In another thread, someone said that July/August is not the best time to go to Japan but the prices are more affordable. I'm hoping to find some good deals concerning places to stay in Tokyo and Osaka, four nights each in early August (it sounds like a reasonable time to spend in each city). I speak no Japanese, neither does my wife. I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Prices more reasonable in July and August? Aside from New Year and Golden Week (late April-early May), airfares to/from Japan in August are as high as they get, as mid-August is when the Japanese get a precious few days off.

Many head to their place of origin in the country, so Tokyo and Osaka may be fairly empty, but the domestic transportation network is overloaded, with many trains running standing room only on weekends in August.

I would expect demand to be somewhat softer at major city hotels in early August, but not enough to warrant large discounts. In my experience, February and November yield the lowest room rates.

Kyoto is a case apart, as most of its visitors are tourists, often trying to catch the extremely pleasant months of April-May and Sept-October.

Don't worry about the language problem. Signs in Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto are mostly bilingual, and most Japanese in the tourism industry will very politely and patiently attempt to understand your english (nearly all younger Japanese have studied english 5+ years, they just fear speaking it).


As for suggestions, you'll need to be more specific about your budget. Expect at the very least $100 a day for a normal hotel room in Tokyo.

Thanks monahos. I already have the plane tickets. $100/day would be ok, I wouldn't mind paying $150 for a decent location in Tokyo.

I see you are set on August . I actually like the Japanese summer despite the humidity, as I tend to do better in warmer climates.

The major chain hotels currently don't appear to have specials for August yet. I suppose the evolution of SARS will dictate prices as, for instance, the New Otani Tokyo is offering good rooms at Y18,000 until the end of June (about half the usual amount).

Generally, among the majors ***** prices will range from Y20,000 up, with Century Hyatt < Renaissance Ginza < Keio Plaza I-C < Hilton < New Otani = Grand Hyatt < Westin < Park Hyatt < Four Seasons in order of increasing prices, and a smattering of Japanese top-end hotels (Okura, Imperial, etc.)

Within the Yamanote loop (which roughly corresponds to Tokyo proper) under Y20,000 some candidates would be (in decreasing price order):
- Asakasa Prince
- Roppongi Prince
- Crowne Plaza Ikebukuro
- Shiba Park hotel (has last minute online specials)
- Shinjuku Prince
- New Otani Inn

Obviously, there are many more hotels in Tokyo, some of which will appear on various booking engines, possibly with great prices. Feel free to ask for more feedback if you find something interesting.

Remember to add about 20% in taxes to the quoted room rates


I am unfamiliar with the Osaka hotel scene, apart from the major US chains. Osaka being a business center above all, I assume you are planning on day trips in the Kansai region; otherwise, 4 days there may not be the best use of your time. If so, a Japan Rail Pass will pay for itself quickly (I recommend a 1st class Green pass at that time of the year), and is available in Western Japan and Kansai formats as well.

fsexman,

I know I posted that the price was too good to pass up. I had used a travel auction site and had won a couple auctions of airfare from the US to Japan on Thai Airways (back when most airline auctions the winner would accrue status FF miles, now the auctions don't). The winning prices were ridiculously low so we did not pass it up.

I just looked online for Holiday Inns, the HI Express in Osaka is $60 per night for late dates in July. I know nothing about the hotel or its location.

You don�t have an email address. Email me and I will provide you with a great travel agent�s name that will search to find a deal for you.

edited to add: I forgot about this website, perhaps your hotel answers lie in here: http://www.asia-hotels.com/hl/Japan.asp

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[This message has been edited by Sweet Willie (edited 06-10-2003).]

Thanks for the info, guys. I'll write about my experience when I come back.

Sweet Willie, I just emailed you about the travel agent.

Here's my current plan:

Arrive at NRT on 8/6 in the afternoon. Spend two nights in Tokyo at the Mansions at Roppongi (from asia-hotels.com, seems interesting). Take the shinkansen to Kyoto (Sweet Willie and Stephanie's comments made me think it's better as a base than Osaka) and spend four nights at (probably) the Alpha hotel. Go back to Tokyo on the 12th to spend the last two nights (will the O-Bon festival between the 13th and 15th make this difficult?).

I'm planning to get the Green JR pass for two and activate it before leaving Tokyo on the 8th. I'm also planning to take my laptop since both hotels have broadband connections.

If any of this raises a red flag with someone, I would appreciate any advice. The warm weather doesn't faze me and I'm starting to get excited.

I am planning on going to Tokyo either on August or December. I have award reservations for both weeks (actually 6 nights with Hilton). I am looking for the air tickets and that will decide if I go in August or December. I want to go to Disney is that "doable" if I am staying at the Tokyo Hilton, the one by Disney was already booked for those dates. Is it better to go in December if I want to see the Disney Parks (Decorations, special activities)?

fsexman, sounds like a good plan. Tokyo is quite empty during o-bon; in fact, temperatures drop a few degrees as so many air conditioners are turned off! BTW just about every hotel/ryokan in Kyoto has A/C. Since most Japanese buildings don't have central heating, the A/C unit also serves as a heater in winter.


Viajera, Tokyo is quite festive in December, quite unlike Jan-Feb. Tokyo Disneyland is halfway between Narita and Shinjuku: getting there from the Hilton will require at least two changes by train. The most convenient way would be Disney's nonstop Shinjuku-Disneyland shuttle bus.

As for choosing between August and December, the weather should probably be the main consideration: a humid 35C with the odd typhoon, or a relatively mild 5-10C ?

monahos: Thank you for the train information. The cold doesn't bother me since I live in Chicagoland and I know that Disney goes the extra mile to decorate the parks for Christmas. Now I just need the air tickets.

Just for reference, here is The Mansions at Roppongi website. It was tough to find!

Also try this site:

http://www.mytrip.net/en/en_kensaku.html

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