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Where to stay
Stay where the event is.
In Japan the hotel decision is mostly a neighbourhood decision. Festival weekends fill whole cities, so the pattern that works is simple: pick the district first, book it earlier than feels necessary, and let the event set the dates.
How booking around events works here
Japanese hotels release rooms on their own schedules, often three to six months out, and the big festival windows (Gion Matsuri in Kyoto, the Snow Festival in Sapporo, Golden Week everywhere) sell their best-located rooms first. A room one station away from the action is usually the value play: the trains run late, the walk is short, and the price drops hard.
Choose a ryokan, a traditional inn, when the stay is the point of the stop (Hakone, Nikko, an onsen town): dinner and breakfast are part of the price and the evening is the entertainment. Choose a business hotel near a station when the days are full: they are spotless, quiet and built for sleep.
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Where to stay, city by city
Tokyo
Shinjuku for transport and range, Asakusa for the old city and festival mornings, the Tokyo Station and Ginza side for polish. Stay on the Yamanote loop and everything is one train away.
Kyoto
Downtown around Kawaramachi and Karasuma for eating and buses, Gion and Higashiyama for atmosphere, Arashiyama for a quieter, greener base. The city is small; the crowds at festival time are the thing to plan around.
Osaka
Namba and Shinsaibashi for food and nightlife, Umeda for department stores and rail links, the bay area for Universal Studios and the aquarium.
Nara
Around Kintetsu Nara station puts Nara Park and the temples at walking distance. Many visitors day-trip from Kyoto or Osaka; a night here is calmer and cheaper.
Hiroshima
The city centre near Peace Memorial Park and the Hondori arcade. For a different trip entirely, stay on Miyajima island and have the floating gate to yourself after the day boats leave.
Sapporo
Odori and Susukino for the Snow Festival sites, the food and the nightlife; the station side for day trips to Otaru and the ski fields.
Hakone
Yumoto at the foot of the line for an easy arrival, Gora and Sengokuhara higher up for the museums and views. Most ryokan include dinner; book the private bath slot when you check in.
Fukuoka
Hakata for the station and the yatai of Nakasu, Tenjin for shopping and the better hotels. The airport is a short subway ride from both.
Kanazawa
Near the station for convenience, the Higashi Chaya and Kenrokuen side for atmosphere. The city is compact and walkable once you arrive.
Nikko
The station streets for an easy base, or up the hill near the shrines for the mountain air. The lake and falls at Chuzenji are a bus ride above town.
Niseko
Hirafu village is the centre of gravity: lifts, restaurants and the bus from Kutchan station. Grand Hirafu bookings go first, in season they go early.
Hakuba
Happo village for the main lifts, Echoland for restaurants and a quieter bed. The free village shuttles matter more than the exact street.
Mount Fuji
Kawaguchiko, on the station side of the lake, for the postcard view across the water. Fujiyoshida for the Chureito Pagoda side and a smaller-town feel.
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