I’m planning to make a rare trip to Kyoto soon, but I was shocked by how much hotel prices have gone up!! City hotels are pretty much all over ¥50,000, making Kyoto even more expensive than Tokyo…

Depending on the season, it can become nearly impossible to find a hotel in Kyoto. For example, during the Gion Festival, every hotel fills up well in advance, regardless of whether it’s expensive or cheap. With the autumn foliage season approaching, it’s only natural for prices to start rising. You could avoid the busiest periods or stay at a hotel in Osaka instead.

The other day, I spent one night in Osaka and got ¥400,000 for it. So what?

Tokyo is bad enough, but Kyoto’s hotel price hikes are just absurd. A hotel near Nijo Castle that cost around ¥20,000 a night at the height of COVID was up to ¥200,000 during this year’s cherry blossom season. I nearly fell over—actually, I did. Things have calmed down a little for now, but once the autumn foliage season starts, prices will probably get ugly again. I’m a little hesitant to name specific hotels, but there are five Mitsui Garden Hotels in the city, and their prices are relatively reasonable. Some girls might tease you with, “What? That’s just a business hotel,” but every one of them has a large communal bath, so you can at least enjoy a bit of a hot-spring-resort atmosphere. Of the five branches, the one near Kennin-ji also has a reasonably upscale feel. On some days, the subtemples of Kennin-ji hold zazen meditation sessions from 8 a.m. After a night of partying—does anyone still say “fever”?—sitting zazen the next morning can be quite an experience. Several hotels and ryokan calling themselves ultra-luxury have opened in Kyoto over the past few years. I haven’t stayed at every one of them, but so far, I haven’t found a single hotel that felt worth the price. Their service expertise still seems to be a work in progress, and to a fairly ordinary middle-aged guy like me, the service can sometimes feel a little superficial. I’m narrow-minded, so when staff casually strike up a conversation with me, it actually irritates me. A little trick? Stay in Shiga Prefecture. Hotels there can cost less than half as much as those in Kyoto, and if you can get past the psychological distance, access to Kyoto isn’t bad at all. Hope that helps.

My papa (a male supporter) often complains about how much hotel prices have gone up too. I’m sure it’s the same for everyone, right? Between inflation, the weak yen, and hotels making up for their losses during the pandemic, I understand it can’t be helped—but the price hikes have really been something. The other day, I stayed at the Andaz Tokyo with my papa for two nights, and it cost ¥200,000 per night… (I’m not trying to brag.) Maybe because it was so expensive, the only Japanese guests there were one elegant, wealthy-looking older couple. There were absolutely no couples who looked like they were doing papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), unlike during the pandemic when you’d occasionally see them. (Not counting ourselves, of course.) My papa said, “I guess it’s no longer a price the papa side can afford just to have sex once.” He also seemed a little proud of being able to stay at a hotel costing over ¥100,000 a night—somewhere the older guys can no longer afford to stay. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Some people might think it’s silly, but I like that honest side of my papa too. (Just a little bragging about my relationship.) I also found it more comfortable with those suspicious-looking couples gone from the hotel. I’m sure a lot of girls feel the same way. So every once in a while, take your girl to a nice hotel.

Other than traveling, the only place we’ve ever gone is a love hotel. We can make as much noise as we want there. P.S. When we travel, we stay at places that cost ¥600,000 for two nights. Just flexing.