← All topics

Accommodation

• Can I leave my luggage before check-in?

  Most hotels will hold your bags even before the official check-in time — just ask at the front desk, and it's usually free.

• I don't understand how unmanned (self) check-in works

  A growing number of capsule hotels and business hotels use touch-panel kiosks or your phone to complete check-in without staff. If the kiosk can scan your passport and take a card payment, it usually takes just a few minutes.

• Why do hotels ask to see my passport at check-in?

  Japan's Hotel Business Act requires accommodations to check and keep a copy of a foreign guest's passport. It isn't a specific hotel's quirk — without it, some properties will refuse to check you in at all.

• 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.

• What's the "deposit" hotels ask for at check-in?

  It's a temporary hold, separate from your room rate, in case of damage or unpaid extras like room service. If nothing comes up, it's refunded in full — or the hold on your card is simply released — at checkout.

• Why are Japanese hotel rooms and beds smaller than I expected?

  Land is expensive, especially in city centers, so business hotels are built with narrower rooms and beds than you might be used to elsewhere. Checking the bed size listed on the booking site (single, semi-double, etc.) beforehand can save you a surprise.

• What is a "unit bath"?

  It's the small, molded-in-one-piece bathroom common in Japanese business hotels, combining toilet, sink, and tub in a single compact space. It can feel cramped if you're used to separate bathrooms.

• I can't tell where I'm supposed to take my shoes off in hotels/ryokan

  Western-style hotels usually let you keep your shoes on indoors, but if there's a raised step at the entrance, or the property has tatami rooms, that step is where shoes come off.

• How do communal baths/onsen work, and can I go in with a tattoo?

  You wash and rinse off before entering the communal bath — no swimsuits or clothing allowed. Many facilities still turn away visible tattoos, but some allow cover-up stickers, and tattoo-friendly baths or private (family) baths are also an option.

• I don't know how to put on the yukata in my ryokan room

  Always wrap it left-over-right (your left side on top) — right-over-left is how the dead are dressed, so it's worth getting right. Tying the obi belt is easier if you tie it in front first, then spin it around to the back.

• Can I send luggage from my hotel to the airport or my next hotel?

  Most hotels handle courier drop-off at the front desk, and "hands-free travel" — shipping bags ahead to the airport, your next hotel, or (domestically) your home — is a well-established service.

• I don't understand how to use a coin laundromat

  It's simple — insert coins (or a dedicated card) and the machine runs. Some machines dispense detergent automatically, while others expect you to bring and add your own.

• I don't know how to dispose of trash at the hotel or on the street

  Your hotel room's trash can can usually just be used as-is. Public trash cans are rare on the street, so the norm is to carry your trash with you, or use a convenience store bin for things you bought there.