Japan ranks as one of the most expensive countries in the world to visit. For travelers planning a trip to Japan, they will undoubtedly notice how expensive hotel costs are there. But you can easily find more affordable and even budget hotels and charming Ryokans (guest houses) in Japan if you know which company to choose to book online for Japanese hotels.

Rakuten Travel Inc. is one of those companies where you can find discounted hotel rates in most of Japan. These days, almost everyone makes their own travel reservations through Internet travel agencies. And they will typically target the more well-known companies with names like Priceline.com or Travelocity.com. But you won’t find the best room rates through their services. Although they are reputable companies, they do not specialize in any region and their reservation services are too general and do not focus on the Asian hotel market.

While Rakuten only deals with hotels and hotels. So whether you need an affordable business hotel in Kyoto or a rustic ryokan in Osaka, you will find that their services are much more specialized.

Since Rakuten Travel specifically connects travelers to Japan’s hotel market, they are able to offer up-to-date low hotel rates across the 24,000 accommodations available in the country. With so many accommodation options, Rakuten makes it easy for travelers to find the right accommodation to suit their budget needs.

They can also provide hotel reservation services in China, Korea and Southeast Asia, in a total of 47,000 hotels. Although their rates for those regions are not as competitive, they are worth checking to compare prices.

Is Rakuten Travel a reliable hotel agency?

Rakuten (established in 2002) operates the nation’s largest online hotel booking website with 200 employees. They are also a company listed on the Japanese stock exchange. With offices in Tokyo and Osaka, Rakuten is closely linked to the country’s hotel industry. They manage almost 2 million hotel reservations per month. Today they are partnering with All Nippon Airways to simplify travel planning to Japan.

How does Rakuten offer better rates than booking a hotel directly?

Hotel booking agencies like Rakuten are hotel room wholesalers. Since they have a much wider presence on the Internet than any specific hotel, travelers planning a trip to Japan find them more easily. Since hotels, large or small, know that Rakuten can give their property a greater internet presence, they partner with Rakuten by offering significantly discounted room rates. So as long as you book a room through their website, you will also receive those discounts.