You must be over 4 years old to use the Youth Hostels. . There are 60 locations in Tokyo and 800 in Japan where you can register. Membership prices vary according to age. Alternatives to Youth Hostels In addition to youth hostels, there are youth guest houses which are a grade up from youth hostels which are explained in a separate article. If you are over 19 it is 2,500 yen with an annual renewal fee of 2,000 yen. Once you become a member it entitles you to receive discounts (usually plastic Tray container 10-20%) on train travel, plane fares, museums and other public facilities. Rules When you stay at a youth hostel in Japan you are required to clean your own table and put your sheets on the bed. Generally, cancellation fees dont apply if you cancel at least 4-6 days in advance. According to one of the youth guest hostel owners there used to be over 600 youth hostels with over 600,000 members but now there are only about 350 youth hostels with 100,000 members. Reservations You can book a room 90 days in advance by phone. If you are under 19 it is 1,500 yen and an annual renewal fee of 1,000 yen. In fact, if you stay for 6 nights as a non-member you automatically receive a members card. To become a member is fairly easy to do by going to one of the youth hostels prefectural offices.
According to some industry insiders, one reason why youth guest houses have come about is because the number of people using youth hostels dropped in recent years. You can also get cheap rent-a-car from Orix (10%) or Nissan rent-a-car (5%). At the privately run youth hostels, if you are staying more than 5 days you are better off becoming a member because as a non-member it will cost you 3,600 yen for 6 days. Youth Guest Houses are a great alternative for people who dont want to rough it and for those travelling in groups who are looking for decent accommodation. Pricing Average pricing for accommodation at a Youth hostel with 2 square meals is about 4,500 yen/day, although pricing varies between 3,000 yen to 5,000 yen per night. Although youth hostels are gender separated, private rooms can also be made available to families or groups. Although the food is pretty good the prices are comparatively low. Rooms Most bunk bed rooms are in western style, but there are some rooms with Tatami Mats. If you pay 5,000 yen you can often get a room with a bath.Regulations and membership It is possible to stay at a youth hostel even if you arent a member, but it will cost you approximately 600 yen more per night at the privately owned ones (the government run youth hostels charge you the same regardless of whether you are a member or not). If you cancel one day prior to your stay it costs 50% of the accommodation fee. When you go there you are required to have a license or something which identifies you such as a health insurance card. If you are already a member of a youth hostel in your own country you can use that membership. This drop is possibly due to the poor state of the facilities and comparatively low standard of service.