Japan Travel Fixes
What's this "accommodation tax" charged at checkout?
Some cities — including Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto — add a small nightly accommodation tax (often a few hundred yen) on top of the room rate. Whether it's included in the price you saw online or charged locally varies by property.
The tax amount and the income threshold that triggers it vary by municipality, and some areas don't charge it at all.
Whether it's baked into your booking site total or collected on-site depends on the hotel, so don't be alarmed by an unfamiliar line item on your bill — just ask what it covers.
When you want to check what a charge on your bill is for
この宿泊税は何ですか？
Kono shukuhakuzei wa nan desu ka?
What is this accommodation tax?