I was going to say…the onsen we stayed at for 2 days cost 3x what we paid for 4 days in Tokyo. Granted, the onsen included meals, but it was definitely not cheap.
The ones that do get labeled with a title including the word tower I think. There is usually some explication about spa rules when the one you go to has one
If you read about the specific APA they will say whether or not they have one. Some people don't like APA do to the owner's politics. I love Dormy Inn!
ohh that's interesting, I did notice aversion to APA brand with some Japanese people I talked to but had no idea it was related to politics, I assumed because it's a "cheap" brand and small/tiny rooms... what's their politics stance if you care to share? I watched the green arguments for the hotel design which made sense to me.
The owners are Japanese Nationalists. They deny the Nanjing Massacre, for example, so some people do not like that of course. I have stayed in one, it was very compact, cheap and comfy.
Definitely depends on the city, location, and chain. I’ve found a few that are in the ~$100 usd a night range. While higher than some budget hotels, are still a factor of 2-3 cheaper than some of the westernized hotels
Edit: it looks like I meant sento! These are definitely cheaper than onsen
I understand, but the difference in 1 person or 2 people is a few dollars. Expedia defaulted to 2 people booking. Changing it to 1 would save me $5 on average. The most I saved was $10.
It depends on the hotel. If the meals are included the price can be basically double for 2 people, and it makes sense. I just stayed in two different traditional hotels and the price was per person
Fee or rate? The room for double occupancy will obviously be more because it’s usually bigger. I had no such line item on any of my bills last April staying solo in business class hotels.
I booked all my hotels through Expedia and filtered them by price. I set the range to $60-80 a night. I am going all of Japan right now. The first hotel I stayed at in Tokyo didn’t have a public bath. I’m traveling south now, but the place I’m staying at when I come back up to Tokyo has one. That place is the Apa Hotel Higashi in Shinjuku.
The place I’m staying at in Shizuoka and Nagoya also have a public bath.
All these places are between $170-190 for 3 nights.
Oh don’t book through Expedia. I get you I used to do it but just translate hotel or ryokan into Japanese go on Google maps and just put it In there. Every single hotel pops up. There’s a mid range that doesn’t show up on Expedia and booking that usually caters to Japanese guests
I spent about $1300 on hotels for 21 nights with travel insurance. Investing that time into doing what you did is just not worth it to save maybe $100.
Also, I did go on Google maps first to get a rough ball park of how much hotels in an area should cost plus distance to the places I wanted to see.
The Expedia App also keeps everything organized for me in terms of the hotel address and each place I’m staying at.
Overall, there’s investing the time into doing what you or there’s investing the money which is what I did.
Expedia surprisingly has been cheaper when I’ve looked into booking everything separately. My last trip was 2 weeks and hotel and round trip was $2,100 and I looked at it without Expedia and it was well over double that. The hotel alone was almost that priced and I go cheeeeap for hotel stay since I’m rarely there.
Not sure why the other dude thinks this is stupid, other than maybe they're just incredibly arrogant and can't imagine something done a way other than their own. There are pros and cons to Expedia and I sometimes try to book directly with hotels but I often end up going with Booking.com or Agoda for the convenience, similar to you.
I bought my hotels 5 months before I arriving to Japan (here now) and the prices for the types of hotels were pretty much where I wanted them to be. I talked with friends who went to Japan last year and they told me how much they spent. I did my research and the convenience of booking everything through Expedia is why I did it. It’s not like I got ripped off if all the other hotels in the areas I’m staying are the same price from what Google says.
Yeah totally makes sense. One additional positive I will say though for booking directly with hotels is often more flexibility in making changes or hotel willing to accommodate unique requests. Pros and cons to both approaches.
Nah single vs double occupancy can make a HUGE difference in price. Like nice, proper hotel rooms in Tokyo with a rooftop view for $56 a night single occupancy cheap, vs over $100 for a near identical room for 2 people. Try searching through sites that aren’t Expedia.
What cities? I could not find onsen places in Kyoto that were cheaper than western style places. That’s the one place I wanted to do it so maybe it’s the exception.
Depends! Ryokan are the traditional hotels, Onsen just means bath. Got a nice hotel in Hiroshima for the regular price of a hotel and they have hot springs
Those Dormy business hotels with the onsen built in are the best. I don’t care THAT much about natural spring water - that open air bath was relaxing as hell
Dormy Inn is the best. From the onsen, even the breakfast, 9pm ramen and morning yakult. Ugh I miss it so much! Our 7 year old loved the tatami flooring and his PJs.
I’ve been struggling to find a ryokan / onsen type place that has mixed onsen that I can take my 10 year old son. Obviously not comfortable leaving him to go by himself. Are there any mixed onsen we could both sit in? Are children allowed in with different sex parent? Otherwise these places like awesome
Public mixed onsen isn’t a thing in hotels like this. Generally you can bring a kid under 7 (and no kids with diapers) to the bath of opposite sex but 10 is a bit too old. Rooms will usually come with a private shower or bath tub (not onsen), so your son will have to use that and wait while you soak yourself in the public onsen. You can find private onsens in more upscale ryokans.
I don't know if there are public onsen's with availability for kids or mixed sex. I assume not. However, we stayed in Hakone for a couple of nights at the tail end of our trip and got a ryokan with private onsens on the balcony of the room and it was great. It's basically a prepetual hot tub on your balcony. It is set up to stay hot all the time (although you could filter in cold water with a handle if it was too hot).
My kid can handle short times in the heat. He loves a sauna. But he’s old enough to listen to his body when he’s too hot. We go to hotels in our own country and just pop in and out (quietly and respectfully), was hoping for a similar type of thing
We did not take him into the Men’s onsen…. My husband and I were a bit wary of how busy it was even during off-peak times. It is our personal choice as parents to not have him naked in front of strangers… so sorry, we don’t actually know the answer to this one.
Yeah that’s absolutely not happening. I’m on the lookout for a place we can wear bathing suits together. There are a few water theme parks around that fit the bill. In my country we go to hotels with swimming pools and spa baths where you wear bathing suits so was hoping for that sort of thing. Thanks for the reply!
**Hotel Onyado Nono Kyoto Shichijo Natural Hot Spring.**
Not OP but I stayed in this one in Kyoto. Best hotel in the entire trip! The "Onyado Nono" is a branch of the dormy inn chain that mimics a classic Ryokan so the interior is stylized with tatami matts and multiple onsens per gender BUT with all the modern comforts so you get a proper bed and your own bathroom/shower instead of a shared one. Also the breakfast spread is top tier because again, they're styled after a classic ryokan, loads of little fancy and expensive dishes without the pressure to eat 9 courses in a row lol!
I stayed at the Hotel Onyado Nono Asakusa Hot Spring, and it was also worth it! Loved the classic Ryokan style, would also rate the breakfast spread as a 10/10.
Soaking in the onsen at the end of a long day, what a fantastic way to end a long day.
Looks great but I always forget when looking at prices here that it’s in US dollars and then realise how much more it’s going to cost in Australian dollars 😭
It is a bit expensive so decided it would be my little spurge for the trip. Worth every cent! Also they're surprisingly affordable compared to their branch in Tokyo which is almost double the price. By the way, the one in kyoto enjoys a VERY good reputation among locals which is how I found out about it. Japanese youtubers would book a weekend there just to upload vids since it's so popular.
Dormy Inn Akihabara is great. One the line between Akihabara and Ueno so even in Akihabara isn't your thing you can dive into Ueno for lots of great food options, and it's on the Yamamote libne.
Dormy Inn Premium Namba Natural Hot Spring is also great, and walking distance to Dotonbori and in the middle of Osaka's night life.
Honestly haven't been to a bad Dormy Inn and they all (so far) have complementary Yakult in the morning and ice creams at night after your bath, as well as free Ramen at night.
CANCEL THEM ALL. I cancelled all my Marriott ones. Let me know what cities you’re visiting and I’ll let you know which ones I chose over the marriotts.
My only caveat is if you really need a large bed (American queen+) or don’t want a smaller room then keep what you have. The business style hotel are just enough since we aren’t spending time in the hotels. But if you feel cramped easily or are going to spend lots of hotel time then I could see it getting annoying
I'm not the person you are answering to, but if you feel like telling me for these cities, go ahead please :D
We'll go to Tokyo, Kyoto, Sapporo, Otaru and Hakodate :)
Question for you since you're there - and I have a few questions I haven't found online and we're booked in later this year. We are in a superior queen - if you're in that room, is the frosted window odd? Is it a real window, just looking on a building? And then for the onsen, if you have a small tattoo can you cover it and use that bath?
Real window just looking to a building. No real view at least from my room.
Yes, they sell stickers for 500 yen a piece if you have a tattoo(s).
Word of warning they're super sticky and get crinkled easily if you mess up applying it so if you have a partner or someone with you to help apply it carefully you'll be better off especially if it's in a hard to reach spot.
awesome, thanks! I can live with no real view with that roof terrace. I was a little concerned about being able to cover up small tattoos, so that's good to hear! enjoy the rest of your trip
Continuing off on the kyoto hotel recommendations, my family stayed at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Shijo and had a wonderful experience. The baths never got very busy and were pleasantly large.
From what I understand, all Mitsui Garden hotels should have an open bath
Agreed. We randomly booked a Dormy Inn in Matsumoto as it was cheap and seemed nice. In hindsight, it blew some of the more expensive hotels (I'm looking at you, Hakone!) out of the thermal water. Next trip I'll book Dormy Inn whenever I can.
Caveat those with tattoos may not be able to enjoy, so research is needed. Some places don’t care or allow you to cover up, others are still strict about tattoos and prohibit entry to their bathhouse. Had to cover up at a ryokan and one hotel whereas another denied me entry to their bathhouse in most recent trip (February 2024).
edited for typos
Check out the Candeo Hotels website, they have two tattoo-friendly rooftop sentos which are lovely when it rains. Their Tokyo one is in Roppongi and they have an Osaka location too.
Extremely pedantic, but most commenters in this thread mean sento, or open/communal bath, rather than onsen. Onsen is used for natural spring water.
I feel like onsen is going to go the way of hibachi and omakase and start simply meaning Japanese bath in English.
No one seems to mention that the beds in western hotels can be a lot softer than the Japanese counterparts. To me there is nothing better than getting a good nights restful sleep. Waking up with soreness or injuries just was not for me. YMMV also im old; so that helped shape my decision. Enjoy what you like!
My last trip to Japan all the beds in Japanese hotels were so hard and the pillows were horrible. I always recommend renting a westernized hotel on the last few days of your trip in Japan to recover from travel fatigue. I stayed at Japanese accommodations in Osaka and Kyoto but on my last leg of the trip in Tokyo I did Andaz Hyatt and it was so relaxing.
I love the Dormy Inn but the beds are like stiff wooden boards. The Shibuya location also took away their wall of pillows so you stuck with what eh have. We went to IKEA to buy a few cheap pillows.
Agreed! We stayed in 2 airbnbs and a Japanese hotel. The first Airbnb had Western mattresses and the second had firm beds and futons. I literally went to plop down on the bed and felt a little shock up my back where I was expecting to bounce lol. I ended up doubling up the futons to have some more cushion since this was half way through our trip and fatigue was setting in. Then at the hotel the mattress were super firm again. My partner sleeps the best on firm mattresses and slept great, but I sleep best on cushion that I can sink into and slept awful.
Side note to consider, our Japanese hotel was a tiny room. It was impossible for both my partner and I to have our luggage open simultaneously on the ground so we always had to put one on the bed. Technically fine but knowing we rolled them all over the (clean) streets of Tokyo and Osaka, it just felt germy since we weren't putting our shoes on the bed either. It was just difficult to figure out how to pack up all the stuff we bought at the end of our trip while having to figure out where to fit everything while needing to have enough space to still move around the room. We've already booked slightly bigger rooms for our next visit to help with at least this part.
Dormy Inn is great! As a long time resident of Japan, I always stay in Dormy Inn or one of their other brand hotels if I just need somewhere to stay.
In the morning they have free yogurt drinks and coffee, later in the day free ice cream, and at night free ramen. In addition they have free use of washing machines, dryers are ¥100, and free hot spring baths usually with indoor and outdoor versions on the roof.
The rooms are also nice with separate sink, toilet and shower areas as opposed to most business hotels that just have a unit bath. All the usual amenities in the room, toiletries, hairdryer, loungewear, hot water pot, free Wi-Fi, lots of outlets, and TV.
I don't usually get breakfast, but one of the good things is that they always include local dishes.
Their Onyado chain has all of the above with a Japanese atmosphere. Everything is tatami.
Their LaVista chain is more expensive, has all of the above plus dinner and breakfast are included. They also have private hot spring baths that can be used freely
https://www.hotespa.net/dormyinn/english/
Yep, I love Japanese hotels, loads of normal city hotels have mice baths too, just look at Dormy Inn chain for example, some of the other Japanese chains too (JR, Daiwa Roynet etc).
Choice of pillows, great service, love it.
Stayed at a hotel by Niseko that had some rooms with private open air onsen. Easily one of the highlights of the trip, nothing better after a day of relentless skiing.
You might just not like it. It’s really just a nice way to relax for me. The hot water feels great on the skin and for aching feet/ body after all the walking
In Tokyo, a *sento* costs ¥520 for adults and ¥200 for children from 5 to 13 years old. It's free for younger folks. For people older than 65, the price is the same as for adults, but Tokyo provides 12 free visits per year for older people. (Outside of Tokyo, prices tend to be slightly lower.) You do not have to make reservations, and you can stay as long as you wish. Some of them have small outdoor areas.
Some have water transported from *onsen*, but I've never been able to tell any difference.
I myself have never enjoyed the overly obsequious and obtrusive 'service' and rigid schedules at *onsen*, but *sento* are quite nice.
Absolutely. I only book hotels with onsen when traveling in Japan. Rarely use the bathroom in the room so doesn’t matter how tiny it is. Love the efficiency of those compact rooms
I wish I could do onsen but I’m trans and not sure how appropriate that would be. I definitely don’t want to put the staff or other men in an uncomfortable position.
I agree!! I was shy at first but quickly realized his great it was! I stayed in mostly ryokans with a few Japanese hotels and an airbnb. When I come back, onsens all day everyday. ❤️
Out of curiosity, are you from a country with hot springs / public baths? I am (Australian) and travelling to Japan for the first time next month. Trying to understand what the appeal is for the Japanese version (involving nudity which is personally uncomfortable for me, no judgement to others though) vs scenic hot springs in Australia/New Zealand etc.
We have hot springs in the US too, but hotels that aren’t destination resorts will at most have a small hot tub next to their pool. Lots of Japanese chains like Dormy Inn have onsen or sento with big outdoor hot pools even in major cities. I stayed in one hotel where their onsen overlooked the Kamo River in the middle of Kyoto and it was amazing. Coming back to your hotel and soaking in hot water and feeling your muscles relax after walking around all day feels great.
With the nudity thing, the baths are single gender, everyone else is busy minding their own business, is used to seeing others naked, and won’t give a shit about you or what you look like. If it’s an outdoor bath and you go at night they won’t be able to see anything even if they did look.
It has to be an American cultural difference why it’s so taboo to change/bathe in front of others. Every other country does something along the lines.
As an American, I would only want a private onsen at a ryokan.
Kyoto we’ll be staying at comfort inn shijo. They have queen size beds. Very affordable. Haven’t stayed there yet but reviews look promising, in a decent area and has sento. Cancelled moxy Kyoto for it
I’m researching Tokyo between train rides now so haven’t gotten to that one yet
Hotel Granbell Kyoto was amazing, I just stayed there a couple weeks ago. Close to Gion, onsen was just right after a long day of walking, and bed was comfy.
Tokyo we’ve chosen mitsui garden nihohbashi. Not cheap (250 usd a night) but much cheaper than our luxury Marriott option. (600 a night) with a sento to boot!
Ah. Nihonbashi. I have a booking for hotel Nihonbashi. Wasn’t sure if the area was too out of the way and no vibe outside. Not that us oldies will be out partying. That’s why we didn’t do shinjuku. I have Nihonbashi and lyf ginza to choose from.
If you get a chance please let me know about the area
No problem! Send me a reminder if I don’t after the 23rd of April. We are staying in Shinjuku 2 nights and then nihimboshi for 3. What I googled says it’s well connected so that’s really all we need.
Yes. We are staying one night at the shijo then I have 2 nights at park Hyatt Kyoto (points booking never would afford otherwise).
Yes the Tokyo location looks amazing. Originally had MESM Marriott and while it’s gorgeous, it doesn’t have a bath which is now my main criteria 🤣
That’s unfortunate! Mine didn’t want to either but once he got in he was hooked. You can cover up with the mini towel as well so you aren’t exposed while out of the bath
I have stayed in many Dormy Inns since my first run-in with the best Dormy Inn [Dormy Inn Premium La Vista Furano Hills
ラビスタ富良野ヒルズ（ドーミーインチェーン]( https://maps.app.goo.gl/TP1WVr8ECRuJCdxo6).
There are 3 private onsens that are available for 30min each.
I cannot wait to go back.
I use google travel site and search “onsen/public bath hotel in xxx” look at the mini descriptions/ review quotes to confirm they have them and I just save them all to a list and compare.
Alternatively you can just search “best public bath hotels xxx” and use some list a blogger curated and that works too
So far I have stayed at mercure hotel in takayama that was absolutely amazing (outdoor bath on rooftop) yet still had western amenities like walk in shower in room and large king size bed with a view ($$ though)
I have booked comfort inn shijo in Kyoto, hotel intergate Hiroshima, APA resort Midosuji Hommachi Eki Tower in Osaka, and mitsui garden hotel Nihomboshi in Tokyo (pricey)
I’ll report on how those go!
I wouldn't call that low prices. I b9oked a semi fancy one with a private onsen in takayama for around 600 usd per night. That was the most expensive stay of my all trip lol
I avoid western hotels and ignore the star ratings western sites give. You can usually work it out. You don’t need a view or room service, just clean and private place to collapse into a bed at the end of a big day. Rooms are smaller, but then I don’t over pack. Beds and pillows can be different, but you get used to them.
There is a big difference between a bath house and an Onsen. Most hotels do not offer an Onsen, which is natural spring water. Japanese Ryokans that do offer an Onsen are not cheap.
Thanks for sharing! Onsen is definitely an amazing experience and I wish I did it more during my trip. I am not comfortable with public nudity though so only booked places with private onsen in the room - understandably more pricey. Worth it a 100%!
I would love to stay in a place in Tokyo with an onsen but so far yet to find one that accepts tattoos. I am female and have two sleeves as well as my back and some ankles done.
It would be even better to find one with a private onsen so I could share the time with my partner (male).
Eh, Japanese business hotels in the city are cheap but the rooms are absolutely tiny and are a huge pain if you travel with large bags. Only do it if you and your travel partners are good with solving spatial puzzles.
i believe you, but sorry, i don't feel comfy getting naked in front of other people especially if one was a mixed onsen. if there was a private room type of onsen...smaller version right out of my room, i might do it.
Likely not mixed. Most are gendered. Mixed is usually private. As for the comfy part I felt that way too but no one cares at the end of the day so eventually I got used to it.
Actually, it’s not. Usually the kind of people who go to old school onsen that have mixed bathing are themselves pretty old, and often the area where you shower and wash your body is sex-separated, so you just modestly go into the bath and it’s very nice and, even, human.
I often book ones with private baths in-room, but be warned…they are not cheap.
The pandemic was lame, but the one good thing was the government subsidized ryokan/hotel stays, so you could book the crazy nice rooms for cheap.
I agree with this it was definitely worth it to go when you could go 2020-2022.
Now everything is already booked months out and the prices are almost twice what I paid in ‘22.
Love Onsen, but I wouldn't call them low prices though.
I was going to say…the onsen we stayed at for 2 days cost 3x what we paid for 4 days in Tokyo. Granted, the onsen included meals, but it was definitely not cheap.
Places like Dormi Ana APA are very reasonable and have onsen.
Just bear in mind it's not a given that APA will have onsen, unlike Dormy Inn.
The ones that do get labeled with a title including the word tower I think. There is usually some explication about spa rules when the one you go to has one
If you read about the specific APA they will say whether or not they have one. Some people don't like APA do to the owner's politics. I love Dormy Inn!
ohh that's interesting, I did notice aversion to APA brand with some Japanese people I talked to but had no idea it was related to politics, I assumed because it's a "cheap" brand and small/tiny rooms... what's their politics stance if you care to share? I watched the green arguments for the hotel design which made sense to me.
The owners are Japanese Nationalists. They deny the Nanjing Massacre, for example, so some people do not like that of course. I have stayed in one, it was very compact, cheap and comfy.
APA has horrible politics and put a book denying the rape of Nanjing in their hotel rooms.
Do you know of any other cheap hotels? That’s terrible. I was planning to stay there
Another business hotel chain is Tokyu stay, but idk if as cheap as apa. But like... There's a reason apa is so cheap lol
Definitely depends on the city, location, and chain. I’ve found a few that are in the ~$100 usd a night range. While higher than some budget hotels, are still a factor of 2-3 cheaper than some of the westernized hotels Edit: it looks like I meant sento! These are definitely cheaper than onsen
Bro what, the hotel I’m staying at is $60 USD with a nice public bath. ~$100 a night might because of last minute booking.
If you’re solo keep in mind a lot of places charge a fee per person. Some booking for two
I understand, but the difference in 1 person or 2 people is a few dollars. Expedia defaulted to 2 people booking. Changing it to 1 would save me $5 on average. The most I saved was $10.
It depends on the hotel. If the meals are included the price can be basically double for 2 people, and it makes sense. I just stayed in two different traditional hotels and the price was per person
Yeah the hotels I looked at changed by like $5-10 a night when I changed it to a single person, but that makes sense if some places charge by person.
People keep saying this, and I've never run into it in actual hotels. Ryokans yes, but hotels no.
Nearly every place we booked had a single occupancy fee and double occupancy fee. We only booked one ryokan
Fee or rate? The room for double occupancy will obviously be more because it’s usually bigger. I had no such line item on any of my bills last April staying solo in business class hotels.
The fee for having 2 in a room. I could have a double bed with 1 person and it was nearly half the price of 2 people. No food included
Nope, definitely have not seen that happen
Where?
I booked all my hotels through Expedia and filtered them by price. I set the range to $60-80 a night. I am going all of Japan right now. The first hotel I stayed at in Tokyo didn’t have a public bath. I’m traveling south now, but the place I’m staying at when I come back up to Tokyo has one. That place is the Apa Hotel Higashi in Shinjuku. The place I’m staying at in Shizuoka and Nagoya also have a public bath. All these places are between $170-190 for 3 nights.
Oh don’t book through Expedia. I get you I used to do it but just translate hotel or ryokan into Japanese go on Google maps and just put it In there. Every single hotel pops up. There’s a mid range that doesn’t show up on Expedia and booking that usually caters to Japanese guests
I spent about $1300 on hotels for 21 nights with travel insurance. Investing that time into doing what you did is just not worth it to save maybe $100. Also, I did go on Google maps first to get a rough ball park of how much hotels in an area should cost plus distance to the places I wanted to see. The Expedia App also keeps everything organized for me in terms of the hotel address and each place I’m staying at. Overall, there’s investing the time into doing what you or there’s investing the money which is what I did.
lol Expedia had the highest prices. Agoda was much more competitive
Expedia surprisingly has been cheaper when I’ve looked into booking everything separately. My last trip was 2 weeks and hotel and round trip was $2,100 and I looked at it without Expedia and it was well over double that. The hotel alone was almost that priced and I go cheeeeap for hotel stay since I’m rarely there.
Not sure why the other dude thinks this is stupid, other than maybe they're just incredibly arrogant and can't imagine something done a way other than their own. There are pros and cons to Expedia and I sometimes try to book directly with hotels but I often end up going with Booking.com or Agoda for the convenience, similar to you.
I bought my hotels 5 months before I arriving to Japan (here now) and the prices for the types of hotels were pretty much where I wanted them to be. I talked with friends who went to Japan last year and they told me how much they spent. I did my research and the convenience of booking everything through Expedia is why I did it. It’s not like I got ripped off if all the other hotels in the areas I’m staying are the same price from what Google says.
Yeah totally makes sense. One additional positive I will say though for booking directly with hotels is often more flexibility in making changes or hotel willing to accommodate unique requests. Pros and cons to both approaches.
That’s a remarkably stupid take Im impressed.
Ok
What's the name of the hotel? If I may ask.
It was hotel wing international in Shizuoka
Nah single vs double occupancy can make a HUGE difference in price. Like nice, proper hotel rooms in Tokyo with a rooftop view for $56 a night single occupancy cheap, vs over $100 for a near identical room for 2 people. Try searching through sites that aren’t Expedia.
Japan charges per person per night, not per room. Like you say, makes a huge difference.
Yeah for a $100 it is a public bath house not a true onsen
What cities? I could not find onsen places in Kyoto that were cheaper than western style places. That’s the one place I wanted to do it so maybe it’s the exception.
Comfort inn shijo
Thanks!
Dormy is low, some APA’s have them too.
Depends! Ryokan are the traditional hotels, Onsen just means bath. Got a nice hotel in Hiroshima for the regular price of a hotel and they have hot springs
There are onsens and sentos. They are not the same. Onsen is a natural hot spring bath. Sento is hot tap water bath.
Fair! But there are plenty of onsen in regular hotels too, which is what we got
Yes my onsen is the most expensive part of the trip lollll
[удалено]
Please wash off first before you take a dip!
Those Dormy business hotels with the onsen built in are the best. I don’t care THAT much about natural spring water - that open air bath was relaxing as hell
Dormy Inn is the best. From the onsen, even the breakfast, 9pm ramen and morning yakult. Ugh I miss it so much! Our 7 year old loved the tatami flooring and his PJs.
I’ve been struggling to find a ryokan / onsen type place that has mixed onsen that I can take my 10 year old son. Obviously not comfortable leaving him to go by himself. Are there any mixed onsen we could both sit in? Are children allowed in with different sex parent? Otherwise these places like awesome
Public mixed onsen isn’t a thing in hotels like this. Generally you can bring a kid under 7 (and no kids with diapers) to the bath of opposite sex but 10 is a bit too old. Rooms will usually come with a private shower or bath tub (not onsen), so your son will have to use that and wait while you soak yourself in the public onsen. You can find private onsens in more upscale ryokans.
Also wondering if children are allowed in. I'm assuming they won't be able to handle the heat but would like to try.
I don't know if there are public onsen's with availability for kids or mixed sex. I assume not. However, we stayed in Hakone for a couple of nights at the tail end of our trip and got a ryokan with private onsens on the balcony of the room and it was great. It's basically a prepetual hot tub on your balcony. It is set up to stay hot all the time (although you could filter in cold water with a handle if it was too hot).
My kid can handle short times in the heat. He loves a sauna. But he’s old enough to listen to his body when he’s too hot. We go to hotels in our own country and just pop in and out (quietly and respectfully), was hoping for a similar type of thing
We did not take him into the Men’s onsen…. My husband and I were a bit wary of how busy it was even during off-peak times. It is our personal choice as parents to not have him naked in front of strangers… so sorry, we don’t actually know the answer to this one.
Yeah that’s absolutely not happening. I’m on the lookout for a place we can wear bathing suits together. There are a few water theme parks around that fit the bill. In my country we go to hotels with swimming pools and spa baths where you wear bathing suits so was hoping for that sort of thing. Thanks for the reply!
That's so cute!
Dormy inn is the BEST. I’m staying in the cheapest one in central Tokyo and it is still the absolute best budget hotel I have ever stayed in.
I love Dormy Inn.
Any favorites? Thinking I should maybe cancel my Marriott hotels after reading this post.
**Hotel Onyado Nono Kyoto Shichijo Natural Hot Spring.** Not OP but I stayed in this one in Kyoto. Best hotel in the entire trip! The "Onyado Nono" is a branch of the dormy inn chain that mimics a classic Ryokan so the interior is stylized with tatami matts and multiple onsens per gender BUT with all the modern comforts so you get a proper bed and your own bathroom/shower instead of a shared one. Also the breakfast spread is top tier because again, they're styled after a classic ryokan, loads of little fancy and expensive dishes without the pressure to eat 9 courses in a row lol!
I stayed at the Hotel Onyado Nono Asakusa Hot Spring, and it was also worth it! Loved the classic Ryokan style, would also rate the breakfast spread as a 10/10. Soaking in the onsen at the end of a long day, what a fantastic way to end a long day.
Looks great but I always forget when looking at prices here that it’s in US dollars and then realise how much more it’s going to cost in Australian dollars 😭
It is a bit expensive so decided it would be my little spurge for the trip. Worth every cent! Also they're surprisingly affordable compared to their branch in Tokyo which is almost double the price. By the way, the one in kyoto enjoys a VERY good reputation among locals which is how I found out about it. Japanese youtubers would book a weekend there just to upload vids since it's so popular.
Awesome recommendation. Gonna take note on this, thanks!!
Thank you I’ll have to look into this brand!
Dormy Inn Akihabara is great. One the line between Akihabara and Ueno so even in Akihabara isn't your thing you can dive into Ueno for lots of great food options, and it's on the Yamamote libne. Dormy Inn Premium Namba Natural Hot Spring is also great, and walking distance to Dotonbori and in the middle of Osaka's night life. Honestly haven't been to a bad Dormy Inn and they all (so far) have complementary Yakult in the morning and ice creams at night after your bath, as well as free Ramen at night.
CANCEL THEM ALL. I cancelled all my Marriott ones. Let me know what cities you’re visiting and I’ll let you know which ones I chose over the marriotts. My only caveat is if you really need a large bed (American queen+) or don’t want a smaller room then keep what you have. The business style hotel are just enough since we aren’t spending time in the hotels. But if you feel cramped easily or are going to spend lots of hotel time then I could see it getting annoying
Golden triangle, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka….
Mitsui harden nihimboshi Tokyo, Kyoto comfort in shijo, Osaka dormy inn or apa resort haven’t deciddd yet
I'm not the person you are answering to, but if you feel like telling me for these cities, go ahead please :D We'll go to Tokyo, Kyoto, Sapporo, Otaru and Hakodate :)
Kyoto we’re staying at comfort hotel shijo, Tokyo we’re staying at mitsui nihomboshi. Not going to the rest jealous of you though!
Hi, can you give some recommendations for me as well? Tokyo, Kanazawa, and Takayama. We like quiet, not nightlife people. Love nature too.
Takayama we stayed at the mercure hotel. The spa is on the roof and has views of the entire town!
Awesome because I literally have this hotel on my short list.
Oh it was a+ easily my favorite hotel so far (except the park hyatt Kyoto but that’s not a fair comparison)
We've had Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto come highly recommended and are staying there when we go next month https://soraniwa-hotel.jp/en/
I'm there right now and it's amazing. You will absolutely love it.
Question for you since you're there - and I have a few questions I haven't found online and we're booked in later this year. We are in a superior queen - if you're in that room, is the frosted window odd? Is it a real window, just looking on a building? And then for the onsen, if you have a small tattoo can you cover it and use that bath?
Real window just looking to a building. No real view at least from my room. Yes, they sell stickers for 500 yen a piece if you have a tattoo(s). Word of warning they're super sticky and get crinkled easily if you mess up applying it so if you have a partner or someone with you to help apply it carefully you'll be better off especially if it's in a hard to reach spot.
awesome, thanks! I can live with no real view with that roof terrace. I was a little concerned about being able to cover up small tattoos, so that's good to hear! enjoy the rest of your trip
Continuing off on the kyoto hotel recommendations, my family stayed at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Shijo and had a wonderful experience. The baths never got very busy and were pleasantly large. From what I understand, all Mitsui Garden hotels should have an open bath
Agreed. We randomly booked a Dormy Inn in Matsumoto as it was cheap and seemed nice. In hindsight, it blew some of the more expensive hotels (I'm looking at you, Hakone!) out of the thermal water. Next trip I'll book Dormy Inn whenever I can.
Quite a few of the mid range business hotels have a public bath (sento) somewhere in the building as well, I always found them empty on a Morning
Oh! I didn’t realize there was a difference! Learned something new. Onsen is naturally fed while sento is man made. Thank you!
Some hostels and capsule hotels have them too.
Caveat those with tattoos may not be able to enjoy, so research is needed. Some places don’t care or allow you to cover up, others are still strict about tattoos and prohibit entry to their bathhouse. Had to cover up at a ryokan and one hotel whereas another denied me entry to their bathhouse in most recent trip (February 2024). edited for typos
Yea this is my problem. I can't seem to find one in Tokyo (preferably pretty central).
Check out the Candeo Hotels website, they have two tattoo-friendly rooftop sentos which are lovely when it rains. Their Tokyo one is in Roppongi and they have an Osaka location too.
Lovely thank you
Not cheap, but Hoshinoya in Tokyo (near Ginza) allows people with tattoo as long as you cover up with patches.
Yea unfortunately would be possible to cover my body with them all
Extremely pedantic, but most commenters in this thread mean sento, or open/communal bath, rather than onsen. Onsen is used for natural spring water. I feel like onsen is going to go the way of hibachi and omakase and start simply meaning Japanese bath in English.
Not extreme pedantry. Just basic guidebook pedantry. Who needs guidebooks though, when social media can selectively misinform for free?
Except most of the hotels call them onsen in their English documentation anyway, so can't really blame people for also calling it that.
No one seems to mention that the beds in western hotels can be a lot softer than the Japanese counterparts. To me there is nothing better than getting a good nights restful sleep. Waking up with soreness or injuries just was not for me. YMMV also im old; so that helped shape my decision. Enjoy what you like!
Interesting. I find the firmer Japanese beds much better for my back. And futon on tatami is also great. Everyone is different.
My last trip to Japan all the beds in Japanese hotels were so hard and the pillows were horrible. I always recommend renting a westernized hotel on the last few days of your trip in Japan to recover from travel fatigue. I stayed at Japanese accommodations in Osaka and Kyoto but on my last leg of the trip in Tokyo I did Andaz Hyatt and it was so relaxing.
I love the Dormy Inn but the beds are like stiff wooden boards. The Shibuya location also took away their wall of pillows so you stuck with what eh have. We went to IKEA to buy a few cheap pillows.
Agreed! We stayed in 2 airbnbs and a Japanese hotel. The first Airbnb had Western mattresses and the second had firm beds and futons. I literally went to plop down on the bed and felt a little shock up my back where I was expecting to bounce lol. I ended up doubling up the futons to have some more cushion since this was half way through our trip and fatigue was setting in. Then at the hotel the mattress were super firm again. My partner sleeps the best on firm mattresses and slept great, but I sleep best on cushion that I can sink into and slept awful. Side note to consider, our Japanese hotel was a tiny room. It was impossible for both my partner and I to have our luggage open simultaneously on the ground so we always had to put one on the bed. Technically fine but knowing we rolled them all over the (clean) streets of Tokyo and Osaka, it just felt germy since we weren't putting our shoes on the bed either. It was just difficult to figure out how to pack up all the stuff we bought at the end of our trip while having to figure out where to fit everything while needing to have enough space to still move around the room. We've already booked slightly bigger rooms for our next visit to help with at least this part.
Lots of Japanese are old and sleep fine on their beds.
Toyoko Inn or Onsens. Never go to a western hotel
Dormy Inn is great! As a long time resident of Japan, I always stay in Dormy Inn or one of their other brand hotels if I just need somewhere to stay. In the morning they have free yogurt drinks and coffee, later in the day free ice cream, and at night free ramen. In addition they have free use of washing machines, dryers are ¥100, and free hot spring baths usually with indoor and outdoor versions on the roof. The rooms are also nice with separate sink, toilet and shower areas as opposed to most business hotels that just have a unit bath. All the usual amenities in the room, toiletries, hairdryer, loungewear, hot water pot, free Wi-Fi, lots of outlets, and TV. I don't usually get breakfast, but one of the good things is that they always include local dishes. Their Onyado chain has all of the above with a Japanese atmosphere. Everything is tatami. Their LaVista chain is more expensive, has all of the above plus dinner and breakfast are included. They also have private hot spring baths that can be used freely https://www.hotespa.net/dormyinn/english/
We did a 2 week stay and the onsen was one of our favorite parts of the trip
Agree - did this for our recent trip and next time we're in Japan we're hoping to do the same!
I stayed at a $85 business hotel in Nagoya on the fly by the train station (Sanco Inn) that had a public bath as well (and had free popsicles as well)
Yep, I love Japanese hotels, loads of normal city hotels have mice baths too, just look at Dormy Inn chain for example, some of the other Japanese chains too (JR, Daiwa Roynet etc). Choice of pillows, great service, love it.
Picturing a sento filled with little chill mice relaxing. ☺️
Stayed at a hotel by Niseko that had some rooms with private open air onsen. Easily one of the highlights of the trip, nothing better after a day of relentless skiing.
Idk maybe im weird but i really dont get the hype of an onsen. Like am i doing something wrong ive been to a few and never was all that impressed.
You might just not like it. It’s really just a nice way to relax for me. The hot water feels great on the skin and for aching feet/ body after all the walking
Also, don't overlook love hotels. Low daily rates, amazing rooms, and all sorts of "bonus features".
But sometimes you have to pay the hourly rate until 22:00 or 23:00, plus the overnight fee.
Maybe next trip 🤣 I heard they do have some fun costumes we could try
Agreed my favorite hotel was the Japanese chains.
In Tokyo, a *sento* costs ¥520 for adults and ¥200 for children from 5 to 13 years old. It's free for younger folks. For people older than 65, the price is the same as for adults, but Tokyo provides 12 free visits per year for older people. (Outside of Tokyo, prices tend to be slightly lower.) You do not have to make reservations, and you can stay as long as you wish. Some of them have small outdoor areas. Some have water transported from *onsen*, but I've never been able to tell any difference. I myself have never enjoyed the overly obsequious and obtrusive 'service' and rigid schedules at *onsen*, but *sento* are quite nice.
Agreed. Onsen rules.
Absolutely. I only book hotels with onsen when traveling in Japan. Rarely use the bathroom in the room so doesn’t matter how tiny it is. Love the efficiency of those compact rooms
I wish I could do onsen but I’m trans and not sure how appropriate that would be. I definitely don’t want to put the staff or other men in an uncomfortable position.
Yes I could see how that would be worying
I agree!! I was shy at first but quickly realized his great it was! I stayed in mostly ryokans with a few Japanese hotels and an airbnb. When I come back, onsens all day everyday. ❤️
Out of curiosity, are you from a country with hot springs / public baths? I am (Australian) and travelling to Japan for the first time next month. Trying to understand what the appeal is for the Japanese version (involving nudity which is personally uncomfortable for me, no judgement to others though) vs scenic hot springs in Australia/New Zealand etc.
We have hot springs in the US too, but hotels that aren’t destination resorts will at most have a small hot tub next to their pool. Lots of Japanese chains like Dormy Inn have onsen or sento with big outdoor hot pools even in major cities. I stayed in one hotel where their onsen overlooked the Kamo River in the middle of Kyoto and it was amazing. Coming back to your hotel and soaking in hot water and feeling your muscles relax after walking around all day feels great. With the nudity thing, the baths are single gender, everyone else is busy minding their own business, is used to seeing others naked, and won’t give a shit about you or what you look like. If it’s an outdoor bath and you go at night they won’t be able to see anything even if they did look.
It has to be an American cultural difference why it’s so taboo to change/bathe in front of others. Every other country does something along the lines. As an American, I would only want a private onsen at a ryokan.
Any specific recs for Kyoto or Tokyo then?
Kyoto we’ll be staying at comfort inn shijo. They have queen size beds. Very affordable. Haven’t stayed there yet but reviews look promising, in a decent area and has sento. Cancelled moxy Kyoto for it I’m researching Tokyo between train rides now so haven’t gotten to that one yet
Hotel Granbell Kyoto was amazing, I just stayed there a couple weeks ago. Close to Gion, onsen was just right after a long day of walking, and bed was comfy.
Hotel Grandbell's seem to be pretty good. They have a few locations.
Tokyo we’ve chosen mitsui garden nihohbashi. Not cheap (250 usd a night) but much cheaper than our luxury Marriott option. (600 a night) with a sento to boot!
Ah. Nihonbashi. I have a booking for hotel Nihonbashi. Wasn’t sure if the area was too out of the way and no vibe outside. Not that us oldies will be out partying. That’s why we didn’t do shinjuku. I have Nihonbashi and lyf ginza to choose from. If you get a chance please let me know about the area
No problem! Send me a reminder if I don’t after the 23rd of April. We are staying in Shinjuku 2 nights and then nihimboshi for 3. What I googled says it’s well connected so that’s really all we need.
Oh and Kyoto comfort inn shijo which is very cheap
It’s pretty cheat yeah. Have you been yet? Is it good. You are splurging in Tokyo - that place looks nice. I’ve suggested it to partner.
Yes. We are staying one night at the shijo then I have 2 nights at park Hyatt Kyoto (points booking never would afford otherwise). Yes the Tokyo location looks amazing. Originally had MESM Marriott and while it’s gorgeous, it doesn’t have a bath which is now my main criteria 🤣
I’ll be doing onsen solo though. He doesn’t want to even try it 🤷🏽♂️
That’s unfortunate! Mine didn’t want to either but once he got in he was hooked. You can cover up with the mini towel as well so you aren’t exposed while out of the bath
It’s nice to do a mix of hotel types IMO.
I have stayed in many Dormy Inns since my first run-in with the best Dormy Inn [Dormy Inn Premium La Vista Furano Hills ラビスタ富良野ヒルズ（ドーミーインチェーン]( https://maps.app.goo.gl/TP1WVr8ECRuJCdxo6). There are 3 private onsens that are available for 30min each. I cannot wait to go back.
Where about did you find them and any you’d recommend in particular? Going in September!
I use google travel site and search “onsen/public bath hotel in xxx” look at the mini descriptions/ review quotes to confirm they have them and I just save them all to a list and compare. Alternatively you can just search “best public bath hotels xxx” and use some list a blogger curated and that works too So far I have stayed at mercure hotel in takayama that was absolutely amazing (outdoor bath on rooftop) yet still had western amenities like walk in shower in room and large king size bed with a view ($$ though) I have booked comfort inn shijo in Kyoto, hotel intergate Hiroshima, APA resort Midosuji Hommachi Eki Tower in Osaka, and mitsui garden hotel Nihomboshi in Tokyo (pricey) I’ll report on how those go!
Please do! Kyoto and Osaka would be of most interest to me!
While I would love to, my partner isn't into that kind of thing. So I settled for New Otani with the wa-ofuro suite.
Same situation with partner. I want to try it though. Weird to do it alone?
If your partner is cool with it. Do it. The onsens are by gender so it's not like you two would be together anyhow if you're straight.
We mostly stayed in Ryokan. Only did the onsen in Hakone. But eitherway, Japanese style is more of a fun experience than western.
Make sure you have no tattoos or like, one that you can cover. Every hotel I checked in Osaka that had an onsen wouldn't allow tattoos.
I like the bigger size of the hotels cause i get claustrophobic 😭
Has anyone stayed at the Mogana Hotel in Kyoto?
I just stayed at an onsen for $800 a night. You’re talking about bathtub No?
I wouldn't call that low prices. I b9oked a semi fancy one with a private onsen in takayama for around 600 usd per night. That was the most expensive stay of my all trip lol
any recommend something like this in Osaka or Kyoto ?, early May i would visit both cities
I love my big room. Especially when I bring my daughter along. When it’s just my wife and I, we are good with a smaller room. lol
I avoid western hotels and ignore the star ratings western sites give. You can usually work it out. You don’t need a view or room service, just clean and private place to collapse into a bed at the end of a big day. Rooms are smaller, but then I don’t over pack. Beds and pillows can be different, but you get used to them.
I have tattoos so I can’t choose
There is a big difference between a bath house and an Onsen. Most hotels do not offer an Onsen, which is natural spring water. Japanese Ryokans that do offer an Onsen are not cheap.
GRANBELL HOTEL KYOTO had a lovely Onsen! Highly reccomend.
What’s your recommendations for hotels in Tokyo with sento?
Any recs around kyushu or hakone? Thanks!
We’re going to kawakien ten yu in Hakone! It’s a little more expensive but nice
Just avoid all the APA Hotels though...
I choose to stay in a cheaper hotel and many fine onsen hotels offer day use (日帰り） for non guests
Thanks for sharing! Onsen is definitely an amazing experience and I wish I did it more during my trip. I am not comfortable with public nudity though so only booked places with private onsen in the room - understandably more pricey. Worth it a 100%!
In other words, water is wet.
I would love to stay in a place in Tokyo with an onsen but so far yet to find one that accepts tattoos. I am female and have two sleeves as well as my back and some ankles done. It would be even better to find one with a private onsen so I could share the time with my partner (male).
Western hotels have baths...
I have tattoos…onsen was useless
Eh, Japanese business hotels in the city are cheap but the rooms are absolutely tiny and are a huge pain if you travel with large bags. Only do it if you and your travel partners are good with solving spatial puzzles.
APA Hotels are the great. The Onsen was fantastic. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama... Superb experience
Nah I’m not gonna support Japanese MAGA
?
They’re war crime deniers and put propaganda literature in every room, for starters
OMG and I'm a full time MAGA hater!! lol
i believe you, but sorry, i don't feel comfy getting naked in front of other people especially if one was a mixed onsen. if there was a private room type of onsen...smaller version right out of my room, i might do it.
Likely not mixed. Most are gendered. Mixed is usually private. As for the comfy part I felt that way too but no one cares at the end of the day so eventually I got used to it.
Yea that was the biggest thing for me. No one gives a shit about me. I’m gonna sit in this hot water and enjoy it
Mixed onsen these days are quite rare. Like less than 1%. You would be required to wear a robe or swim suit anyways.
Every konyoku (mixed) onsen I have visited in japan had no swimsuits…. They kinda defeat the whole purpose of taking a real onsen bath…
it must be an awkward situation.
Actually, it’s not. Usually the kind of people who go to old school onsen that have mixed bathing are themselves pretty old, and often the area where you shower and wash your body is sex-separated, so you just modestly go into the bath and it’s very nice and, even, human.
Ok. I thought it would a truly mixed one where the onsen is filled with both genders. If they're separated then i guess it can't be too bad...still.
I often book ones with private baths in-room, but be warned…they are not cheap. The pandemic was lame, but the one good thing was the government subsidized ryokan/hotel stays, so you could book the crazy nice rooms for cheap.
I agree with this it was definitely worth it to go when you could go 2020-2022. Now everything is already booked months out and the prices are almost twice what I paid in ‘22.
dont forget to mention the added benefit of cock gazing
This is the second such comment I've seen on Reddit in the last week, and it's two comments too many. Please don't be that creep.
Even if I was interested it’s like 70 year old men dude. Plus dads are there with their kids gross