Fun fact for gaijin - older Ryokan with tatami mats MAY contain “tatami Dani” (mites). I’ve stayed places that were traditional and beautiful, but had rashes from head to toe from mite bites. If you react poorly to bug bites, be aware.
Great video. I was in Japan in March for 3 weeks. I booked 4 months in advance. Rooms were amazingly cheap. Just remember, old kitchen tables go to Japan to die. They become hotel.beds.
Another good one Nathan! I do everything that you said in the video, but I go 1 step further again. Once I pick my hotel from all of those filters, I then go to that hotel web page because sometimes you can get a better deal going direct through them. For instance hotel MYSTAYS will give you 5% off your bill if you sign up for their newsletter. If you call them and have a chat, they might be able to give you a free upgrade also if they have empty rooms. I also use Google map street view and walk the area to get a feel for the place and what it has to offer in the way of food choices and closest metro.🐵
Thanks for your vids i am heading to japan on my own , never been abroad before, i am totally confused about what electric plug adaptor to get, i bought one thats got 2 flat pins and a 3rd grounding pin but then read that there are two types of sockets in japan , one with two prongs and one with 3, shall i just wait till i get to japan and buy one there? do i really need to carry around 2 differnt ones
on our fall trip we saved a couple of dollars when booking room with two single beds insted of a doble bed, we also looked for hotels closer and around walking distance of an exit of train or subway line no more than 10 to15 minutes this super helfull when going to and from the hotel and also carying your suitcases around, booking around 6 to 8 months will save you a lot of money, these are some extra tips that can help ..... planning next trip for fall 2024 thanks for the great video
Thanks for these hints Nathan! I use booking.com for independent hotels or chains I’m not a member of. These days I try to book my trips at least 6 months in advance with free cancellation for hotels. Then I check regularly if prices have gone down & rebook at the lower price. I also try to avoid big cities on Saturday nights as the price usually goes up 30%
I've done some of these but I've never gone as deep as you indicated you can go. There are some suggestions in this video that I will follow in planning my next trip.
Thanks for the great video Nathan I’m heading to Japan for 2 weeks in August and finding there is so much to do I’m trying to narrow down places and accommodation would love your recommendations for a 2 week trip starting from Tokyo 🙈
You might want to play around with this itinerary: How to Spend 14 Days in Japan ruclips.net/video/qop6WqPbaAY/видео.html there is also a 1 week version that might help too!
I already booked one for Tokyo fir 2weeks in sept Flexstay Inn Higashi-Jujo 2 people one room for 39270 yen. Reviews have gotten better all I care about is if it’s clean I’m going to Tokyo to explore as long as I can sleep in a bed at the end of the day I’m happy
ski season and hotel in dec = fully booked, hakone area book 3 mths before sakura season, only can find hotel in the middle of the bus route, those ginzan onsen places i think if you try to book, wont be able to find
Thank you for this video! Easy points and tips, no fuss,no frills explanation! Do more! Maybe a how to navigate airport or packing tips 🙂Arigato Nathansan, 🐒
Did it for a month there... Most hotel that were rate 4 stare had very small rooms... U should just choose an area and look at the hotel begore booking it
Capsule hotels can actually be kind of expensive now... I definitely recommend the map view, because unless you rent a car, you're walking. My advice: If you're concerned about breakfast, stay in a hotel that has a restaurant. If they have a kitchen, breakfast will be exponentially better. Especially in Tokyo, if they don't have a kitchen/restaurant, breakfast will likely be bread rolls, cereal, and maybe fruit. If breakfast is not included, they'll probably try to charge you $10 for it, and you can get quite a lot at konbini for that. They will probably have coffee, and they might not give it to you automatically. Sometimes you have to ask for it at the front desk. Sometimes they don't have coffee, and at one hotel they got rather indignant with me and informed me that they only have 'JAPANESE Tea' - I was like, oh, SORRY, just asking, Jesus. These days, they often have a section in the lobby near the front desk too where you can get things like a toothbrush, soap, comb, etc... free, but they don't automatically put some of these items in the rooms anymore, so as not to waste them. Anyway, yeah, I'd emphasize that you'll probably be on foot, so pick a place you can easily walk to that you can easily walk to what you want to do after you check in. I don't recommend a capsule hotel, because as they've become more popular/accepted, they've become more expensive, and don't forget to ask for stuff if it's not automatically in your room.
@@NinjaMonkeyguy My biggest tip about coffee would be: Bring your own coffee (if you're bringing a suitcase). Most rooms have an electric kettle, but not a coffee maker, but you can get by if you have one of those cheap single cup devices - it's not that heavy. Or just suck it up and do instant coffee. You could easily spend $10 a day or more on coffee, or you could spend $5 on coffee, and $45 on some pretty nice breakfasts/other things. I drink about 3-5 cups of coffee a day though. Japanese instant coffee is actually pretty good (if you get freeze dried and not spray dried - they're visually distinct, so if you're going that route, know the difference in appearance).
If I’m gonna stay 10 days in Tokyo. Do you recommend two hostels in two different zones? For example 5 nights in shinjuku and 5 in Ueno or asakusa. Thanks
@@NinjaMonkeyguy yeah I might do it that way too. It’s just that 10 days in a one hostel, never done it. Feels like a lot. But I’m gonna check it, thank you for your response!
@@NinjaMonkeyguy I also think maybe in between the 10 days , maybe one night trip to nikko or kawaguchiko. So it wouldn’t feel like just changing hostel the same day.
Hi Nathan! I’m just curious since i found a cheap hotel in akabane. Basically that hotel suits my budget and has a breakfast buffet already included on it. It says its near JR akabane station but im curious if staying at akabane is a smart choice. It will be my first time travelling to japan and we will be mostly spending our 3 days in shinjuku and shibuya area and the remaining two days will just be a day trip in kawagoe and mt fuji. Please send your thoughts please. Many thanks
If it fits your budget then it could work. I personally wouldn’t stay in Akabane because it’s a little out of the way mayo g your journeys into and exploring the city potentially long. But it can work just factor in the extra time and the fact that trains don’t run all night
Hi Nathan, first I just want to say: thank you! I have always wanted to visit Japan, a bucket list goal for me, and finally I am going for my first time in November on a Solo exploration mission for 12 days. Your wisdom by way of your content has been so helpful to me in my planning, I cannot thank you enough. When you have an opportunity, I have one quick question. I am travelling with a back pack and a small piece of luggage on wheels, my main hubs during my stay will be Osaka and Tokyo. I am trying to decide if I should just stay in Osaka and just take a couple of day trips to Kyoto or if it is worth it to stay in Kyoto proper? I'm a bit torn because some folks say staying in Kyoto is a MUST and others say moving from hotel to hotel is a real hassle and its better to do day trips. I thank you in advance for any advice or tips. Buen dia y saludos desde BCS, Mexico 🌴
@@NinjaMonkeyguy l have a plan to visit Osaka for around 3-4 days and l have very close friend there, so l will stay in his apartment so l was thinking l should have booking of any hotel to show on the airport which l can cancel after exiting the airport
@@NinjaMonkeyguy l have checked almost all the hotels they say you can cancel before one day of arrival otherwise you have to pay for full reservation so l am thinking pleasee help if anyone can suggest something or any hotel in Osaka
@@-FarazAhmad I dont understand what the problem is. Usually you can have different booking prices dependent on if it's got free cancellation or not, sometimes there is a fee to cancel but it all depends on the room type you choose from the hotel. It will likely be impossible to book a hotel you can cancel on the day, you will likely need to book one on the day if you are not sure if you will arrive at that time. Capsule hotels and hostels might be an easy option for this sort of situation. Ask more questions on Discord so that other users can help you
Hey there totally unrelated but do you know if I purchase the JR pass before the price increase can I still use it after the price increase? If not know yet do you plan to make a video or reel about it when info comes out? Thanks in advance, keep up the good work :)
Reviews are a joke! There's not even any "real" photos with people in them. They are all fancy professionals photos of food, or close up views of cups or something.
All of the hotels become to expensive !!! I dont want to spent more than 50 - max 60 euros per night !! They raised the prices and thats pathetic😡😡😡😡😡😡
Want to dive in deeper Here's a HACK to help you find your perfect hotel: ruclips.net/video/0yKXc4zx0tU/видео.html
Fun fact for gaijin - older Ryokan with tatami mats MAY contain “tatami Dani” (mites). I’ve stayed places that were traditional and beautiful, but had rashes from head to toe from mite bites. If you react poorly to bug bites, be aware.
Oh no! Another reason to keep a close eye on those reviews! Good heads up!
Great video. I was in Japan in March for 3 weeks. I booked 4 months in advance. Rooms were amazingly cheap. Just remember, old kitchen tables go to Japan to die. They become hotel.beds.
Oohh thanks for the positive comment
Another good one Nathan! I do everything that you said in the video, but I go 1 step further again. Once I pick my hotel from all of those filters, I then go to that hotel web page because sometimes you can get a better deal going direct through them. For instance hotel MYSTAYS will give you 5% off your bill if you sign up for their newsletter. If you call them and have a chat, they might be able to give you a free upgrade also if they have empty rooms. I also use Google map street view and walk the area to get a feel for the place and what it has to offer in the way of food choices and closest metro.🐵
I’ve used google street view in a similar way too!
Thanks for your vids i am heading to japan on my own , never been abroad before, i am totally confused about what electric plug adaptor to get, i bought one thats got 2 flat pins and a 3rd grounding pin but then read that there are two types of sockets in japan , one with two prongs and one with 3, shall i just wait till i get to japan and buy one there? do i really need to carry around 2 differnt ones
The one with the two work on the three :)
thank you!@@NinjaMonkeyguy
on our fall trip we saved a couple of dollars when booking room with two single beds insted of a doble bed, we also looked for hotels closer and around walking distance of an exit of train or subway line no more than 10 to15 minutes this super helfull when going to and from the hotel and also carying your suitcases around, booking around 6 to 8 months will save you a lot of money, these are some extra tips that can help ..... planning next trip for fall 2024 thanks for the great video
Those are great tips too! thanks for sharing!
Thanks for these hints Nathan!
I use booking.com for independent hotels or chains I’m not a member of. These days I try to book my trips at least 6 months in advance with free cancellation for hotels. Then I check regularly if prices have gone down & rebook at the lower price. I also try to avoid big cities on Saturday nights as the price usually goes up 30%
Good points there Philippe, especially about the Saturday nights! I also keep an eye on the prices to see if they change!
🙉Thanks for the tips!
Hope they are useful
Thanks for the tips!
Happy to help!
Really good guide Ninja 🐒
Thanks :)
I've done some of these but I've never gone as deep as you indicated you can go. There are some suggestions in this video that I will follow in planning my next trip.
I think following the train line to give you accommodation is a life saver! Hope you get to find it useful when you plan your next hotel!
🙉Gracias, Nathan!
Great information 😊
Just another way to help people find the best hotel :)
Thanks for the great video Nathan I’m heading to Japan for 2 weeks in August and finding there is so much to do I’m trying to narrow down places and accommodation would love your recommendations for a 2 week trip starting from Tokyo 🙈
You might want to play around with this itinerary: How to Spend 14 Days in Japan
ruclips.net/video/qop6WqPbaAY/видео.html there is also a 1 week version that might help too!
@@NinjaMonkeyguy Cheers my friend
I already booked one for Tokyo fir 2weeks in sept Flexstay Inn Higashi-Jujo 2 people one room for 39270 yen. Reviews have gotten better all I care about is if it’s clean I’m going to Tokyo to explore as long as I can sleep in a bed at the end of the day I’m happy
Yes! agree
I booked 10 days in a Hotel called Listel in Shinjuku. Got any experience with that one?
Not that specific one
@@NinjaMonkeyguy Mhh. Ok. Than I got a general question. Do I need to say that I want a no smoker room during the check-in?
ski season and hotel in dec = fully booked, hakone area book 3 mths before sakura season, only can find hotel in the middle of the bus route, those ginzan onsen places i think if you try to book, wont be able to find
Agree .. if wanting to book in a very popular time or place then plan ahead!
🙈 Very cool, man. Really helpful tips.
I’m glad there’s something in there
Thank you for this video! Easy points and tips, no fuss,no frills explanation! Do more! Maybe a how to navigate airport or packing tips 🙂Arigato Nathansan, 🐒
Thanks! .. More in the works and with only around 9 weeks until I'm in Japan more to film!
You know, i'm watching this looking for the right tools Ninja man.
thanks!
Did it for a month there... Most hotel that were rate 4 stare had very small rooms... U should just choose an area and look at the hotel begore booking it
Agree, its so important to do your research to make sure you are not dispointed
Capsule hotels can actually be kind of expensive now... I definitely recommend the map view, because unless you rent a car, you're walking.
My advice: If you're concerned about breakfast, stay in a hotel that has a restaurant. If they have a kitchen, breakfast will be exponentially better. Especially in Tokyo, if they don't have a kitchen/restaurant, breakfast will likely be bread rolls, cereal, and maybe fruit. If breakfast is not included, they'll probably try to charge you $10 for it, and you can get quite a lot at konbini for that. They will probably have coffee, and they might not give it to you automatically. Sometimes you have to ask for it at the front desk. Sometimes they don't have coffee, and at one hotel they got rather indignant with me and informed me that they only have 'JAPANESE Tea' - I was like, oh, SORRY, just asking, Jesus.
These days, they often have a section in the lobby near the front desk too where you can get things like a toothbrush, soap, comb, etc... free, but they don't automatically put some of these items in the rooms anymore, so as not to waste them. Anyway, yeah, I'd emphasize that you'll probably be on foot, so pick a place you can easily walk to that you can easily walk to what you want to do after you check in. I don't recommend a capsule hotel, because as they've become more popular/accepted, they've become more expensive, and don't forget to ask for stuff if it's not automatically in your room.
This is true, sometimes coffee can be found only in the lobby.. I usually head out for a combini or pastry / coffee breakfast in the mornings
@@NinjaMonkeyguy My biggest tip about coffee would be: Bring your own coffee (if you're bringing a suitcase). Most rooms have an electric kettle, but not a coffee maker, but you can get by if you have one of those cheap single cup devices - it's not that heavy. Or just suck it up and do instant coffee. You could easily spend $10 a day or more on coffee, or you could spend $5 on coffee, and $45 on some pretty nice breakfasts/other things. I drink about 3-5 cups of coffee a day though. Japanese instant coffee is actually pretty good (if you get freeze dried and not spray dried - they're visually distinct, so if you're going that route, know the difference in appearance).
If I’m gonna stay 10 days in Tokyo. Do you recommend two hostels in two different zones? For example 5 nights in shinjuku and 5 in Ueno or asakusa. Thanks
I think this might work, I’ve done it before but I also think that it’s fine staying in one too
@@NinjaMonkeyguy yeah I might do it that way too. It’s just that 10 days in a one hostel, never done it. Feels like a lot. But I’m gonna check it, thank you for your response!
@@NinjaMonkeyguy I also think maybe in between the 10 days , maybe one night trip to nikko or kawaguchiko. So it wouldn’t feel like just changing hostel the same day.
@@Blogviajero_ Yes if you are going to do that then it's certainly a perfect opportunity to change locations!
Hi Nathan! I’m just curious since i found a cheap hotel in akabane. Basically that hotel suits my budget and has a breakfast buffet already included on it. It says its near JR akabane station but im curious if staying at akabane is a smart choice. It will be my first time travelling to japan and we will be mostly spending our 3 days in shinjuku and shibuya area and the remaining two days will just be a day trip in kawagoe and mt fuji. Please send your thoughts please. Many thanks
If it fits your budget then it could work. I personally wouldn’t stay in Akabane because it’s a little out of the way mayo g your journeys into and exploring the city potentially long. But it can work just factor in the extra time and the fact that trains don’t run all night
@@NinjaMonkeyguy thanks for your response Nathan! I appreciate your thoughts. You’re vlogs are truly helpful by the way.
Hi Nathan, first I just want to say: thank you! I have always wanted to visit Japan, a bucket list goal for me, and finally I am going for my first time in November on a Solo exploration mission for 12 days. Your wisdom by way of your content has been so helpful to me in my planning, I cannot thank you enough.
When you have an opportunity, I have one quick question. I am travelling with a back pack and a small piece of luggage on wheels, my main hubs during my stay will be Osaka and Tokyo. I am trying to decide if I should just stay in Osaka and just take a couple of day trips to Kyoto or if it is worth it to stay in Kyoto proper? I'm a bit torn because some folks say staying in Kyoto is a MUST and others say moving from hotel to hotel is a real hassle and its better to do day trips. I thank you in advance for any advice or tips.
Buen dia y saludos desde BCS, Mexico 🌴
You could also potentially use Kyoto as a base, especially if you will also stay in Tokyo as Tokyo and Osaka are big “similar” cities
I am going to pull the trigger and start making some reservations. Thank you again for your valuable info and content.
Is it possible to cancel the hotel booking after reaching there please response?
depends on your hotel cancelation policy
@@NinjaMonkeyguy l have a plan to visit Osaka for around 3-4 days and l have very close friend there, so l will stay in his apartment so l was thinking l should have booking of any hotel to show on the airport which l can cancel after exiting the airport
@@NinjaMonkeyguy l have checked almost all the hotels they say you can cancel before one day of arrival otherwise you have to pay for full reservation so l am thinking pleasee help if anyone can suggest something or any hotel in Osaka
@@-FarazAhmad I dont understand what the problem is. Usually you can have different booking prices dependent on if it's got free cancellation or not, sometimes there is a fee to cancel but it all depends on the room type you choose from the hotel. It will likely be impossible to book a hotel you can cancel on the day, you will likely need to book one on the day if you are not sure if you will arrive at that time. Capsule hotels and hostels might be an easy option for this sort of situation. Ask more questions on Discord so that other users can help you
Hey there totally unrelated but do you know if I purchase the JR pass before the price increase can I still use it after the price increase? If not know yet do you plan to make a video or reel about it when info comes out? Thanks in advance, keep up the good work :)
No info yet, It will be interesting to see how they tackle this. I will be making an updated JR pass video once the info is available
I use Agoda.
Works the same i think
🐎
🙈
🙈 If only I could spend my two weeks with you in Japan lol
I need you as my tour guide!!
HAHA!
👍👍👍👍🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚💚🌹🌹🌹👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💝🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💛💚💙💜🖤♥️💝💖💗💓💞💕💌💟❣️🧡❤️💜🖤♥️💜💙💚💛👍👍🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷💐💐💐💐💐🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
Is this good? Or…hm…what?
Epic emojis !!
It’s all kinda basic but useful info that a lot of people don’t dive into
🥷🐒
🐵🐒I had a question but forgot it. Will edit if I remember.
Or post a separate one so that I see it
🙈
Reviews are a joke! There's not even any "real" photos with people in them. They are all fancy professionals photos of food, or close up views of cups or something.
yes they can be
🐵
🐒🐒🐒🙈🙉🙊
Stop pointing your fingers! they are very annoying !
Interesting
JAL business hotels are always a safe bet ... otherwise, Daiwa Roynet Hotel series are the best.
Business hotels are great!
@@NinjaMonkeyguy I think so too,... but then again,.. being in Japan, if you have to live there, essentially sucks ...
All of the hotels become to expensive !!! I dont want to spent more than 50 - max 60 euros per night !! They raised the prices and thats pathetic😡😡😡😡😡😡
Everything is more expensive nowadays :(
🐒
🐵
yay!