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Thread: Japan Accomodation

  1. #1
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    Default Japan Accomodation

    I know some of you have been to Japan multiple times so this seems like a good place to ask.

    I'm going to Japan in November for 2 weeks. Hoping to hit Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and possibly Hiroshima (those seem to be the most highly recommended spots though I'm sure there are many amazing areas).

    Is the Airbnb scene there pretty normal? Or is it going to be impossible to find these places for someone who has never been there before? I was looking briefly and a studio apartment seemed to be around $70 CAD/night which I believe is a fraction of hotel cost and seemed like by far the cheapest way to go for private accommodation, though I have no idea what areas or neighborhoods are good. Has anyone done that before or is there a better alternative?

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    I did Expedia hotels and didn't regret one bit. My parents did AirBnB and hated it, but I've had awesome times using AirBnB so it's a roll of the dice.

    Also, assume pictures are deceiving. I got a hotel with assumptions that the room is big. Can barely fit two adults because it was a twin. The shower was also Japanese-person sized so perfect for me but not for my tall buddy.

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    Shibuya

    Shinjuku

    Stayed at these two when I was in Tokyo before and after being in sapparo... They were good if you're a big guy like me. Not cheap, but me and 7 other average sized Canadian fella's were comfortable haha..

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    I've done airbnb's 3 separate times in Tokyo. 2/3 had fantastic details about where to go and step by step pictures on how to get to the apartment. The 3rd was a nightmare with him sending us wrong directions to a unit in Shinjuku when we had booked on in Shibuya. But once we got a hold of him and directions, it worked out.

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    Done AirBnB and loved it. Just make sure when you are booking a place to get one that has had many previous reviews with at least a 4.5/5 star rating.

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    Remember that Airbnb is illegal in Japan. Some people get really weird about it too. Make you go in though a back entrance or say you are "visiting Friends" just keep this in mind.

    Are you travelling as one or a group of guys? I would suggest trying a Capsule hotel. They are a neat experience.
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    Originally posted by flipstah
    I did Expedia hotels and didn't regret one bit. My parents did AirBnB and hated it, but I've had awesome times using AirBnB so it's a roll of the dice.

    Also, assume pictures are deceiving. I got a hotel with assumptions that the room is big. Can barely fit two adults because it was a twin. The shower was also Japanese-person sized so perfect for me but not for my tall buddy.
    Thanks - did they say why they hated it? I could definitely tell the pictures were a little deceiving. Some of these places looked absolutely tiny, which is probably fine since we will be spending so little time there, but definitely important to read reviews carefully I guess.


    Originally posted by JfuckinC

    Stayed at these two when I was in Tokyo before and after being in sapparo... They were good if you're a big guy like me. Not cheap, but me and 7 other average sized Canadian fella's were comfortable haha..
    Definitely more than we wanted to spend per-night, but haven't totally ruled out the hotel route. That one at $160/nt isn't bad, and I would prefer to go to a hotel rather than an apartment, but I may have trouble convincing the GF. I'm 5'10" so probably won't have too many issues unless it's extremely tiny.

    Originally posted by jacky4566
    Remember that Airbnb is illegal in Japan. Some people get really weird about it too. Make you go in though a back entrance or say you are "visiting Friends" just keep this in mind.

    Are you travelling as one or a group of guys? I would suggest trying a Capsule hotel. They are a neat experience.
    Interesting, I didn't know it was illegal.

    Just me and the GF. The capsules looked kind of cool but do they make them for two people? I assume there is a locker or something for your luggage? I wouldn't rule it out haha - might even be a cool experience regardless.

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    https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel...ence_in_japan/

    Fun read about AirBnB in Japan. Yeah it's not illegal per say just quasi legal.

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    ^^ Interesting. I know what happened in that thread is probably a rare occurrence, and lots of people in the comments said they had good experiences, but using an illegal system may not be the best thing to do. I personally prefer hotels, but they are a lot more expensive.

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    Have you looked at VRBO?

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    Originally posted by Calgaryscot
    Have you looked at VRBO?
    Briefly, but everything I saw was significantly more expensive than Airbnb so I stopped looking. I haven't spent much time on it yet though.

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    i'll be going in November as well for 2 weeks and will be my third time there. pretty much same major cities as you and i will be going on shorter day trips to Hakone, Nara, and Kobe.

    Everytime i go i stay at hostels and they are great and reasonably priced. I have met some pretty cool people and just hang out as most are avid travellers with great stories and good drinking times in the lounge areas.

    you can get rooms with private bathrooms which is what i book everytime i go, so if you're not into the sharing part thats no big deal.

    i did check out their shared bathroom and all the showers are separate and with individual entrances (was even better than the gym as they had doors you can lock and a small area to get dressed/undressed not just a curtain) hardly what i would consider "shared", really only thing you share is the row of sinks where you brush your teeth from what i saw.

    i will be staying at K-House in Tokyo and Kyoto
    https://kshouse.jp/index_e.html and
    (approx. $100/night for 2 ppl)

    In Osaka i am staying with Hotel Chuo
    http://www.chuogroup.jp/chuo/english/
    (my room costs about $80/night for 2 ppl)

    all rooms i booked are with private shower and toilet.

    i am a fan of both these establishments as they have many locations and options and have not been disappointed.

    hope that helps, Hostels in Japan are pretty awesome.
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    Originally posted by jacky4566
    Remember that Airbnb is illegal in Japan. Some people get really weird about it too. Make you go in though a back entrance or say you are "visiting Friends" just keep this in mind.

    Are you travelling as one or a group of guys? I would suggest trying a Capsule hotel. They are a neat experience.
    That explains why. My mom said it was super sketchy and so restrictive. She hated it.

    Capsule hotels get filled quick FYI.

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    Originally posted by saiyajin
    i'll be going in November as well for 2 weeks and will be my third time there. pretty much same major cities as you and i will be going on shorter day trips to Hakone, Nara, and Kobe.

    Everytime i go i stay at hostels and they are great and reasonably priced. I have met some pretty cool people and just hang out as most are avid travellers with great stories and good drinking times in the lounge areas.

    you can get rooms with private bathrooms which is what i book everytime i go, so if you're not into the sharing part thats no big deal.

    i did check out their shared bathroom and all the showers are separate and with individual entrances (was even better than the gym as they had doors you can lock and a small area to get dressed/undressed not just a curtain) hardly what i would consider "shared", really only thing you share is the row of sinks where you brush your teeth from what i saw.

    i will be staying at K-House in Tokyo and Kyoto
    https://kshouse.jp/index_e.html and
    (approx. $100/night for 2 ppl)

    In Osaka i am staying with Hotel Chuo
    http://www.chuogroup.jp/chuo/english/
    (my room costs about $80/night for 2 ppl)

    all rooms i booked are with private shower and toilet.

    i am a fan of both these establishments as they have many locations and options and have not been disappointed.

    hope that helps, Hostels in Japan are pretty awesome.
    That's very helpful, thanks. Maybe private bed/bath hostels are a good compromise.

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    Do yourself a favor and try to get accommodations as close to the train as possible. Will make getting around and navigating so much easier.

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    Originally posted by JDMMAN
    Do yourself a favor and try to get accommodations as close to the train as possible. Will make getting around and navigating so much easier.
    Yeah we'll be using the JR pass (I think that's what it's called - the one you buy here first), so pretty much exclusively trains + walking. Not sure if you can use it for buses as well.

    There is also apparently an amazing app for using transit in Japan, my friend told me about it but I forget the name. He said it has every schedule, tells you where to go & when, the departure times, etc. for normal trans and the bullet trains. I guess there is also one bullet train company that doesn't accept the JR pass, and you can filter it out of the search results in this app so you don't accidentally try to use it.

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    Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


    Yeah we'll be using the JR pass (I think that's what it's called - the one you buy here first), so pretty much exclusively trains + walking. Not sure if you can use it for buses as well.

    There is also apparently an amazing app for using transit in Japan, my friend told me about it but I forget the name. He said it has every schedule, tells you where to go & when, the departure times, etc. for normal trans and the bullet trains. I guess there is also one bullet train company that doesn't accept the JR pass, and you can filter it out of the search results in this app so you don't accidentally try to use it.
    hyperdia

    you can also grab a Suica card to use on the local trains and bus, its basically a card you load with money. The nice thing is certain stores also accept it as a form of payment so if you have some money left in it and no longer taking any local trains/buses you can buy stuff with it. You can pick it up at any of the stations, i usually grab it when i get my JR Pass
    Last edited by saiyajin; 08-30-2016 at 03:18 PM.
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    Originally posted by saiyajin


    hyperdia

    you can also grab a Suica card to use on the local trains and bus, its basically a card you load with money. The nice thing is certain stores also accept it as a form of payment so if you have some money left in it and no longer taking any local trains/buses you can buy stuff with it. You can pick it up at any of the stations, i usually grab it when i get my JR Pass
    That's the one, thanks. I'll definitely be getting that. I assume it's easy to find a place to buy a SIM card there, hopefully in the airport so I can get it immediately (or even better before I even leave).

    Is there a best place to get the JR pass? I know you buy them before you go, and then redeem them at a kiosk in the airport. Is the First class pass worth it?

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    Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


    That's the one, thanks. I'll definitely be getting that. I assume it's easy to find a place to buy a SIM card there, hopefully in the airport so I can get it immediately (or even better before I even leave).

    Is there a best place to get the JR pass? I know you buy them before you go, and then redeem them at a kiosk in the airport. Is the First class pass worth it?
    That's probably the only thing I did wrong was not getting the pass, one of our group had it that someone gave him left over from their trip. Figuring out the ticket system took a few tries but we got it haha... after slamming into the exit gates at the train stations a few times

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    Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


    That's the one, thanks. I'll definitely be getting that. I assume it's easy to find a place to buy a SIM card there, hopefully in the airport so I can get it immediately (or even better before I even leave).

    Is there a best place to get the JR pass? I know you buy them before you go, and then redeem them at a kiosk in the airport. Is the First class pass worth it?
    i get my JR pass from Nippon travel downtown
    http://www.nippontravel.ab.ca/rail_passes.php

    my friends have used this site
    http://www.jrpass.com/

    i prefer going downtown and getting my voucher on the spot rather than waiting for it in the mail and such and i found the price doesn't vary that much between the 2.

    i always just got the Ordinary instead of the Green car(first class) and found it pretty comfortable, personally never tried the green car so can't comment but like i mentioned the regular was fine for me.

    i never needed a sim just used a pocket wifi and used WhatsApp, getting my pocket wifi from here
    http://globaladvancedcomm.com/order/index.html
    you can pick it up at the airport but i get them to send it to the place i am staying, return is a breeze you just drop it off in the mailbox at the airport when you leave.
    Last edited by saiyajin; 08-30-2016 at 05:10 PM.
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