For this post, we get to benefit from the wonderful experience of Mandy Bartok from Uncover Japan. Mandy is a tour guide, travel consultant, and a writer for The Japan Times. She can help you prepare an itinerary for your travels and is available for consultations. She’s also a great photographer, so follow her on Facebook!

I asked Mandy if she could provide some advice for families looking for places to stay in Japan. Here is her advice:

  • Nearly all accommodations offer free lodging for children under the age of 6 (11 for many hotel chains, but 6 for many ryokan) which makes it quite affordable for those willing to share a bed with their child(ren).
  • I find that the budget hotel chains of Toyoko Inn, Tokyu Inn (which also now has the Tokyu REI brand) and MyStays are usually my go to choices. Be warned that the beds at many of these hotels are never larger than queens (doubles are more common, or two twin beds if you can get a twin room) and the bed often takes up most of the room. These types of hotels are great for either one parent and one child traveling together or two parents and a very young/small child. If you have older children or want more room, you'll have to look to the larger and/or pricier international chains.
  • I loved traveling to ryokan with my daughter when she was little. Again, if you are willing to share bed and food, then the child is often free. If not, most ryokan have special pricing for children who don't need either bed OR meal and can accommodate special meal requests. We've often gotten excellent children's meals at the ryokan in which we've stayed.
  • If we can't call a ryokan ourselves, we've found it easy to book ryokan in English on Jalan or Rakuten - while both sites are Japanese, they have English language pages.
  • For those who want to spend a bit more than a night or two in a city, renting a house is an excellent way to go. AirBnB is quite popular in Japan, though the government has attempted to pass several laws regulating the personal rental market so be aware of the current situation before you go.
  • I've always rented a house or apartment in Kyoto through an excellent company called Japan Experience. Their homes are clean, comfortable, and well-located and someone always meets you at the house on arrival to help you settle in and get you familiar with the area.
  • When we've stayed in a house, we've often sent a portable crib ahead for our daughter via takkyubin (express shipping). This is an excellent option if you don't want to carry extra gear with you, though be sure to plan a time for delivery when you know you'll already be in the house.

Thanks Mandy!

Just a few things that I want to add:

  1. Further to the issue about the legality of AirBnBs, I ran across this which may be good news if you are visiting Japan after June 30, 2018.
  2. The takkyubin (宅急便) shipping can be very helpful in your travels in Japan, especially if you want to visit different cities. With a little bit of planning and some advanced communication, you can sent stuff to your next destination, ready to pick-up when you get there. My best friend and I once did a personal marathon from Atami, Shizuoka down the Izu peninsula. Our final destination was an onsen (hot spring) (温泉). Since we were running, we sent our toiletries and change of clothes ahead of time to the hotel and let them know it was coming. Hassle-free, although you will probably need to do it in Japanese. The most famous takkyubin company is Kuroneko Yamato (black cat Yamato, クロネコヤマト), which is more than happy to help you with this service. There are other shipping companies you can use (Sagawa, Seino, Fukuyama), or even Japan Post, but Yamato has the biggest market share and they seem to be actively marketing this exact service. I also find that there are branches everywhere, including in department stores, although again you will probably need to have a working proficiency in Japanese. Finally, how can you miss their logo of the mommy cat carrying a kitten!

Hope you found this helpful and let us know if you have any further questions or comments.