDE!! Omg you should do kawaii tours around Tokyo and take people to Shinjuku etc.
I love the mini king kogi animation ! And lol at the jokes XD so cute . Thanks for sharing these helpful tips ~ it will be useful for the incoming tourists coming to Japan !
This is insanely helpful, thank you!!!
You're so welcome!
Lovely video for real-life travel and as informative as ever, Martina. Thank you!
I'd love it if you ever covered any of the following as well:
1. Underrated spots that are easy to get to for budget travelers
2. Some of your favourite cultural deep dive experiences and how accessible they are for non-Japanese speakers (eg. I'd love to see a yuzen dyeing workshop from the inside but feel it's unlikely to be widely available with English-speaking guides - is this your experience?)
3. The Portuguese influence on Japanese cuisine and culture from tempura to castella and back
Rooting for you as always x
So helpful!! My trip to Japan is far away but this is such helpful information!
My jaw hit the floor so hard it exploded when I saw that the Park Hyatt Kyoto was average of ~$3000 per night for the days I was looking at staying in April.
Unfortunately with the tourism boom, some hotels are insanely expensive now, like I’ve seen those rooms go for $300 - $600 a night but $3000!? But then again, the Park Hyatt Kyoto is an especially extra sought after hotel
Martina - this is very very helpful, planning for a trip to Japan early next year - hope everything works out. Thanks a lot for sharing!!! 👏
I'm working on some that have to do with Ryokans (Japanese onsen hotels) as well as transportation and travel advice in Japan! Hope it'll help you out.
That will be great, will definitely keep my eyes peeled for that!. Thanks Martina. Cheers!!!
Hi Martina, love the video! Would you be open to making one about the healthcare system in Japan? Or what to do if you manage to get sick while traveling there? I heard hospitals aren't open 24/7 (like they are in Canada) and that freaks me out! Thanks :)
I would definitely like to watch a "where do you go if you get sick/injured while vacationing in Japan" video. Like if you start feeling like you have the flu or COVID or something a week into a 3-week vacation. Do you just walk into any place that says 病院? In America I would point a tourist to an urgent care instead of a hospital if they had something that wasn't a broken bone or heart attack level emergency.
@@rhiannon9673 I did a bit of research because I was curious myself. It seems that an 医院 is where you go for stuff like the flu or COVID and a 病院 is where you go for stuff like a broken bone or heart attack.
Yes this is definitely a great video idea. Finding healthcare is unfortunately more difficult than the states...which is why they have really good (strong) off the counter stuff for common issues. Be sure to stock up on your favorites while you're there! Good luck fellow traveler!
So helpful - had no idea about business hotels - thanks for sharing! As for video ideas, would love a Kobe travel guide, rural Japan travel guide, and TRAVELLING JAPAN WITH KIDS :)
I am about to book hotels for an impromptu trip this March. This is super helpful!
Hey Marina, would you ever want to make a nature-lovers travel guide video?
I would love to take my partner to Japan but they don't enjoy cities or very touristy places. Maybe a weekend trip?
Thank you for the information
This is so informative, full of useful tips and hacks, love this content. ❤
What about places that cater for mobility-impaired travellers, so many ryokans and japanese houses have staircases that make Mount Everest look easy!
I went to Tokyo pre-pandemic. Stayed in Tokyu Stay in Yutenji and it was absolutely amazing. An average of 100 dollars a night, a washing machine, a microwave, a little fridge and one cooking plate. Got breakfast for the next morning from the nearby supermarket every night. Because they didn't offer breakfast (which is fine by me). About 10 minutes to Shibuya with public transport.
They didn't know a whole lot of English, but enough to book us a taxi and answer some simple questions. The only real downside I can think of is that things got a bit dusty with the once a week cleaning (we stayed for 4 weeks) that wasn't too thorough, and there was construction early in the morning on a building next door, but on holiday you don't sleep in too often anyway so it wasn't too bad.
I love the pee analogy, makes total sense 😆 we stayed in a hotel in Japan recently and thankfully it was nice enough for foreigners! Love your insights and videos, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and happiness 😍
'Right up my alley or up my street'. Some tourists like myself might be just fine with a simple room with bed and bath. Good points however about the beds, smoke, range of breakfasts, etc..
saved my life thx martina!
Very useful ❤
Some of the Tokyu Stays I think would be classified as mid-priced hotels. We just stayed at the Tokyu Stay Ginza last month and they had options for room sizes. We had a big room with a very comfy queen sized bed with four pillows, a combo washer/dryer and little kitchenette area all in the room. I will likely stay at one of these versions again next visit, but I did notice that some locations look like the basic business hotel like you described.
Oh that’s awesome, thanks for sharing this information. I think a business hotel can’t be written off based on being “a business hotel” but instead the price + style of room can bring it up to mid-class range. That sounds like such a cool stay!
i just know that one day i am finally able to visit japan. and i just know that you are my guide 100%!
you are my comfort channel
The last few times i went to Japan, I stayed in Hostels. But this video makes me want to try out a hotel! Thanks for the info! It was super helpful!
I use business hotels a lot in Japan, but I also backpack. So it’s much easier to go from place to place. Love it.
On my last solo trip in March, business hotels were perfect for me. Really liked the rooftop public bath and free nighttime ramen at Dormy Inn (Akihabara)! Made use of those almost every night.
my dad is retired now and enjoying it by going on trips in between visiting friends and family, so if japan ever makes his list i've got a go-to vid to share with him!
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best with business hotels. For me the customer service was not amazing and definitely was disappointed but I know now what to expect for price and lack of researching 🤓
Pay the extra buck for a hotel that will make your trip amazing! I stayed at a hotel near universal for family friendly and omg they went above and beyond for me. Was super sad to leave and extra sad when I got to the business hotel. Great tips Martina!
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Loved the video! Could you maybe do a Pt. 2 about hostels and capsule hotels? That would be great. 🙂❤️👍🏻
I'm going for my fifth Japan trip in September, and it's Business Hotels for me all the way - huge fan of Toyoko Inn - no room service or cleaning but that doesn't matter as I'm only staying like 3 days max in one location, free breakfast and most importantly, washing machines. Saves on luggage immensely if you can just wash everything mid-trip. Also dirt cheap for an actual room, I think for 3 weeks I'm at around ~55€ per night on average.The thing I'm more anxious about is the 2 Ryokan stays I had to book through a third-party website.
Thanks so much for sharing this! Great info for everyone.
Thanks for the good tip.
very good!!!
Love the vid, can you make one that explains how to plan a vacation to japan from the beginning? I want to go but dont know where to start and where to go when the plane lands
People need to watch all your videos! For real, you helped me plan my forst trip, it was amazing and i felt so comfortable there with all the guidance from you. We stayed at a WBF whoch was spacious and nice, and a few APA whoch were smaller but clean and well located bc it's all about location when youre walking everywhere lol. We always stocked the fridge from the conbini and always sent our luggage ahead, the desk always had a chart that showed when to send ot by to have it arrive by when we needed. Everyone was so helpful. ❤ Cant wait for our next trip ❤ Also we are going to grab pillows at Donki when we arrive bc they give you one pillow thats like sleeping on a folded tshirt 😅 and dont even ask for another, they are like um...what do you mean, there are no more 😅
Amazing Japan❤
These tips are very appreciated Martina. We're hoping to attend Star Wars Celebration next year in Tokyo and are doing research on how to get around and where to stay.
My wife and I stayed at a Citadines in Tokyo several years back and it was great! Nothing fancy but it was an apartment so we had a couch and table and space for luggage. Highly recommend!
Just saw Martina’s new channel today! I so miss this vibe ❤❤❤
Oh welcome, you have a whole bunch of videos to catch up on
smoking is a definite no-no and thanks for the tip that business hotels will have this kind of problem 👍
I stayed at the dormy inn while I was in Kyoto and loved it! It was small but just enough for me & 1 other person :)
That’s so great to hear, thanks for sharing your experience
I am planning my first trip to Japan in November. We are landing in Haneda and will spend the first three days in Tokyo. I booked one of the fancy business hotels next to shinagawa. We catch the train there to go to Osaka. I work for one of the big hotel chains so my choice was based on that as well because I know what that specific hotel brand offers. In Osaka and for the last leg back in Tokyo I booked a different type of hotel (more boutique). With more personality and that highlights the area the hotel is located in.
I always stayed in hostels in Japan and had a good experience overall!
Hey Marrtina! I love this segment so much. Can you do a video about staying at Onsens and Ryokans?
I love you martina!!
Great video topic, as I have mostly stayed in Airbnb's during past trips to Japan and Airbnb is slowly becoming not the thing to use anymore... it's been quite a transition for me to have to research hotels now instead. I had no idea about the swimming cap. Thanks for the tips!
I honestly think a hostel is a good option. Besides just the dorms, some offer private rooms with bathrooms. If you don't care and are just in a dorm, the people are going to be considerate and not be waking you at 6am banging about. I've stayed in hostels in 4 different countries and I never will again anywhere EXCEPT Japan. I found some do breakfast, most (all? Maybe all) have had laundry facilities, they have safes to lock up anything valuable (though, in regards to cash, I tend to have a currency card preloaded with a budget then just go to a conbini and withdraw in the morning). Also, it's Japan so no one is going to be bothered if you get a hostel then just don't speak to anyone. No one really cares (at least in my experience) if you just hang out in the dorm or the shared area (if you're an introvert, just buy some headphones) and to me, I'd rather have a blast exploring Tokyo than be hung up on where I stay. I know others feel differently, that's just my opinion. Also, hostels are COMPLETELY used to foreigners so the staff at the desk ALWAYS speak English and will call a cab or whatever. Also, if you get there WAY before checkin, they never mind storing your bags (just beware, even with private rooms some places don't allow under 18. And some places don't care, I've seen toddlers)
OMG that leather harness is so flyyyyyyy
Hi Martina! Always love your informative video's! I was wondering if you would be able to give us a little more indept view of how transfers to and from locations/hotels or airports goes. Like, from when you arrive at the airport and need to get to your hotel. I'd like to go visit Japan sometime. I just have major travel anxiety that puts me off doing it.
When I went to Tokyo in 2017, I stayed in two hotels. One was a business hotel in Ginza. Essentially no amenities, but the bed was comfortable. The other was Hotel MyStays Akasaka, right up the street from Akasaka station. The room was nice, big queen bed was comfy, and there was a restaurant downstairs. I was mega sick with traveler's flu almost the whole time I was at the second hotel, but it was super nice anyway.
When we went we splurged for our first night at a high end hotel so we knew we would sleep well to beat that jetlag. If you have a credit card look into if they have a special website that u can book hotels through (Not points just an extra thing they have). My credit card isn't a fancy one, but it has its own booking site of just high end hotels around the world that we used and it was a bit cheaper, but we also got a $25.00 food voucher and free breakfast too, so after a long day of travel and customs and such we were able to do room service for much cheaper because of our $25 credit, and we had a very nice higher end buffet style breakfast for free in the morning to start our trip. To make up for that night we stayed in busniess hotels lol
Love love loveeeeeeeeeee your necklace ❤❤❤❤
My friend Pete made it. He is an amazing illustrator. You can look up Pete Ellison and you'll find his amazing pastel soaked magic designs!
We are traveling to Japan in Octobre, so these videos are really helpful!
Can I request a video about the ways of travel, especially about the rail pass?
And how it is to be a vegetarian or have other diets.
I loved the mid range hotels I stayed at around the country. It was a nice break from the older, more traditional places I sometimes stayed at ( which I liked too.) Also, regarding airbnb in Japan: I was disappointed with most because they tended to be owned by companies and didn't have the personal feel I would have liked. I suppose it's the same everywhere now 😢.
I agree with the comment asking for tips on finding, choosing, booking and staying at ryokans. It's an experience I think every visitor should have, but it can be difficult and intimidating.
I know people don't like Airbnb (because it affects the local rental market, etc) but that's what I used when I and my sister stayed in Japan for about 2,5 weeks back in 2017. I paid about 400 euros for a week which I think is a great price! We stayed with the host in Tokyo (had our own room but shared the living spaces) and in Kyoto we had the whole apartment to ourselves :)
Thank you for this video! It has cleared up so much of my confusion when looking at hotels. I'm really curious about travel and hotel options when you throw kids into the mix though - I have a 2 year old toddler and my husband and I would love to do a Japan trip. Are certain hotels better when you have children? Like would a business hotel be a bad choice for any major reason? How is traversing Japan with a small child (do we need to be extra considerate of things like going on the train, using a stroller etc?)
Here! 🤩
Hi~
@@KingKogi loving this recommendation video! Non smoking room recommendation of booking a room several floors away is a great idea and the for-warning that you might still smell it because the room vents helps people keep in mind. I always travel with my own pillow or use my clothing on top of a pillow, I don’t know who’s spit or what the hotel pillow was used for 😬. Another great video of recommendations and thank you Martina❣️
Thank you for the warning on the king/queen beds. It’s hard to find that information online. My partner is tall even for the U.S. and often times beds are the biggest reason we have travel difficulties.
i brought my pillow for one trip. pillows for japan are like non-existent. i mean the support the pillows give.
do some music/bands...clubs...art...museums, places and things to do
As for the smoke, i think it literally just seeps into the wall, furnitures etc because all those rooms were smoking rooms before they made them non-smoking.
And literally everything you’re saying is taken from me mind 😂 exactly the same thinking 😂
Honestly, the only real downside was that the business hotel we stood at in 2018 was sooooo small. We definitely expected it, but it got really old, really fast. LOL.Outside of that, the experience was pretty good. It was clean and it was a place to sleep. LOL.
Visited Japan for the first time in April, and I wish I'd known about business hotels having firm beds before we went - you ain't kidding! I went with my sister and her husband, who have both been to Japan before (her one, him twice). My BIL is in the army and is used to sometimes sleeping in uncomfortable situations, and even he found some of the beds 'fucking firm' (his words XD) They were manageable, but I will definitely be paying more attention to bed firmness next time I visit. Other than the beds, though, they places we stayed were pretty good - always got non-smoking rooms and the staff usually spoke enough English. One thing I noticed, and maybe it's just a thing in Japanese houses in general, but it's certainly not a thing here in Australia, is that the mirrors in the bathrooms were warm, so that when you have a hot shower/bath, the mirror doesn't fog up! A little thing, but I loved it!
Little tip for those planning to use business hotels and doing laundry there - all the machines I used in the hotels ONLY take 100 yen coins - nothing bigger, nothing smaller. One time I had to use the drinks machine in the hotel to have enough 100 yen coins to do my laundry. Hold on to those 100s!
I guess you can always invest in a modest, long sleeve tops whenever you go to a hotel or a beach in Japan, just in case.
Great video. I think some of this is sage advice for wherever you travel. There are still German hotels (and restaurants) that were historically frequented by business people and smell like one hundred Frenchmen chain smoking Gauloises and chugging wine were in the room. Also, Takuhaiban should exist in every country. We used it along our journey from Nikko to Kyoto. It was amaaazing. As for the tattoos, while it sucks, it's not surprising that they cater to the local elite. Our company booked a castle/golf club for a team meeting and there was a dress code even in the outdoor bar.
PS> The "fake" king is pretty standard in Europe :)