Richie

Most people associate capsule hotels with miniscule rooms and drunk business-men (otherwise known as salary men) who miss the last train home, but more recently a variety of capsule hotels has emerged which offer more services, creature comforts and slightly larger rooms. Capsule hotels are a good alternative for those looking for short-term budget accommodation in Japan, particularly for those travelling alone.

Serviced apartments in Japan are furnished, self contained apartment that are usually rented for short periods of time, from several days or weeks up to a few months. The number of people allowed in the apartment is usually determined by the rent.

Super hotels are a new type of budget hotel which offer cheap, clean accommodation with a minimalistic attitude towards staffing. The goal of the hotel chain is to maintain high customer satisfaction while offering very low prices. They have been successful in this pursuit due to the unique system employed, which includes an automated check-in and check-out which means less staff and cheaper prices.

Weekly Mansions are a good alternative for people looking for short term accommodation in Japan because they don't require key money or foreign registration card, the deposit is low and they are situated in convenient locations.

Youth hosetls are a good alternative for those looking for cheap, short term accommodation in Japan. There are approximately 350 youth hostels located in all major regions with most of them able to accommodate four to eight people in one room. This article describes how the youth hostel system works and provides tips on other alternative budget accommodation in Japan.