Booking Discount Train Tickets & Hotels in Japan

Before I start, please allow me to mention that it has been almost 2 years since I wrote my last post about our home. Those 2 years was necessary for me to take a pause from my blogging and my social media. I don’t regret the decision. However, I have missed writing! I wish I could spend time to fill you in, but it has to wait. It feels that introducing how to purchase discount tickets in Japan is more valuable to my readers. I would love to share some stories with you from the past 2 years eventually.

Without further ado, here I present a small tip from me on booking discount tickets and hotels in Japan. Please know that I’m not saying this is the only way or the best way to save money. It works for me and my family. I am simply posting this in a hope that this will help my friends and lovely readers who may be looking into traveling in Japan.

Finding discount train tickets in Japan

If you travel internationally to Japan and plan on going to multiple cities in a span of a week or 2, maybe the JR Pass is the way to do. However, those of us who live in Japan, we can’t use that. Fret not, though. If you plan to travel to one city using Shinkansen/bullet train or even fly and stay in a hotel, there is a way to purchase discount tickets.

I researched a bit myself on how to buy discount bullet train tickets by reading some Japanese blog sites about a year ago. It seems that there are some ways to do it, but none of them looked appealing. Below is one of the Japanese websites that I found helpful where I learned the options to buy discount train tickets.

【裏技】新幹線チケットを安く買う方法まとめ！安い予約サイトや割引は？

A long story short, after spending some time reading up on how to buy discount tickets, I came to a conclusion that in Japan, in order for you to get discount on train/airplane tickets, it’s the best to combine the two: train/airplane tickets AND hotel reservation.

Travel Agents

Then how can we acquire discount train tickets or hotel rate?

1. Find an online travel agent site.
2. Choose a package of transportation & lodging on the site.

Please don’t ask me why because I don’t know. Maybe travel agents get some deals that we as an individual don’t?

I have used two travel agent websites in the past year and both of them were great. I believe you have to create an account with them which is a pain, but I did.

Nippon Travel Agency (English website available)

Kinki Nippon Tourist (Japanese website)

There are many other websites where you can book bullet train tickets and hotels, but I simply don’t have personal experiences. I can give a few other travel agents that I found on google search.

JR Tokai Tours, JTB, TRAVELKO

The difference between the two was that Nippon Travel Agency sent train tickets to us at our address whereas Kinki Nippon Tourist required us to go to a designated JR station and print out tickets using the QR code. For those who don’t stay home all the time, receiving the tickets at home can be tricky since you have to be home to receive the tickets. For the Kinki Nippon Tourist, if you don’t live near a JR station, that can be hassle, but you can get the tickets at your convenient time.

Discount Hotel Rate

When you book bullet train tickets this way, it may not appear that the bullet train tickets are at a discount. However, you will see the difference when you combine a hotel reservation and see the total amount you will be charged. Hotels are not cheap in Japan especially if you travel with children. Children have to be under 12 to qualify to receive children’s rate, too.

We stayed at beautiful Good Nature Hotel in Kyoto. It was the hotel our friends who visited from the U.S. booked in Kyoto. We wanted to spend more time with them, so my husband and I decided to go to Kyoto with our son. (Our high school daughter decided to stay behind since she had a birthday party to attend.) My husband tried to book a room at Good Nature Hotel through its website. Unfortunately, since it was only a few weeks before the trip and it was a long weekend, there was no room available. It was out of our price range, too. Meanwhile I started searching bullet train tickets combined with a hotel. I looked at a long list of hotels in the same area and it just so happened that the travel agent offered one room at Good Nature Hotel. Without hesitation, I grabbed it. It was still a lavish trip for an overnight stay on a weekend. Nevertheless, it was the money well spent.

Here are the photos of our room and hotel lobby.

Kyoto was lovely as always. However, it felt as though we were in Shibuya, the most crowded district in all of Tokyo. I’m happy for the businesses in Kyoto, though. I hope they are making up for the loss caused during the pandemic.

I hope you will find this helpful!