48 Unique Hotels in Japan

Built into a cliff facing the Sea of ​​Japan in Izumo, this quirky resort has eight rooms, each resembling a cave. Here, you can enjoy a serene stay, quietly gazing at the waves and the magnificent sunsets from your jacuzzi's hot and bubbly water. Japan is a country where no …

BnA HOTEL, which operates unique hotels where you can stay inside artworks, opened BnA_WALL in the Nihonbashi, the business district of Tokyo, in 2021. In Japan, art and daily life are separate, so BnA's concept of bringing them together created a hotel plastered with murals. Thus, the WALL was born. …

This exclusive find in Tokyo boasts only two private rooms, perched above a mysterious bar that hides on the first floor of a contemporary concrete building. Boutique Sauna Arch overlooks the cobblestone streets of Kagurazaka in the heart of Japan's megalopolis. Just as a pub is to the Irish, a …

Hoshino Resorts is one of Japan's famous hotel chains with 53 national and international locations of Japanese inns (ryokan) since 1904. Their flagship brand, HOSHINOYA, specializes in high-class traditional design and hospitality mixed with modern comforts. They have eight properties (six in Japan, one in Bali, Indonesia, and one in …

Facing the 17th-century Nijo Castle in Central Kyoto across the Horikawa-dori street, The Mitsui hotel combines modern-day luxury with ryokan aesthetics, staff dressed in kimono uniforms, and traditional hot spring onsen baths. Kyoto's brand-new hotel takes inspiration from traditional Japanese inns but replaces thin wooden walls with a rock-solid structure, …

Hotel K5's compact building in Tokyo's business district packs more facilities than its humble exterior would suggest. The simple four-story brick structure houses twenty designer guest rooms, a coffee shop, a restaurant, a brewery, and a cocktail bar. The former bank building in Nihonbashi Kabutochō from the 1920s was transformed …

Ryūgū-jō, in a classic Japanese folktale, is the mythical undersea residence of the Sea God, aka the Dragon Palace Castle. According to the books, this fabulous palace is home to Princess Otohime. For many Japanese people, the legendary tale of the exquisite building beyond the blue sea with coral walls …

Cat Spa & Cat Ryokan by Neco is a ryokan, a capsule hotel, and an animal café, but mostly a place overdosed with cuteness in the heart of Osaka. Ryokans are the Japanese version of Western hotels, with some peculiar differences. The cultural experience begins when you arrive at a …

Japan is at the forefront when it comes to digitalization, robotization, and simplification. And this trend has sneaked into the hotel industry quicker than anywhere else in the world. It started with opening the first capsule hotel in 1979, which was and still is a groundbreaking concept. Making the best …

Japan's evolutionary capsule hotel in Tokyo goes against boutique hotels with a rooftop pool and sauna and a panoramic view of the city's landmark building, the Tokyo Skytree. Japan's passion for capsule hotels dates back to the 70s when the first ones appeared. At first, they were a necessary step …

This sustainable resort on Japan's tropical island opened in 2021 after seven years in the making, hoping to attract people's attention with its cool-looking and eco-friendly treehouses. Okinawa's jungle treehouse getaway is competing to become one of the most Instagrammable places in the world, and if you scroll down to …

Are you an artist, or do you take pride in supporting art? How about a hotel concept where you give money to the artists who created it by staying in the city's hippest rooms? BnA Hotels group came up with the ingenious idea of sharing part of their revenue with …

A newly opened hotel in the coastal city of Kanazawa is making waves. Korinkyo Hotel debuted in late 2021, instantly becoming one of the hippest places to stay for the night. Kanazawa is known as the "little Kyoto", full of charming traditional teahouses and wooden structures where you can get …

Shusaku Arakawa was an emblematic figure of the Japanese neo-dadaism and conceptualism movements. His close relationship with writer and artist Madeline Gins led to various collaborations between creative minds. The two have worked together on paintings, experimental filmmaking, performance art, and architectural projects. The Reversible Destiny Lofts is one of …

Japan doesn't shy away from weird and quirky concepts, and Hoshino Resorts' countryside resort is no exception. You would expect a farm stay to have cottages and maybe luxurious tents. But not here. Tomamu the Tower is a set of skyscrapers amid pristine nature. Tomamu consists of two buildings, and …

Hoshinoya is a Japanese luxury hotel collection with five properties in the country and one each in Taiwan and Bali. Their first resort in Okinawa Prefecture opened in 2020. The modern but undeniably Japanese complex of Hoshinoya Okinawa stretches on a scenic beach of the East China Sea. It's a …

Japan is worldwide known for its quirky and unique cultural characteristics in architecture, art, traditions, and daily life. And it's no different when it comes to staying in a hotel. Japan offers kinky stays at love hotels, affordable and slightly crammed in capsule hotels, and also something called Shukubo. It's …

With soaring property prices in Japan's capital, hotels are forced to innovate and squeeze out the most of each square foot of space. While traditional hostels might scare away the more conservative crowd, MyCUBE does not compromise essential privacy. Their fully enclosable capsules are spacious and well equipped. The unique …

Marriott group's launch of the Moxy brand in Japan signifies a new era in sleek and funky accommodation. Moxy hotels are geared towards fun-loving travelers with their playground-like interiors. The cooperation with the local-based studio Wise Labo resulted in a complete revamp of an 11-story warehouse and showroom in a …

Nagasaki Prefecture's Hirado Castle opened Japan's first "shirohaku" castle stay. It's located in the historic hilltop castle from the 18th century with panoramic views across the Hirado Strait. In 1599, Matsura Shigenobu, a local warlord, constructed a castle called Hinotake-jō on this site. He then burned it down in 1613. …