Help & traveller glossary

Questions, answers, and the words Japan uses

How previews, payment and exports work — and what a ryokan, minshuku, capsule hotel or business hotel really gives you, so your brief asks for the stay you actually want.

Using Kikō

What you get once a trip is paid

The plan is the start. These are the tools that get it onto your phone, into your calendar, into your pocket without signal, and into the hands of the people coming with you.

All trips
Free

Every brief you have ever written stays in one place, with its status, dates and payment state. Plan next spring while last autumn's plan is still on file — nothing expires.

Edit brief
Free

Change party, pace, budget band, themes, stay types or must-haves at any time and rebuild. Before payment you can also change dates and airports freely.

Download .ics
Paid trip

One file, every day of the trip as timed events in Asia/Tokyo — activities, stays and meal windows. Import once into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook.

Calendar Auto-Updating
Paid trip

A private subscription link instead of a file. Edit or rebuild a day and your phone calendar updates itself — no re-import, no duplicate events. Reset the link any time.

Download PDF
Paid trip

A print-ready itinerary with a cover page, budget estimate, season notes, and each day on its own page with English and Japanese names, addresses, Mapcodes and verified transport legs.

Download offline trip pack
Paid trip

A zip with the printable itinerary, the .ics file, an addresses sheet in English and Japanese with Mapcodes and phone numbers, plus emergency numbers — everything readable with no signal and no roaming.

Share
Paid trip

Reveal a read-only link for the people travelling with you, copy it, and it disappears from the page again. They see the plan; only you can edit or rebuild it.

Where should we book you? Stay types explained

Pick these in your brief and the agent only proposes stays of that kind — with room fit, bath type, parking, laundry and access stated as facts.

Ryokan 旅館

Traditional inn: tatami rooms, futon laid out in the evening, yukata, and usually a multi-course local dinner and Japanese breakfast included. Often the experience itself, not just a bed.

Best for — Couples, families wanting one special night, anyone chasing kaiseki and quiet

Onsen hotel 温泉ホテル

A larger hotel built around natural hot-spring baths, usually with beds as well as tatami rooms, buffet or set meals, and big indoor/outdoor baths. Easier with luggage and lifts than a small ryokan.

Best for — Families, multi-generation groups, travellers needing step-free access

Business hotel ビジネスホテル

Compact, spotless, predictable rooms a few minutes from a station, with coin laundry and a simple breakfast. Small rooms, no atmosphere, excellent value on transit nights.

Best for — Solo travellers, one-night stopovers, budget and mid-range trips

Boutique hotel

Small design-led hotel, often a converted machiya or warehouse, with a bar or café and strong local character. Fewer facilities than a chain, more personality.

Best for — Couples and friends in cities who care about the room and the neighbourhood

Apartment / vacation rental

Self-contained flat or house with a kitchen and washing machine, checked in by code. No front desk or meals, but the cheapest way to keep a family fed and in clean clothes.

Best for — Families with young kids, longer city stays, groups sharing costs

Capsule Hotels カプセルホテル

A private sleeping pod on a shared floor, with lockers, shared bathrooms and often a sauna. Gender-separated floors, quiet rules, luggage stored rather than in the room.

Best for — Solo adults and friends on tight budgets or late-night arrivals; not for children, seniors or big suitcases

Hostels & Guesthouses ゲストハウス

Dorm beds plus some private rooms, a shared kitchen and a lounge where staff actually talk to you about the area. Bathrooms are usually shared and walls are thin.

Best for — Solo travellers, friends, budget families where private rooms exist

Minshuku 民宿

A family-run Japanese B&B — simpler than a ryokan, home-cooked meals with whatever is in season locally, shared bathrooms common, and the host often the best guide you will meet.

Best for — Rural villages, hiking bases and islands where nothing else exists

Terms you will meet in your plan