Stays

Ryokan, hotel or vacation rental

Each one sets a different pace. Choose based on how you want to spend your evenings.

What to know

Ryokan are traditional inns. Expect tatami floors, yukata robes, futon bedding (some rooms now have Western beds), and often a multi-course kaiseki dinner and a Japanese breakfast.
Western-style hotels usually have a bed, desk, fridge, kettle and private bathroom. Rooms are often smaller than you're used to. Japan has no official star rating system, so "4-star" and "5-star" are the hotel's own labels.
Business hotels sit near stations, cost less and have compact rooms that may not suit large suitcases. Most sleep two at most.
Capsule hotels give you a private sleeping pod and shared toilets and showers.
Minshuku are family-run B&Bs in the owner's home. Bathrooms are often shared, and you may be expected to put your futon away yourself.
Vacation rentals (minpaku) are often unattended homes, sometimes old townhouses. Under the Private Lodging Business Act, a registered home can host guests for no more than 180 days a year.
"Guesthouse" has no set meaning in Japan. Check whether it's hostel, minshuku or rental style.
Wherever you stay, you fill in a guest register with your nationality and passport number, and the property photocopies your passport.

psst, if dinner is included at a ryokan, it's served at a set time. Book your arrival around the meal, not the other way round.