Favorite accommodations you've stayed

Hi Everyone,

So since none of us are really going to Japan right now, I'd love to know your 3 favorite accommodations you've stayed in Japan and why.

I think my 3 favorite are probably Airinkan in the Hanamaki group, Kanabayashi Senjukaku near Jigokudani Monkey Park and the Tokyo Station Hotel.

Airinkan had some great riverside onsen and when they forgot we wrote in about not eating any meat or fish went out of their way to try to find things for us we could eat. While not super fancy, I loved the kambocha tempura they made just for me. They had yummy free ice pops for guests and made us feel very welcome.

Senjukaku had a beautiful rotemboro, beautiful gardens and a 7 or 8 course vegetarian feast for us. They also do drop off and pick up at the train and bus stops, and when we missed the express train back to Nagano, took us to the bus stop to catch the express bus back.

I've stayed at the Tokyo Station Hotel multiple times. Not all of our rooms were equally nice, but the fact our most recent room might have been my favorite leaves me feeling pretty happy. I also find their beds super comfy and I don't always enjoy Japanese beds and I like the bathtubs.

Fujioto Inn in Tsumago: Beautiful building, fantastic staff, amazing food. My friend and I had booked quite early and as a result were lucky enough to get the only room on the top floor, which meant we had a private balcony overlooking the main street, with comfy chairs that we spent the afternoon in reading and drinking tea. The staff took photos of us in our yukata at dinner and turned them into a souvenir postcard for us! The food was incredible, and included baby wasps - definitely unique!

Yoshinoya Ryokan in Yunomine Onsen: Also a beautiful building - lots of twists and turns to reach rooms, meal areas and baths! Room was comfortable and had a large window looking over the main street, which was very pleasant to look out of during a rainy afternoon with the heater going. The ryokan was close to the World Heritage Bath (highly recommend) and also had its own gorgeous outdoor bath that you could use privately. The staff were lovely; I was travelling alone and they made a point of engaging in conversation whenever they saw me, including during the usual lengthy ryokan meal services!

K's House Ito Onsen: A hostel rather than a ryokan, but still housed in a beautiful traditional building with ryokan-style rooms, situated on the river front. The room I stayed in had a balcony which could be closed off from the main room, and overlooked the river - a wonderful place to spend an afternoon or morning. Private onsen baths available on the upper floors, and public onsen downstairs. Living and kitchen areas available for public use. Friendly staff as well!

I have stayed at all kinds, luxurious onsen ryokan to capsule hotel, and everything in between. The luxury accommodations are kind of waste for me, because I am there just to sleep and shower. But capsule hotels, on the other end of spectrum, are too cramped and noisy for me. For my money, the high-end business hotels offer the best balance. Of all the business hotels I�fve stayed, Meitetsu Inn is most memorable. They are mostly in Nagoya, but there is one in Osaka and two in a Tokyo (and soon one in Kyoto). Their rooms are larger than average business hotels (e.g., APA, Toyoko Inn, etc.), and their breakfast buffet is the best.

I hope there will be a safe way to serve buffet and won�ft discontinue breakfast buffet, in general.

I use accommodations for spending the night and I'm not in the need of luxuries or many amenities. As long as it's close to good rail stations, has washer/dryer on premises, a bed , table, television, enough outlets, bathroom and it's relatively quiet, I'm fine. I almost always use Toyoko Inn since I'm a member and use their discount program. The first few times I went, I stayed at the Keio Plaza and Shinagawa Prince in Tokyo. Apart from those, mine are business hotels. I don't make my hotel a destination as much as a place to sleep.

I've started at Yoshinoya in Yunomine onsen too. The host was lovely.

My favourite 3:
* guesthouse Okara, Kyoto; a tastefully renovated lower cost machiya with 2 private rooms as well as shared dorm.
* Hotel Iya Onsen; we never splash out on accommodation costs, so it was a special treat to get a room with a private outdoor bath.
* Yomoshiro, Ainokura; a wonderful family opening their amazing gassho-zukuri to guests in such a beautiful, historical village.

Honourable mentions to the guesthouse in Matsuyama that cost 2000 yen per person per night (including private bathroom and washing facilities!), the guesthouse in Morioka where we chatted with locals and staff at the bar late into the night, and Henjoson-in at Koyasan because it was such a special experience.

There have been so many and nearly all of them we have really enjoyed. Probably our dealings with our hosts dictate how much we like a place rather than the hotel itself, we have stayed in some luxury places and havent really liked them much, and stayed in some almost shabby places and loved them, or had a special time. so here is an eclectic mix, I would go back to all of them.

Hozentai at Kurokawa onsen. Spectacular, truly spectacular.
Chinzanso at Tokyo. Lovely hotel, great views, awesome gardens in the middle of Tokyo. Has displaced Tokyo Station Hotel which had been our favorite in Tokyo - too smokey.
Miyama at Chichibu. Unassuming from the outside, lovely inside with huge rooms and great outlook. Really enjoyed our time there.
Taiseikan at Atami (well, on the bay near Atami). This place saved us from a booking disaster. Food is excellent, location great, staff nice, onsens awesome. And super cheap.
Arai Ryokan at Shuzenji. Expensive, but worth every cracker.
Hotel Grand Kyu at Karuizawa. huge rooms, awesome breakfast, nice onsen.
Fukumuziro at Hakone. Like stepping back in time, loved it. Brilliant place, great food, lovely staff. The room with the toilet is the one to go for.

I'm not much for hotels-like one of the posters above, as long as it's clean, quiet and near where I want to be, I'm pretty good with it. My happy memories are often around particular places associated with either lovely staff, other guests we meet, or a particularly good time. I also enjoy a good soak in a public bath and the Japanese and other tourists I often end up chatting to while in there.

My favourites, on that eccentric basis, are:

Grand Bach Kyoto-right there in the middle of Shijo Dori, great concierge who had a good laugh at my husband's stout defence of his kanji readings, along with brilliant local knowledge, and a very nice bath on the top floor. You step off the bustling street and into the peace (and delicious scent) of the hotel. Transport and shops are right there.

Mitsue Gardens Italia Gai in Tokyo: easy to get to from the airport, lots of food of all kinds just nearby; bath to soak the flight away with a view of Tokyo Tower; easy walk to old Tsukuji fish market site for breakfast after morning soak in said bath; both Hamarikyu and Kyu Shiba Rikyu gardens nearby; easy walk through the toris up to Zojoji Temple, Tokyo Tower and the gardens nearby then to Roppongi and beyond; walk to the 'wrong' end of Ginza; trains from Daimon and Hamamatsucho stations, and the monorail, to take you to many places.

Ganjima Besso in Hagi-beautiful Hagi. On a bend in the river, very nice ground floor onsen, timber bath in the room, gardens, delicious breakfast. Staff waiting for us to arrive and sitting us down with tea and sweet for check-in, and greeting us as we departed and arrived, and waved us off as we left; friendly Japanese guests curious about foreigners so far off the beaten track.

Mitsue Gardens is my preferred landing place in Tokyo, usually for two nights. We typically have a night or two somewhere in Shinjuku at the other end of the holiday, my husband likes the Prince which is hard to beat for convenience, but it doesn't have a bath.

Keiunsou in Shinjuku. Ryokan. The best place in Tokyo for price and location. Even my Tokyo friends thought it was a jewel to have found the place. Has a curfew, do not be afraid. If one night you are out late for drinks with friends, you may call the receptionist and he will let you in. ;)

I just wanted to say thank you for everyone's responses, I got busy trying to get my kid to finish out the school year on-line and then was in a funk because I (of course) didn't get to take my annual June trip. Here is hoping I can go back in 2021 if the US could get semi-competent with Covid. I'm fortunate that my state and city are taking it seriously, but so many places here are not.

Coincidentally, @Lazy Pious, I had planned to stay at the Chizanso and the Grand Kyu in Kauizawa if my June trip had happened. I'd been looking forward to seeing the firefly garden near Chizanso. Both are still on my list of places to check out.

It's also not about price... though the worst place I've ever stayed was the cheapest. (It also had a crappy location) It's more.. for those who care about where you stay, where have you stayed where you felt welcome, where did they make you feel like they were glad you were there. I felt like I got better service and everyone was nicer at the Metropolitan Nagano than in the Dormy Nagano. The Metropolitan was cheaper. I tend to spend time in my room between a kid who needs to go to bed by a reasonable time and who also sometimes gets up super early. When I was a single person traveling alone my needs were quite different. I

So, I too like the Mitsuis, though sometimes I find the beds uncomfy. I liked the one in Sendai and the bath free one in Otemachi a lot. I thought for the money, the room was very well appointed and I like the location, a doable walk from Tokyo or Kanda Stations. I've actually been curious about the Grand Bach, so it's nice to read a review from someone on it.

Thank you everyone!