Japan Motorcycle Diaries #16: Finding budget accommodations 101

We recently received the following inquiry from one of our readers in Malaysia, so let me answer his questions here and provide some tips for motorcyclists from abroad regarding accommodations in Japan.

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I will be flying to Kansai International Airport (in Osaka Prefecture) in the end of October and renting a motorcycle for 12 days to travel around western Japan. I plan to avoid expressways and to take the back roads. Could I ask how I can book budget accommodations? Where can I look for budget places to stay? Can I walk in or do I need to book online? I typically book online a day ahead in other countries. Thanks!

-- Brendon Lim

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As Mr. Lim usually does, making a reservation on websites like agoda.com and booking.com a day ahead is definitely a wise way to go. They cover many hotels, and users can sort search results by price and book a room in English, which may be easy and convenient for many of our readers.

That said, if your next stop is distant from where you are, the travel could be arduous sometimes, depending on the weather, your physical condition and the traffic situation among other factors. On a long trip, therefore, I usually stop when I get tired, and look for accommodation on the spot.

Walking in to a hotel may work, but the place may already be fully booked or too pricey, especially on weekends, and that's just disappointing. One tactic is to do a hotel search on Google Maps, which will give you a whole slew of options except in very rural areas. They often have guest reviews if you want them (I do not. I just want a place to have a beer and a good night's sleep) and prices. But a warning: those prices aren't accurate at all! So instead of just waltzing in expecting the price quoted on Google Maps, I call ahead to ask about the availability and price of a single room.

When calling hotels, you may be worried if their staff speak English. Unfortunately, many people in Japan (including myself ...) have difficulties in fast English conversation, especially over the phone, but I believe that the larger the hotel is, the more likely it is to have English-speaking employees. In the call, try to use "yes/no" questions in simple terms and speak slowly and clearly. If you know some Japanese phrases, use them. The three phrases I use most often are:

"Single room wa aite masuka?" (Is a single room available?)

"Ikura desuka?" (How much is it?)

"Churinjo wa arimasuka?" (Is there a bike parking spot?)

I hope these three phrases will be of help.

And about those prices, I'm a budget traveler, so I usually set my standard at 6,000 yen (about $40 as of September 2024) per night. If the rate is around my budget or cheaper, great! If it is more expensive, I call another hotel or two and pick the cheapest place. This way, I think I have kept the average of about 6,000 yen per night on my trips in recent years.

Of course, accommodation is more expensive in urban areas, and if they do not meet your budget, avoid places near major train stations. Even if you find nice lodgings in the downtown district of a big city like Osaka, Kobe or Kyoto, make sure there is a spot to park your motorcycle for free or at a reasonable fee.

Mr. Lim says he traveled around Osaka on two wheels some 30 years ago, and I did the same for the first time about 25 years ago. Things have changed a lot since then, when we did not get a ticket for parking a bike virtually anywhere, even on sidewalks. Sadly, I feel that police in Japan have become a lot stricter in the past decade or so. The fine for a motorcycle parking violation is at least 6,000 yen. Leaving your machine at a private parking lot in a heavily urbanized area for just one night could cost even more.

Further afield, if you plan to cross the Seto Inland Sea to the Shikoku island region and look for cheap lodgings, the Henro House website can be a help. As I wrote before, Shikoku has traditionally been a popular destination for Buddhist pilgrims, and there are many cheap lodgings for them as well as nonpilgrims.

Some may say that internet cafes with private rooms are cheaper, but I would not recommend them for foreign visitors because, as far as I know, the "rooms" are just cubicles and too tiny to relax, with no bed or futon. Also, their rates are not much different from budget hotels. This is just for reference, but Kaikatsu Club is a major internet cafe chain in the country, and its fee is just a little less than 6,000 yen for 12 hours.

Anyway, I truly hope more people will visit Japan to explore on motorcycles. Cheers!

(By Tatsuma Kasama, The Mainichi Staff Writer)

Profile:

Tatsuma Kasama is a Japan-born motorbikaholic. A high school encounter with the 1969 American road movie "Easy Rider" changed his life, as he fell madly in love with the motorcycles ridden by the hippie protagonists played by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. His own past rides were a Yamaha Jog-Z, Yamaha DragStar Classic 400, Kawasaki Zephyr 400, and Harley-Davidson Street Bob. He is now the proud single dad to a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 114.

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