Where to stay (Part 2)
For hotel bookings, I typically use Jalan.net (Japanese version) - I think the English site came up not too long ago. It was first introduced to me by a friend who's now staying in Yokohama. I guess Jalan.net finally wised up to the fact that a lot of non-Japanese use the site too, so much so that 3rd party user guides like this one had cropped up. It's a great place to search for places to stay in Japan, and gives a host of great discounts at times of the year. If you sign up as a member, you get to clock points too, though I've never had a chance to use the points - the hotels on which I could use them weren't ones I'd normally choose to stay at.
Of course, there are other sites like Rakuten and Tripadvisor, but after visiting a few of these sites, I still defaulted back to Jalan.net for its offers. I have used Jalan.net 5 to 6 times so far over a span of more than 6 years, and there hasn't been any problems with it. The only time I sensed some trouble was when I stayed at Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay, where the check-in counter staff couldn't find my booking at first. However, that was resolved fairly quickly.
Google Maps: Street View is also a fantastic tool in which to view the surroundings of your chosen hotel. Photos on the hotel's official web site are always nice to look at, but it's best to check out Street View so you get an unbiased assessment of the hotel's environment. Japan is one of few countries that Google has mapped out extensively in Street View, at least for its major cities.
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