Guides & stories
How to choose a stay that fits your trip — grounded in the official information we verify for every listing.
Rob Young / CC BY 2.0Low Mountains and Hot Springs: Climb, Descend, and a Bath All Your Own
Climb a low mountain in half a day, then soak the afternoon away in a private bath. Low mountains and hot springs may be the richest way into hiking. Private rentals in Kusatsu, Nasu and Minamiaso.
Julie Macey / CC0Fishing and Staying the Night: A Trip Where You Check In with Your Rod
Cast at dawn, swing a fly at noon, light the grill by dusk. For anglers, the right stay is a private rental near the water: a river in Oshino, a marina in Kamiamakusa, a beachfront on Awaji Island.
Gannu03 / CC BY-SA 4.0Staying in a Pottery Town: Shigaraki and Mashiko, a Journey of Clay and the Table
Choose a piece at the kilns, then set it on that night's table. Staying in a pottery town turns shopping into a trial run for daily life. A column on Shigaraki, Mashiko and where to stay.
Anthony DELANOIX / CC0What to Cook on the Morning Grill: The Morning-After Question of an Overnight BBQ
The morning after an overnight BBQ, the grill is still in the garden. So cook breakfast outdoors too: thick-cut bacon, hot sandwiches, grilled rice balls (yaki-onigiri) and plenty of coffee.
Mila Young / CC0Traveling with a Camera: The Geography of Stays That Never Miss Magic Hour
The best light arrives only around sunset. Meet magic hour in transit, or wait with a tripod on your terrace? Choosing stays for photographers, with villas in Okinawa, Kujukuri, and Amanohashidate.
George N / CC BY 2.0Fireworks Belong in the Garden: A Private Night with Handheld Fireworks
No crowds, no spot-staking, no traffic home. Handheld fireworks with just your family at a private stay: three lodgings in Iwaki, Akiruno and Nanjo that officially allow them.
Linda Xu / CC0SUP Mornings: A Day That Begins on the Water
Before the wind rises, the morning water is SUP's golden hour. A 3 km white-sand beach, clear SUP on the Seto Inland Sea, a Miura cove facing Mount Fuji: a column on starting the day from the water.
Ineshima / CC BY-SA 4.0Designing the After-Bath Moment: Open-Air Cooldowns, Ramune, and a Furin Wind Chime
The best part of a bath comes after you leave the water: an open-air cooldown in the evening breeze, an ice-cold ramune, a furin chime ringing somewhere. Three stays in Arima, Okunoto and Shirahama.
Александр Байдуков / CC BY-SA 4.0Staying by a Lake: Mirror-Water Mornings and Hours of Perfect Calm
Not as loud as the sea, not as silent as the mountains. A lakeside stay offers mirror-still mornings and a quiet without waves. Lake time with private rentals by Lakes Tazawa, Biwa and Yamanaka.
Raita Futo / CC BY 2.0Booking a Day with Nothing In It: A Beginner's Guide to the Self Retreat
Leave the itinerary blank on purpose. Book a one-party-per-day hideaway in Japan and let a bath, a sauna and a forest punctuate the day, alone or as a pair. A beginner's guide to the self retreat.
Culture Japon / CC BY-SA 4.0How to Pair Drinks with a Campfire: Whisky, Warmed Sake, Mulled Wine
Whisky while the flames run high, gently warmed sake over the embers, mulled wine for company. Pairing drinks with the stages of a fire, with fire-ready private stays in Atami, Otaru and Awaji.
kallerna / CC BY-SA 3.0Choosing the Tent Sauna: What Comes After the Boom
A single tent pitched by the water, wood-stove heat, and a natural cold plunge just steps away. Why tent saunas outlasted the boom, with private stays in Kamakura, Wakasa and Ishigaki.