Category: Japan Travel

Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka was another hotel I stayed at in Osaka last Christmas. There were several reasons for choosing Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka, including the convenience of taking the airport bus directly from Kansai Airport to the hotel, easy access to Universal Studios Japan the next day, and the convenience of picking up a rental car from the nearby Nissan Rent-a-Car office later. Of course, the quality of Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka is also quite good, and its proximity to Namba and Shinsaibashi was another reason for choosing it. As Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka performs well in all aspects,

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Hotel Nikko is one of Japan’s longer-established hotel chains, and Hotel Nikko Osaka is one of the earlier opened hotels within the Nikko Hotels International group. It is a relatively high-end traditional business hotel, located opposite the Daimaru Shinsaibashi department store and connected to the subway station, offering a super convenient location. Additionally, the hotel is one of the stops for the Kansai Airport limousine bus, making travel to and from the airport very convenient if the timing aligns.   I’ve been to Osaka over ten times in recent years and always prefer staying in hotels in Namba or Shinsaibashi.

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The Japanese Dormy Inn hotel chain launched a new hotel series in 2016 called “Onyado Nono” featuring a Japanese-style aesthetic. As of October 2025, there are a total of fourteen “Onyado Nono” series hotels across Japan, with two each in Tokyo and Osaka. Since 2016, I have stayed at three Onyado Nono hotels: the “Onyado Nono Sakaiminato” (天然温泉 夕凪の湯 御宿 野乃 境港) in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, the “Onyado Nono Namba” (天然温泉 花風の湯 御宿 野乃なんば) in Osaka, and the “Onyado Nono Asakusa Bettei” (天然温泉 凌天の湯 御宿 野乃浅草 別邸) in Tokyo.   The “天然温泉　境港　夕凪の湯　御宿　野乃” in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, was the first Onyado

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Cross Hotel Osaka(Cross Hotel Osaka) was the first hotel I stayed at in Japan, and it remains the only Japanese hotel I’ve stayed at five times. The primary reason I like Cross Hotel Osaka is its superb location, incredibly convenient for shopping in the Shinsaibashi and Namba areas. Additionally, the hotel’s interior design is very fashionable, making it a comfortable place to stay. The fact that I chose to stay here on five separate trips to Osaka speaks volumes – Cross Hotel Osaka is definitely one of the top recommended accommodations in Osaka.   Cross Hotel Osaka opened in 2006.

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Staying in Shirakawago during the annual Shirakawago Light-Up Event held from January to February is one way to obtain tickets for the Tenshukaku Observatory. There are over 40 minshuku (guesthouses), ryokan (inns), and hotels within Shirakawago’s Gassho-zukuri Village, most of which can be booked through the accommodation reservation system on the Shirakawago Tourist Association website. If you wish to stay in the Gassho-zukuri village on a light-up day, booking is exclusively possible through the Shirakawago Tourist Association website. This article will guide you on how to use the Shirakawago Tourist Association website to book accommodation in Shirakawago.   Tip: During

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Although it was Christmas, it was not yet the peak tourist season for the Otaru Snow Light Path festival in February, so hotels in Otaru were relatively easy to book. This time in Otaru, I stayed at the hot spring ryokan “運河の宿 小樽 ふる川” (Otaru Furukawa Hotel), which is situated directly opposite the Otaru Canal. I had wanted to stay at this ryokan since I saw it a few years ago on a previous visit to Otaru, and this time my wish came true. It felt even more atmospheric in winter, allowing me to enjoy the beautiful view of the

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Nouhi Bus is a bus company based in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, providing highway bus, route bus, sightseeing bus tours, and guided taxi services. During the Shirakawago illumination period in January and February each year, Nouhi Bus offers sightseeing bus tour services from Takayama City to Shirakawago. Taking these sightseeing buses is the primary way for tourists to attend the Shirakawago light-up event. This article introduces the reservation method for Nouhi Bus during the Shirakawago Light-up event, serving as a supplementary article to the “Complete Guide to Shirakawago Light-up: Dates, Transportation, Ticket Purchase, Accommodation, Itinerary Planning Detailed Guide“.  

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「Hassha Orai Net」 is one of Japan’s major express bus ticket booking websites. You can purchase tickets for most express bus services operated by Japanese bus companies on this site. Additionally, you can also buy tickets for certain regular sightseeing bus tours, such as the Shirakawa-go Illumination Bus Tours held annually from January to February. This article will guide you on how to purchase tickets for the Shirakawa-go Gassho Village Illumination Bus Tours on the “Hassha Orai Net” website, serving as a supplementary guide to the main article, 《Complete Guide to Shirakawa-go Illumination: Dates, Transportation, Ticketing, Accommodation, and Itinerary Planning》.

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“Japan Bus Online” is one of Japan’s main foreign-language bus ticket booking websites. The site is available in Chinese, English, and Korean, offering online booking services for Japanese highway buses and sightseeing buses. This article will use the examples of purchasing tickets from Osaka to Arima Onsen and from Takayama to Shirakawago to explain the methods and process for buying Japanese highway bus tickets through this website. Additionally, it will introduce how to purchase tickets for the Shirakawago Illumination Tour buses departing from Takayama and Takaoka.   The “Japan Bus Online” website does not have a membership system. You do

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Besides the Century Royal Hotel Sapporo and the Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo I stayed at during Christmas 2014, the Hotel Gracery Sapporo, located directly opposite the South Exit of Sapporo Station, is another hotel near Sapporo Station with superb transportation access and good quality, making it a recommended choice when selecting accommodation in Sapporo. That’s why I chose this hotel for my first night in Sapporo during my trip to Hokkaido to see the autumn leaves this year.   Hotel Gracery Sapporo was formerly known as the Sapporo Washington Hotel and is one of the hotels under the Japanese Washington

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