Japan Hostels

Rules and membership
It is possible to stay in a hostel, even if you're not a member, but it will cost about 600 yen more per night than those of private property (the government run youth hostels charge you the same no matter if you are a member or not). In hostels, privately owned, if you stay more than five days you are better to join because as a non-member, it will cost 3.600 yen for 6 days. In fact, if you stay for 6 nights as a non-member you automatically receive a membership card.

Membership prices vary according to age. If you're over 19 it is 2500 yen with an annual renewal fee of 2,000 yen. If you are under 19 it is 1500 yen and an annual renewal fee of 1,000 yen. You must be over 4 years to use the hostels. To become a member is easy enough to do this by going to one of the hostels prefectural offices. If you are already a member of a youth hostel in your own country you can use this membership. There are 60 locations in Tokyo and 800 in Japan where you can register. When you go there, you are required to have a license or something that identifies you as a Medicare card. Once you become a member, it entitles you to receive discounts (usually 10-20%) on travel by train, airplane fares, museums and other public institutions. You can also get cheap rental car Orix (10%) or rent a car Nissan - (5%).

Rooms
Most rooms have bunk beds in the Western model, but there are rooms with tatami mats. Although hostels are gender separate, private rooms may also be made available to families or groups.

Price
average price for accommodation in a hostel with two square meals is about ¥ 4,500 / day, although prices vary between 3,000 yen to 5000 yen per night. If you pay 5000 yen you can often get a room with bathroom.

Rules
When you stay at the hostel in Japan, you need to clean your own table and put your sheets on the bed. Although the food is very good, prices are relatively low.

Reservations
You can book a room 90 days in advance by phone. In general, cancellation fees do not apply if you cancel at least 4-6 days in advance. If you cancel one day before your trip, it costs 50% of the lodging tax.

Alternatives to hostels
In addition to youth hostels, there are guest houses youth who are a grade up to youth hostels which are explained in a separate article. Youth Guest Houses are a great alternative for people who do not want to "rough it" and for those traveling in groups who are looking for decent housing. According to some industry insiders, one of the reasons why youth guesthouses have sprung up because the number of people using hostels dropped in recent years. According to one of the owners of the hostel guest there were over 600 youth hostels with more than 600,000 members, but now there are only about 350 youth hostels with 100,000 members. This decrease is probably due to poor facilities and relatively low level of service.