Ten places to sleep in Japan that aren’t hotels
Japan has more than a hundred castles and lets you into almost all of them between nine and five. Exactly two hand you a key overnight. The rest of this list is what Japan offers instead: a temple, a thousand-year-old inn, a lamp-lit ryokan with no electricity, and a former geisha house with a private disco.
Ordered by price, from thirty-five dollars for a sleeping pod inside Narita to the castle keep you take over for one night as the lord of the domain.
If any of these stays interest you, the agents at InterlineTravel.com can get you booked not only at the property (assuming it has availability) but also your rental car and a complete custom tour of Japan. Just call them at 800 766-2911 or email stevec@dynamictravel.com.
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Two castles, thirty nights, one group at a time
Ozu takes about 30 bookings a year and Hirado one group a day. Neither is something you find on a booking engine in March for May. The same is true further down the list in a quieter way: Aoni Onsen fills one to three months out and takes reservations by phone in Japanese, the best Koyasan temples with private baths sell out first, and Hoshinoya Kyoto’s river-facing categories differ more than the photos suggest.
We book these direct, in the right season, with the transport and the experience options attached — and we’ll tell you honestly which ones justify the rate for the way you travel. Tell us your dates and how far off the usual Tokyo–Kyoto line you want to get.