Hello world! Where I'm from in Japan, this is what a hotel is like. Nah, I'm kidding. I'm actually in Las Vegas
Except I'm not, I'm still in Japan and I know what you're thinking - Greg, you really splurged to this time
But no I actually didn't. This is one of the cheapest options I've had at this time of night and it is...
11:15 p.m. At night. Thank you very much Fitbit
And I'm tired. Too tired to tell the story right now of why I am in a...
Love hotel all by my lonesome
but
after I have had my breakfast which will be
I'm going for the pancake set, because I don't feel like the Salmon no Tataki in the morning. So,
After I have my pancake set, I will explain. Good night!
Hello world, where in the world do you stay when visiting Japan?
There are so many options - regular hotel, business hotel, capsule hotel, Minpaku (Airbnb)
Minshuku, Ryokan, and yes, the love hotel. Well, I've been to all these places
So let me break them down for you, and give you the pros and cons
The do's and don'ts and yeah also teach you how to escape a love hotel
But first let's start with Japan's good old regular vanilla hotels
This is the easiest type of accommodation to explain it's fairly close to what you'd expect from a western hotel bed, mini-fridge
wifi, kettle, bathroom
But no shower
I felt like I should be doing something but
I'm tired
Okay, this particular hotel is a bit different. It's a special hotel that has a public bath attached
So the bathing facilities are actually shared. In most western style hotels in Japan
You'd usually get a shower in the bathroom
If you find yourself in a place like this
You'd grab this face towel and regular towel, go to the locker room, get naked and take the face towel with you
After that, clean yourself with soap and the face towel at one of the stations, then enjoy the bath or maybe relax in the sauna
Just don't put your towel or hair in the water. I'll link to a more detailed guide in the description
Often hotels have breakfast included depending on the price you've paid for accommodation
They can range from edible to delicious, but they generally skewed Japanese style. So be aware that it's probably not pancakes, eggs and bacon
Oh and a big thing anywhere in Japan if you see a raised floor like this
Especially one where there are slippers take off your shoes. Almost every single family or friend
I've had visit me in Japan has stepped with shoes in places where they shouldn't have. This is probably the biggest no-no
Did I just say no-no? I mean biggest screwup. How about that.
That a foreigner does that actually causes Japanese people trauma. Raised floor almost always means take off your shoes
Final thing to point out about Western style hotels in Japan is that there's also the business hotel
It's essentially the same thing as a regular hotel room, but just smaller. Think tiny dorm room and you'll have the right idea
Okay, let's do the pros and cons of western-style hotels in Japan. Pros. They are familiar
They usually include breakfast. The location is generally convenient and is in walking distance to a train station
Cons. Depending on the hotel,
they can be expensive. But business hotels are relatively affordable. Rooms will be smaller than places
you would find in Canada or the United States, especially in big cities
You often pay per person not per room and they're fairly strict about the number of people allowed in a room
Beautiful B-roll time. This was my morning view of the Seto Inland Sea and the reason why I booked my hotel here
Now on to capsule hotels
Yes, the famous Japanese capsule hotels where you sleep the night away in a pod.On this floor, there are actually 108 of them
They're fairly basic - a radio, TV, light, mirror, and of course, a bed.
There are screens you can pull down for privacy, but that's about it
Except it isn't. There are a bunch of common areas included
You have a hangout room and behind it, relaxation chairs, an eating area with a kitchen
So this capsule hotel will come with breakfast. You can even get bear and ice cream.
A massage corner yay
There's also a work corner. Boo
But like the last place there's something special about here as well. You see these lockers
Well, this is where you get naked, because yes, this is a spa and capsule hotel combined
I was allowed to film everywhere but the public bath and sauna part
But this is what it looks like from the picture. I think it actually looks nicer in person
Anyways, it was at this point that I saw everyone getting naked that I realized that it was a male-only capsule hotel
Although there is female staff. Just so you know
But generally at a regular capsule hotel
You would put your stuff in a storage locker and then use the communal bathing, toilets, and sinks
So it's kind of like dorm living except people take being quiet in the capsule area, which has its own floor quite seriously
So really no talking in there
Alright pros and cons time. Pros. It's cheap and even a bit cheaper if you booked online
It's accessible at all hours
which is actually quite important as this is not the case for all accommodation types in Japan,
although checking times can vary depending on the location.
And it actually has a decent bed as counterintuitive as that might sound. It was cozy
Cons, there's limited storage space. Although you can usually get a storage locker for oversized items
People are very quiet in the capsule area, but there's the potential to hear others come and gang going
So if you're an ultra light sleeper, you might want to use earbuds headphones or use a different type of accommodation
It's not like sleeping in a coffin
I actually enjoy the pods but it's not for cluster phobic people either. You can't be loud and you don't really have private space
Let's roll our second set of b-roll footage right in the middle of a rice field
Relax, enjoy
Next up is Airbnb, or Minpaku. A Minpaku is basically someone's home that is not run as a hotel business
So no check-in desk, no fire safety equipment and so on. A Minshuku, on the other hand, is run as a hotel business
But they can still look very much like a traditional Japanese home. I'll explain more in the Minshuku section
This is an Airbnb
We stayed at and it's an old Japanese home that was converted into a daycare center and then into an Airbnb place
This is why you get this cute little toilet
The real adult sized toilet is behind. This one came with an old-school tub in the bathing room
But the kitchen looked like what you'd find in a basic apartment.
I really like these exterior hallways. All along it, it has these lovely sliding doors, although they are quite loud
The sleeping rooms were nice
You get the Tatami mats and you sleep right on the ground with a supplied futons. If you want authentic Japanese living
Well, you're getting it when you go with a Minpaku
Now to the pros and cons. Pros
For the space and quality you get, they are cheaper than other accommodation types. You get to experience authentic Japanese living both traditional and modern
Depending on the place, although it'll be a lot less cluttered than the average Japanese house. Trust me many places have laundry facilities. Yay
Depending on the host, you may be able to interact a bit and even grab a meal together
You have all the amenities of a house from a kitchen, to a dining table, to a washing machine
You probably don't have to meet other hotel guests and the location can be anywhere
Cons.
Sometimes you need to meet up with the host at a specific time which can be difficult to do with the unpredictability of traveling
At someone's house, so there's more pressure not to break or mess anything up
You're expected to leave things as you found them
Like if you use dishes you should wash them. If you have garbage you put it out on garbage day
With Airbnb there be clean and other fees so look closely at the final price
Every place has their own rules, so it can be a hassle to learn new rules everywhere you go
While it's nice that the location can be anywhere
You can also really be in the middle of nowhere, which is not convenient if you're traveling by public transportation
there's usually no breakfast, but many will have some basics like tea or coffee or some instant Miso or noodles
And one last con of these country homes are the spiders. We had lots of fun avoiding this one
Let's go
subtropical with the b-roll footage and I know you'll ask so I'll save myself a comment and tell you that this is Kouzushima,
a little island south of Tokyo
Whoever came up with this idea for a swimming hole has my respect. I just love the wooden structures
Now we find ourselves at a Minshuku, or guest house. Like a Minpaku,
A Minshuku can look or even be like a person's house, but they are commercial accommodations and more inn like
So think check-in desk
Dining area for everyone to eat breakfast, lots of toilets, some more toilets and a big bathing area
These are generally owner run. So like a bed-and-breakfast type of place. This one happens to be on an island
So they had a great area to hose down and clean up. Plus parasols and water toys you've used at the beach
Breakfast is usually served and it's not uncommon to get dinner as well. Let's hit up those pros and cons
Pros
They're not usually owned by big corporations. So expect a more local experience and maybe even a quirky owner
You'll get a fairly authentic stay in Japanese lodging
You might get some personalized services like being picked up from the ferry terminal or train station
It's more affordable than Ryokan which will cover soon. So sit tight
Cons. Many are cash only so be prepared
Check-in and checkout times can be fairly restrictive. So make sure to check those checks. There are set times to eat
So again check check check
As for location, they're probably not the most convenient
In conclusion, there is step above hostels, but not as fancy as the Ryokans.
But before we get to either let's have some more b-roll footage
This is of Edogawa River where our next hostel is located nearby
This is a unique place called Shibamata Futen.
It used to be the dormitory for city workers, but has since been converted to a hostel.
While I haven't been to many hostels in my life, this one seems rather on the upscale side
Here's the lobby and like with any other accommodation facility in Japan, foreign visitors are required to fill in their nationality
Passport number, name, address and occupation into a guest registration form. They'll also need to show their passport
So that a photocopy can be taken. It's the law for all accommodations in Japan
Because this is a former dormitory and it's newly renovated. It's unique in what you'll find
They have rooms that are more japanese-style so futons on tatami mats
Some quasi Japanese so futons on raised tatami mats. Again, you see the boundary, so don't bring in your shoes
However, they have a whole western section in this place. So in these rooms walking in with shoes is a-ok
All the rooms are hostel rooms. So no frills. It's just a room, a bed, and that's about it
But like the capsule hotels, there're lots of shared spaces.
In this one, there's a meeting room, although I don't think you'll be hanging out here
There's a hangout room. Although they may have said this was the library, but I can't remember.
And there's a very spacious and well-equipped kitchen and dining area. It's quite nice
Something that is quite convenient and affordable is the laundry room
200 yen to wash 100 yen to dry
We have shower facilities, but not baths, which is quite rare for Japanese accomodations. Although I don't know
what's the norm for hostels in Japan. The sink room looks just fine.
And the toilets, they are the latest. So no worries on this front
one great thing I noticed is that they have a full-on barrier-free bathroom. Top notch.
And down the hall, they have a barrier-free room with two beds and while I didn't film it as it was being cleaned
There's a bathing room specially designed for wheelchair access
You can also rent wheels. Bike wheels that is, so that you can tour around like a local
How about some pros and cons.
Pros
It's a good place for solo travelers, although they do have rooms that can sleep multiple people and multiple rooms,
so it may not be a bad place for couples or small groups. In fact with this particular place
You could totally make good use of all the facilities if you had a big group
It's good for people who want to meet up and interact with like-minded individuals
It is a hostel after all.
And the last pro is that it's a hostel, so it's usually the cheapest type of accommodation you'll find
Cons
Locations of hostels are normally not as prime as hotels
They're not as quiet and calm as capsule hotels, even though it's a similar dormitory style
If you're in a bunk bed room and you'll have even less privacy than a capsule hotel
I should note though that this particular hostel has only private rooms at the moment
So you'll have no problems with privacy here, but they do have plans to build a bunk bedroom, which will be a shared room
Now on to the creme de la creme of Japanese accommodations, the Ryokan.
However, first let's enjoy this scenic river setting
A Ryokan, a.k.a., a fancy traditional Japanese inn
The characters Ryokan literally mean "travel building". There are modern and old ones
But this one is more of a modern family one
you have all the typical things like a Genkan where you take off your shoes, a sliding door and Futons on the ground.
This low table on the tatami mat has Zabuton, or sitting cushions, which are on Zaisu, or sitting chairs
To the left is the Oshire, which is the closet where other futons are stored. Oh Futons are Futon
I keep on mixing my pronunciation so just live with it
Anyways, during dinner the staff pushed the tables aside and placed down the futons for our children
Then there's this nice sitting area separated by the Shoji screen door
Here we find the yukata, which I encourage you to wear around the Ryokan both inside and outside of your room
But please do wear your underwear underneath
When you go to a Ryokan, it's your destination, not your jumping-off point
So expect to relax in the hot springs, eat hearty meals, and enjoy your time
For a relaxing time make it Ryokan time
This was a family type of Ryokan, so it had buffing style eating in the dining hall
But the fancier ones will bring meals to your room
Here's what a non buffet meal would look like
although this was in a dining hall not in our room
When you see pictures of a nice hot spring overlooking a river stream
Well, there's a good chance that you're looking at a Ryokan's hot springs
The good news is that although Ryokans are expensive,
Some of them will open the door to the public during certain hours and you can jump into their water at a very reasonable price
Think maybe a thousand yen or so which is like 10 bucks
Okay, let's get to the pros and cons.
Pros
This is relaxing it up japanese-style
They often provide night dinners and breakfasts. And in fact, this can be a big factor in where people choose to stay
The more modern facilities will have game rooms, Karaoke, and even swimming pools
They are all-in-one entertainment facilities
They're usually located in picturesque places in small towns
Cons
Eating times can be quite limited. So they're not places where you show up whenever
Like this place. They're usually on the pricier side and they almost always with the exception of very young ones charged by the head
So it can add up for a large family
They're not good for quick stops, but are more for people who want to stay there and enjoy the experience
I'll just repeat this again. They're not jumping off points for adventures. They are the destination
Now on to the dessert - the love hotel, although not without another relaxing b-roll transition
Love hotels were at their inception a place where couples could meet up and hang out for an hour or two
And that's my PG explanation won't get more explicit than that in traditional Japanese homes
walls were thin, like paper thin sometimes. So the love hotels were a good place to go for privacy
However, in recent times I've discovered that some of them are going mainstream and I was surprised to even find them on booking.com
Yep, you can book them online like any other hotel. Not sponsored by the way
If they're being straightforward, they'll say adult only, but I happen to book one that didn't say adult only by accident
I should have known by the look of the room. But oh well while love hotels are mostly used for quick rests
They also have a stay option. Perhaps surprisingly staying overnight at a love hotel is relatively affordable
The best way I can describe a love hotel is to get you to think about what a themed hotel room in Las Vegas might
Look like with the few quirks
Which we'll get to with the pros and cons
Pros. You can check in at any time of the day nice
It's even priced according to peak demand times. So that's why the overnight stay isn't so pricey
Unlike other types of accommodations you pay per room not per person
Although it's normally expected that they're all only be two people
However, I have seen that there are group rooms in some places
In any case I'd check about occupancy limits to avoid any potential issues
There are a lot of amenities and even some I won't show you
PG remember
On the surface, all seems quite clean and for what you pay you'll get a spacious and well-equipped room
That was unintentional but I just realized what I said
Cons. In regular accommodations, you're usually allowed to drop off your luggage and at events
But because these are loved hotels I don't believe luggage drop-off is possible
But who knows, things be a changing, and as far as I know most people don't book in advance you just show up
So this can be a pro in certain situations I suppose, but it could be a con if you're trying to plan things out
Generally when you enter a love hotel, there's a boarder screen that you choose your room from
Although I know some chains have online booking so they're not being able to book an advanced thing
Maybe only for old-school places. The location might be really odd, but it depends on the city
Usually there are no windows or balconies and if they do have them, it's not a good view
You might get locked in
Testing testing one, two. Okay.
Doorbell rang
Okay, no joke people I was just gonna say there's the mystery of what this little door is for and then
This showed up a lady actually passed it through the door. You can open it like this
But I figured out if you try to open this door, you can't it's actually locked
So you're kind of stuck in here
I don't know how you get out yet, but I guess you could squeeze through this door if you wanted to
Okay, so this is breakfast folks and looked and tasted like the pitcher. Let's see if that's a real maple syrup
It wasn't. Alright, my breakfast is still waiting for me, but I'm trying to figure out how to get out of here
So there's an automatic button
How do I get out
Hmm
Okay, guys no joke. I have this card I think I'm supposed to put it into a machine
Here's the TV inexplicably playing Christmas music
To the charts check here. So let's
Oh, well that distant I got
Woohoo
All right crucial update. This card needs to go in with Seisanki, which is the settlement machine
and I was looking all over the room for it and I could not find it
and the reason is it's on the first floor and
I was trying to find it because the door as I showed before was locked
You cannot get out at night time, but I guess in the morning they allow you out
so I'm gonna going to try to open the handle and see if I can get out of here and
Well escape. All right the moment of truth
By the way
I used this machine to pay and then this door opened up so I can make my escape
This whole experience was interesting because like I said love hotels used to be for couples looking to be discreet
That's what these sign boards for. Your license plates are all about
But now some places have free drink bars or you can all meet up
so don't be surprised if you by chance find yourself treating yourself to some welcome sweets and lunch service on your visit to Japan
And now back to our regularly
scheduled programming
Whenever I travel I usually bring my headphones and some books to listen to on audible
Not only is it good for a plane or a train ride?
But before bed I find it helps get my mind off things and relax
That's of course after I plug in and charge all my devices. Look at this mess
During my trip. I was listening to Hank Green's an absolutely remarkable thing
He's an OG youtuber and a big inspiration of mine and these noise-canceling headphones worked. So well, I couldn't even hear myself
So I'm taking them off. Anyways, I can't speak to other youtubers who have gotten book deals, but this is a legit
Fascinating story. It combines a little bit of sci-fi, a bit of commentary on internet fame and, a little bit of mystery adventure
I really recommend it and I really enjoyed it because this video sponsored by audible
Let's do the ad thing
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Go to audible.com/lifewhereimfrom, or text lifewhereimfrom to 500 500
Again, that's audible.com/lifewhereimfrom, or text lifewhereimfrom to 500 500
Yeah audible now has audible originals
These are exclusive audio titles created by celebrated storytellers from worlds as diverse as the theatre
Journalism, literature and more and yeah
So you get two audible originals plus one audiobook every month with your subscription. Pretty cool.
And this is something that's just me here. You can cancel anytime
I know they have it small
But you really can you can also pause at any time if you need a little break from your subscription and the last thing
I'll say is that if you get into a book say you've read a few chapters
And it's just not for you, and this has happened to me
You can actually swap out for free for a different book. So really is risk free
Okay, what else can I say last b-roll seemed for y'all? Enjoy.
Thanks for watching. See you next time. Bye what are accommodations like where you're from?