Cannot find affordable accommodation in Kyoto

Hey all,

I'm currently planning my two week trip to Japan. I'm planning to spend a week in Tokyo followed by another week in Kyoto. While I have no problems finding affordable (up to 68 000 yen total) hotels in Tokyo, I can't seem to find a hotel (not a capsule / love hotel / ryokan) in Kyoto for under 135 000 yen. Ideally I'd like to be in Kyoto from Nov 15 to Nov 21. I've checked the usual sites such as rakuten and booking.com.

Maybe someone can help me out with a suggestion.

Thanks!

Greetings,

I assume the 135,000 yen amount you mention is for the duration of your intended stay in Kyoto, not just one night?

One of the problems you are most likely encountering is that the dates you plan on staying in Kyoto are during the autumn foliage period. This is an exceptionally busy time in Kyoto and most places are sold out. Indeed, many people book (including myself) up to 6 months in advance during this period.

If there is anything available, then, yes, it will be very expensive as it is peak season. (Assuming the 135,000 yen you mention is for 6 nights @ approx. 22-23,000 yen per night).

You might consider staying in Osaka and making the short commute to Kyoto. This link will provide you with suggestions on accommodation options if Kyoto is sold out:
http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0029.html

Hope this helps :)

That is peak season in Kyoto. There is a page accessible from the homepage of this website (titled "Kyoto booked out") that has various suggestions, such as staying in nearby towns/cities (e.g. Osaka), and take the train to Kyoto everyday.

In the future, it is recommended to book accommodation for peak seasons in Japan months in advance since it is becoming such a popular tourist destination. Good luck, hope you find somewhere!

Kyoto from Nov 15 to Nov 21

That is the busiest season in Kyoto. Unfortunately you have left it too late for your Kyoto hotel reservation. You may have better luck searching in Osaka.

Are you okay with places on hostelworld.com? I ran a search for Kyoto during the week (Monday night - Thursday night) and came up with some results:

http://www.hostelworld.com/search?search_keywords=Kyoto%2C+Japan&count...

Weeknights are less likely to be booked up. It is unfortunate though. I'll be in Kyoto myself that time frame, and I booked a couple months ago. Keep checking to see if anyone cancelled their reservations, or try different combinations of days within that time period.

If you have JR Pass valid for these days, check hotels in Nagoya. You can reach Kyoto in 35 min by fastest Hikaris. You should check the room availability day by day (don't expect to get continuous dates in these period, even in Nagoya).

If you don't have JR Pass, Osaka Airterminal Hotel is a good option: This hotel is in the Itami airport, which is a little bit far from Kyoto, but seems to offer very affordable rates for this very high season (They don't change the rate almost throughout the year).

http://www.osaka-airterminal-hotel.com

Although this hotel offers only Japanese site, but I think you will be able to understand by using google translate.

As for 15th to 21st, non-smoking twin room is 12500-13500 yen per day except 17th when no rooms are available.

Final option is AirBnb. There are some rooms still available within you budget.

I can't seem to find a hotel (not a capsule / love hotel / ryokan) in Kyoto for under 135 000 yen. Ideally I'd like to be in Kyoto from Nov 15 to Nov 21. I've checked the usual sites such as rakuten and booking.com.

There is one on Rakuten (both Japanese and English).

http://travel.rakuten.com/hotel/Japan-Kyoto_Prefecture-Kyoto-APA_Hotel...

Hi all,

I've booked a hotel in Osaka that's very close to the shinkansen train station so I should be in Kyoto in 15 min or so. I feel that that's the best solution in this case. I did find a couple of hostels in Kyoto but some of them got quite bad ratings (not due to the hostel / staff but loud visitors etc).

Thanks!

Have you tried some of the strategies listed here?

http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0029.html

What you can do is to book multiple hotels. This is usually what I do for last minute bookings during peak season. 3-4 days in one place and then 2-3 in another for a total of a week.