NipponStays (Page 2)

Katsurahama beach in Kochi under a grey sky, with a pine-topped headland and a small red shrine pavilion at the far end of the bay

Where to Stay in Kochi: Station Area or Harimayabashi?

Where to stay in Kochi: the JR station area is the easier base; Harimayabashi and OMO7 Kochi work too, with a ¥230 flat tram fare in the city zone.

The glass facade of JR Asahikawa Station in Hokkaido under a cloudy sky, seen from the brick station square

JR Inn Hokkaido: 10:00 Check-Out and Baths at Five of Six

JR Inn Hokkaido rules: check-in 15:00, check-out 10:00 at all six, preschoolers co-sleep free, large baths at five of six (checked Oct 2026).

A bowl of Sanuki udon topped with a chikuwa tempura and chopped spring onion in Takamatsu

Daiwa Roynet With Kids: Which Rooms Take Three or Four

Daiwa Roynet with kids: Takamatsu tops out at three, Kyoto Shijo has a 4-bed room, Utsunomiya lets primary-school kids co-sleep free. Check-in 2pm.

A bowl of free late-night shoyu ramen (yonaki soba) with sliced spring onion and seaweed at Dormy Inn Premium Otaru

Dormy Inn With Kids: ¥3,000 Co-Sleeping and One Child per Bed

Dormy Inn with kids: under-3s co-sleep free, ages 3 through elementary school pay ¥3,000, one child per bed, no cots. Otaru FAQ, Oct 2026.

Guest room at Hakata Excel Hotel Tokyu in Fukuoka, with a bed, an armchair, a small round table, a desk and a window

Tokyu Hotels With Kids: Free Co-Sleeping, Except in Yokohama

Tokyu Hotels with kids: under-school-age co-sleeping is free at Hakata, Matsue and Kumamoto, ¥1,000 at Yokohama REI. Cancel by 3pm the day before.

Snow-laden larch and cedar trees beside a groomed snowy track in Myoko, Niigata, in early morning

How to Get to Lotte Arai Resort From Tokyo, Niigata or Seoul

How to get to Lotte Arai Resort: a free guest shuttle from Joetsumyoko, booked by 7am, or fly Seoul-Niigata then train (checked Sept 2026).

The sun rising behind a sharp mountain peak above a sea of clouds, seen from a summit

Palcall Tsumagoi Sunrise Gondola: 6:30am at 2,100m, ¥3,500

Palcall Tsumagoi's sunrise gondola runs 6:30-8am (6am from March), Wed/Sat/Sun/holidays, for ¥3,500 — but only guests staying at the base can make it.

Rows of cabbage in the Tsumagoi highland fields of Gunma under a summer sky with scattered clouds

Where to Stay for Palcall Tsumagoi: On the Slope or Baragi

Palcall Tsumagoi Resort Hotel sits on the slope with a guest-only shuttle; Baragi Kogen Lodge is the quieter option next door for 2026-27.

Snow-capped Mount Asama above snowy fields under a blue sky, seen from the Karuizawa side

How to Get to Palcall Tsumagoi From Tokyo Without a Car

How to get to Palcall Tsumagoi from Tokyo without a car: Shinkansen to Karuizawa, then the guests-only free shuttle or a bus-plus-taxi route.

Looking up at an empty chairlift and the wheels of a lift tower against a blue sky with clouds

Palcall Tsumagoi Lift Tickets: When to Buy, Kids ¥998

Palcall Tsumagoi lift tickets: ¥3,800 (adult) and ¥998 (child) if bought in September, rising each month with no blackout dates. Full family pricing inside.

Sapporo TV Tower lit at night above a plowed snowbank beside a cleared street

Stroller in Sapporo in Winter: What Families Actually Do

A stroller in Sapporo in winter mostly fails outdoors — here's which underground routes, hotels, and snow rules decide if it actually works.

Mount Fuji seen across Lake Kawaguchi with snow along the shore

Mt Fuji Snow Play With Kids: Fujiten or Grinpa?

Fujiten (Kawaguchiko, has a ski slope) or Grinpa/Yeti (Gotemba, amusement park attached) for Mt Fuji snow play with kids — and which town to sleep in.

A local train crossing a snow-covered valley in Nagano

Karuizawa

Karuizawa Winter With Kids: Snow Play Without a Ski Trip

Karuizawa winter with kids: why the ski resort opens on artificial snow, what fills a non-ski day, and which of 6 hotels sleeps four with an onsen.

Yuzawa

GALA Yuzawa With Kids: Day Trip or Stay the Night?

GALA Yuzawa with kids: whether to day-trip or stay over, how the free snow-play park works, and which Echigo-Yuzawa hotels sleep four.

A snow-covered park path lined with frosted trees

Japan

Snow Day Trip From Tokyo With Kids: GALA, Karuizawa or Fuji

GALA Yuzawa, Karuizawa, or Fuji-area parks for a snow day trip from Tokyo with kids: travel time, snow guarantee, and the last train back compared.

A modern hotel room with two beds side by side

Japan

Is It Cheaper to Book Two Rooms or One Family Room in Japan?

City hotels bill per room (one room usually wins); ryokan bill per adult (room count barely matters) — until a child ages out of free bed-sharing.

Hakodate

Hakodate Family Hotels Rooms for 4 in Winter

Which Hakodate hotels actually have a room for four in winter: Yunokawa onsen, the Bay, and the station-front hotels that cap at two.

A wide snow-covered valley ringed by low mountains in Hokkaido

Furano

Where to Stay in Furano With Kids: Rooms That Fit Four

Where to stay in Furano with kids: the ski-in Prince suite and station-front condo that officially sleep four, verified on each hotel's room page.

Futons laid out on tatami in a traditional ryokan room

Niseko

Niseko Hotels That Sleep 4: Only 5 of 10 Qualify

Niseko hotels that sleep 4 in one room: only 5 of the 10 Hirafu, Niseko Village, Annupuri and Hanazono properties we checked have a true four-person room.

Otaru

Otaru Family Hotels Rooms for 4 in Snow Season

Otaru family hotels rooms for 4: which room types actually sleep four, checked against each hotel's own room page (September 2026).

A simple hotel room with two beds made up side by side

Japan

Which Japan Ski Hotels Actually Sleep Four?

Which Japan ski hotels really sleep four? The room types that work, and 10 Hokkaido/Honshu properties checked against official capacity (Sept 2026).

A quiet airport terminal concourse before departure

New Chitose

Can You Ski the Morning You Fly Home From Sapporo?

Ski the morning you fly home from Sapporo? A base-by-base check of Kiroro, Rusutsu, Tomamu, Chitose and Sapporo against New Chitose's 16:15 UA235 departure.

A safety net on red poles running along the edge of a groomed run at a Hokkaido ski area, with the valley and neighbouring pe

Japan

Japan's Ski Rope Rules: Out-of-Bounds and Tree Wells

Japan's ski rope rules: Niseko's 11 gates, Kiroro's off-piste areas, and Rusutsu's boundary system, and what crossing a rope actually costs you.

Heavy snowfall over forest and a resort building at Tomamu, Hokkaido, seen from an upper hotel floor

Japan

When Do Hokkaido Ski Resorts Open? 2026-27 Dates Compared

When do Hokkaido ski resorts open for 2026-27? Posted opening dates for Niseko, Rusutsu, Kiroro, Furano, Tomamu and Sapporo, resort by resort.

Latest

Where to Stay in Kochi: Station Area or Harimayabashi?

JR Inn Hokkaido: 10:00 Check-Out and Baths at Five of Six

Daiwa Roynet With Kids: Which Rooms Take Three or Four

Dormy Inn With Kids: ¥3,000 Co-Sleeping and One Child per Bed

Tokyu Hotels With Kids: Free Co-Sleeping, Except in Yokohama

How to Get to Lotte Arai Resort From Tokyo, Niigata or Seoul

Palcall Tsumagoi Sunrise Gondola: 6:30am at 2,100m, ¥3,500

Where to Stay for Palcall Tsumagoi: On the Slope or Baragi

How to Get to Palcall Tsumagoi From Tokyo Without a Car

Palcall Tsumagoi Lift Tickets: When to Buy, Kids ¥998

Stroller in Sapporo in Winter: What Families Actually Do

Mt Fuji Snow Play With Kids: Fujiten or Grinpa?

Karuizawa Winter With Kids: Snow Play Without a Ski Trip

GALA Yuzawa With Kids: Day Trip or Stay the Night?

Snow Day Trip From Tokyo With Kids: GALA, Karuizawa or Fuji

Is It Cheaper to Book Two Rooms or One Family Room in Japan?

Hakodate Family Hotels Rooms for 4 in Winter

Where to Stay in Furano With Kids: Rooms That Fit Four

Niseko Hotels That Sleep 4: Only 5 of 10 Qualify

Otaru Family Hotels Rooms for 4 in Snow Season

Which Japan Ski Hotels Actually Sleep Four?

Can You Ski the Morning You Fly Home From Sapporo?

Japan's Ski Rope Rules: Out-of-Bounds and Tree Wells

When Do Hokkaido Ski Resorts Open? 2026-27 Dates Compared