Guide · Plan the trip
Hotel taxes in Japan and where to stay
Hotel tax is charged per person per night on the room-only price. Kyoto is $1 to $65 (¥200 to ¥10,000); Tokyo moves to 3% on 1 Apr 2027.
Hotel tax in Japan is charged per person per night on the room-only price, so meals do not change it, and each city sets its own rates. Kyoto charges $1 to $65 (¥200 to ¥10,000) since 1 March 2026, and Osaka charges $1 to $3 (¥200 to ¥500) since 1 September 2025. Tokyo moves from a small tax to 3% on 1 April 2027, and Okinawa starts a 2% tax capped at $13 (¥2,000) on 1 February 2027.
Private rentals, called minpaku, may operate 180 days a year, and hotels ask to see your passport at check-in. Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate.
How much is the hotel tax in each city?
Seven places charge or have announced a tax, and Kyoto’s top band is the highest at $65 (¥10,000). The amounts below are per person per night.
| City | Tax per person per night | From |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto | $1 to $65 (¥200 to ¥10,000), by room rate | 1 Mar 2026 |
| Osaka | $1 to $3 (¥200 to ¥500), by room rate | 1 Sep 2025 |
| Tokyo now | $1 (¥100) from $65 (¥10,000); $1 (¥200) from $97 (¥15,000) | Since 2002 |
| Tokyo 2027 | 3% of the room-only charge, none below $84 (¥13,000) | 1 Apr 2027 |
| Okinawa | 2% of the room charge, capped at $13 (¥2,000) | 1 Feb 2027 |
| Nagano | $1 (¥200) to 31 May 2029, then $2 (¥300); none under $39 (¥6,000) | 1 Jun 2026 |
| Hokkaido | $1 (¥100), $1 (¥200) or $3 (¥500), by room rate | 1 Apr 2026 |
| Fukuoka City | $1 (¥200) under $130 (¥20,000); $3 (¥500) from $130 (¥20,000) | Hotel notices |
Four notes qualify the table:
- Hokkaido. The start date is confirmed, but the amounts come from press and hotel notices because the official rate table is an image. The tiers are under $130 (¥20,000), $130 to $325 (¥20,000 to ¥49,999) and $325 (¥50,000) and up. Sapporo adds a city levy, so its totals are $2 (¥300), $3 (¥400) and $6 (¥1,000).
- Fukuoka. The figures come from a hotel notice; the city’s page was not read.
- Okinawa. The prefecture’s share is 0.8%, capped at $5 (¥800), where a municipal tax also applies. The planned municipalities are Motobu, Onna, Chatan, Miyako, Ishigaki and Nago.
- Nagano. Towns add their own tax, per the Nagano guide: Matsumoto, Karuizawa, Achi, Hakuba and Nozawa Onsen. Quotes for Hakuba and Nozawa conflict, so ask the lodging for the total.
How do the Kyoto and Osaka bands work?
Both cities charge by the room price per person per night, meals excluded. Kyoto’s tax covers hotels, ryokan and minpaku.
| Kyoto tax | Room price per person per night |
|---|---|
| $1 (¥200) | Under $39 (¥6,000) |
| $3 (¥400) | $39 to $130 (¥6,000 to ¥19,999) |
| $6 (¥1,000) | $130 to $325 (¥20,000 to ¥49,999) |
| $26 (¥4,000) | $325 to $645 (¥50,000 to ¥99,999) |
| $65 (¥10,000) | $645 (¥100,000) and above |
| Osaka tax | Room price per person per night |
|---|---|
| Not listed | Under $32 (¥5,000) |
| $1 (¥200) | $32 to $97 (¥5,000 to ¥14,999) |
| $3 (¥400) | $97 to $130 (¥15,000 to ¥19,999) |
| $3 (¥500) | $130 (¥20,000) and above |
Tokyo today taxes only hotels and ryokan, and rooms under $65 (¥10,000) pay nothing. The 2027 rule adds simple lodging and private rentals, and the Tokyo guide counts capsule hotels among them.
What does one night cost in tax?
On a room at $130 (¥20,000) per person per night, these rules give:
| City | Tax per person per night |
|---|---|
| Kyoto | $6 (¥1,000) |
| Osaka | $3 (¥500) |
| Tokyo now | $1 (¥200) |
| Tokyo 2027 | $4 (¥600) |
| Okinawa 2027 | $3 (¥400) |
Two people staying four nights in Kyoto at that rate pay $52 (¥8,000): 2 people × 4 nights × $6 (¥1,000).
Before you book Add the tax for every night on your route. Tokyo’s rate changes on 1 April 2027 and Okinawa’s starts on 1 February 2027, so use today’s Tokyo rates for stays before the first date.
What is the 180-day limit on private rentals?
A minpaku may provide lodging for 180 days or fewer in a year, under the Private Lodging Business Act, per the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Local ordinances can restrict it further. The alternatives are a licence under the Ryokan Business Act or certification in a National Strategic Special Zone.
When you book a private rental, ask the host which of these the listing runs under. The tax follows the stay: Kyoto includes minpaku now, and Tokyo includes them from 1 April 2027.
What happens at check-in?
Bring your passport. Under the Hotel Business Act, a guest with no address in Japan gives a nationality and passport number in the guest register, which the hotel keeps for 3 years. A 2014 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare notice tells operators to ask to see the passport and keep a copy, so expect a copy to be taken. The notice was found through a search result and not opened.
What does a ryokan add?
A ryokan rate usually includes dinner and breakfast, and alcohol is extra. Two secondary guides give per-person ranges of $97 to $160 (¥15,000 to ¥25,000) and $97 to $260 (¥15,000 to ¥40,000) or more with two meals. The booking page sets the real rate.
Listings show a bathing or accommodation tax of about $1 (¥150) per person per night, and it varies by municipality. If dinner is included, arrive by about 17:00. Dinner is usually served between 18:00 and 19:00, and a late arrival can forfeit it, sometimes with no refund (unconfirmed).
Tell the inn about diet or allergy needs when you book. Gora Kadan asks for requests by 18:00 the day before and says the menu cannot change on the day. Guides report cancellation charges of 20 to 30% two to three days before, 50% the day before and 100% on the day, so read the policy before you pay. The full rules are in Staying in a ryokan.
Before you go Note your arrival time. A late arrival can cost you dinner.
Where should you stay in Tokyo and Kansai?
Choose the area by the trip: Shinjuku for nightlife, Asakusa for old Tokyo, Tokyo Station for Shinkansen days, Kyoto for temples and Osaka for food. The picks come from the region guides, not from an official neighbourhood list.
| Area | Suits | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Shinjuku | Nightlife and late opening hours | Kabukicho touts |
| Shibuya | Youth culture; Ebisu is quieter | Limited hotel choice, per one guide |
| Asakusa | Old Tokyo, temples, museums | Farther from the neon |
| Tokyo Station | Shinkansen days | The Skyliner does not stop here |
| Kyoto | Temples, Gion, winter openings | Highest average room rate of the three big cities |
| Osaka | Food, cheaper beds, airport trains | Namba is loud |
| Nara | Deer and Todai-ji | No lodging prices or tax found |
| Koyasan | A temple night, $65 to $260 (¥10,000 to ¥40,000) | Cold; curfew near 21:00; guides disagree on price |
A hotel-data report puts Kyoto’s average daily room rate in May 2026 at $295 (¥45,700) and Osaka’s at $180 (¥27,900), about 40% lower. Booking sites put Tokyo’s average room at $245 (¥37,700) in May and $225 (¥34,800) in June 2026, tax included. The Japan Tourism Agency accommodation pages give no room rate.
Tokyo and Kanto and Kansai list day trips from each base.
What is not confirmed?
Descriptions of the accommodation types other than ryokan (hotel, minshuku, capsule hotel, hostel and temple stay), an official check-in or check-out time, accessible-room rules and the display of a minpaku registration number are not on a source read for this guide. Check each property’s page, and ask about accessible rooms before you book.
Where next?
Add the tax to your total in How much a trip to Japan costs, and read what the border asks in Entering Japan. Routes that fix the number of nights per city are in Japan itineraries for 1, 2 and 3 weeks, and every planning page is in the Plan hub. For snow-town baths and inns, see the Onsen hub.
Questions
$1 to $65 (¥200 to ¥10,000) per person per night since 1 Mar 2026, by room rate. A room at $130 (¥20,000) per person per night pays $6 (¥1,000). Kyoto also lists an onsen tax of $1 (¥150) per person per night where a bath is part of the stay.
Yes, a small one: $1 (¥100) from $65 (¥10,000) a night and $1 (¥200) from $97 (¥15,000), at hotels and ryokan only. From 1 Apr 2027 it becomes 3% of the room-only charge, with none below $84 (¥13,000) per person per night, and it adds simple lodging and private rentals.
180 or fewer under the Private Lodging Business Act (minpaku), per the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Local ordinances can restrict it further. Operators can also use a Ryokan Business Act licence or special-zone certification.
Expect it. Guests with no address in Japan give their nationality and passport number in the guest register. A 2014 health ministry notice tells operators to ask to see the passport and keep a copy.
No. The tax is worked out on the room-only price per person per night, so a ryokan's dinner and breakfast do not raise it.