When you are looking for a hotel that accepts dogs or cats, there are broadly three ways to search. (1) Filter for “pets allowed” on an OTA to build a wide candidate list, (2) check the official website of a property that specialises in pet-accompanied stays to confirm the conditions, and (3) read the “pet policy” page of a general hotel to see which room types qualify. Additional fees are most often set per dog, per night, and across the four properties whose official pages we checked, they ranged from free to ¥5,500 (tax included). The room rate itself, at dog-dedicated resorts, ran from the ¥20,000s to the ¥80,000s per room for two guests on a weekday, and from the ¥40,000s to the ¥90,000s on a Saturday, at the lowest advertised price. On a plan-average basis the OTA advertised range was ¥50,000–¥110,000 on weekdays and ¥90,000–¥130,000 on weekends (for stays in October–November 2026, as of 29 August 2026). What follows walks through the search methods in order, then the fees, the conditions, and what to pack for check-in — as far as you need to make a decision.

Three ways to search: OTA filters, specialist properties’ official sites, and general hotels’ pet policies

1. Filter for “pets allowed” on an OTA

The search filters include a “pets welcome” / “pets allowed” checkbox, and entering an area and dates returns a list of candidates. This is the fastest way to gauge how many options exist. The facilities field can, however, carry outdated entries that a property has not refreshed, so once you have a shortlist it is safer to move on to the official-site check below. If you would rather start from reputation, our ranking of 81 pet-friendly properties nationwide, compiled from guest-review mentions of pet stays, is a good entry point for building a candidate list.

2. The official site of a pet-specialist property

Properties that market themselves on “stay with your dog” state the dog fee, the maximum number of dogs, weight categories, vaccination requirements, and which areas dogs may enter on their official pages. Some booking sites — such as the one run by a dog-resort network operating 28 properties nationwide — line the conditions up property by property with icons for “no breed or headcount limit”, “dogs allowed in the restaurant”, and “in-room dining”. If you have multiple dogs or a large breed, this is the shortest route.

3. A general hotel’s pet policy page

A growing number of family resorts and onsen hotels set aside a separate wing or cottage for “dog-friendly rooms” or “dog cottages”. The design usually has the owners using the hot springs and restaurants in the main building while the dog stays in the dedicated wing or cottage, which makes it easy to fit a dog into a family trip. Searching an official site for “pet” or “dog” before booking will normally lead you to the policy page. If you want to spend most of your time outdoors, the same search method works for the dog-field-equipped properties within three hours of Tokyo that we covered in dog-only glamping summer demand.

Note that many properties accept dogs but not cats. If you are travelling with a cat, confirm on the official site that the property explicitly states “cats allowed” or “small animals allowed”, and read down to whether you must bring your own carrier.

6.82 million dogs and 8.85 million cats: why pet-accompanied stays are spreading

According to the Japan Pet Food Association’s 2025 National Dog and Cat Ownership Survey (released 19 December 2025), the dog population stands at approximately 6.82 million and the cat population at approximately 8.847 million. Although the share of households owning a dog continues to fall, the average number of dogs per household is rising, and the total is showing signs of bottoming out (new dogs acquired: 444,000 in 2024 → 451,000 in 2025). As long as a steady share of owners take their pets along as family members, accepting them is capital spending with real demand behind it from the property’s side. Our analysis of market size and room rates is set out in our earlier article on the ADR of the pet-friendly hotel market. This article focuses on the owner’s side: how to search, what it costs, and what the conditions are.

Fees and conditions in practice: four official policies side by side

We took the policies of four properties that state their pet terms officially, from their own websites (retrieved 29 August 2026). All amounts are tax included. These are charged on top of the room rate, per dog per night.

Source: each property’s official website (retrieved 29 August 2026). Policies are subject to revision, so please re-check the official page when you book.

Set side by side, the four properties fall into two pricing philosophies: a per-dog, per-night charge by weight band (Nasu, Izu Kogen) and a number free, then per additional dog model (Fuji, Karuizawa). The former stacks up with each extra dog; under the latter, two dogs cost you nothing beyond the room rate. At some properties the dog fee also depends on the booking channel, and cases where booking direct on the official site makes the dog free (Regina Resort Fuji) are especially worth knowing if you travel with several dogs.

The room rate in practice: dog-dedicated properties from the ¥20,000s–¥80,000s on weekdays, ¥40,000s–¥90,000s on weekends

The bigger swing is not the pet fee but the room rate. Below are the OTA advertised prices at five properties that market themselves on pet-accompanied stays (two guests per room, tax included, for stays in October–November 2026), lined up for a weekday (Wednesday) and a Saturday.

Source: HotelBank Editorial Team research (public OTA data, for stays 1 October – 30 November 2026, N=5 properties, retrieved 29 August 2026). “Average” is the simple average of all plans advertised on that date, including plans with different meal arrangements. “—” indicates that no listing could be confirmed for that date.

As a rule of thumb, the lowest advertised price for two guests per room at a dog-dedicated resort centres on the ¥20,000s to the ¥80,000s on weekdays and the ¥40,000s to the ¥90,000s on weekends (on a plan-average basis, ¥50,000–¥110,000 on weekdays and ¥90,000–¥130,000 on weekends), stretching upward at properties with heavier facilities such as rooms with private open-air baths and in-room dining. Add the dog fee covered above (free to ¥5,500 per dog per night) and you have what you will actually pay. Put the other way round, the pet fee amounts to roughly a tenth of the room rate, so the choice of property comes down to room rate multiplied by day of the week. Because the same property advertises at 50–90% of its Saturday rate on a weekday (about 70% on average across three properties, on a lowest-price basis), moving your dates to a weekday is the single most effective lever available.

What you actually pay: room rate plus dog fee

The amount a reader actually pays is the room rate plus the dog fee. Built up from real lowest advertised prices, it looks like this (all figures for two guests per room, tax included, with one small dog).

Room rates are advertised prices (HotelBank Editorial Team research, retrieved 29 August 2026); dog fees are the policies stated on the official websites (confirmed the same day). Advertised prices include estimated values and may differ from actual transacted prices.

Simply choosing a weekday splits the total into the high ¥20,000s versus the low ¥50,000s, while the dog fee (¥3,300) accounts for less than a tenth of either. The practical conclusion is that moving your dates to a weekday does more than hunting for a property with a cheaper dog fee. That said, for owners travelling with several dogs the booking channel can still be worth several thousand yen, as at properties like Regina Resort Fuji where direct booking makes up to two dogs free.

How to choose: headcount, size, and how much of the stay you want to share

With several dogs or a large breed, look at the headcount and size limits first

Whether you can book at all differs between a property advertising “no headcount limit, extra-large breeds welcome” (Izu Kogen) and one setting per-room caps by weight band (Nasu: three small, two medium or one large dog). Properties that publish a breed chart also let you work out in advance which band your dog falls into.

If sharing mealtimes matters, check whether dogs are allowed in the restaurant

At dog-dedicated properties, restaurant access and in-room dining are standard, and some prepare a menu for dogs as well. The pet wings and cottages at general hotels are more often designed so the dog waits in the cottage or the dog hotel while the owners use the onsen or the buffet. The latter offers a wider choice of baths and dining, and is easier to arrange when someone in the family is not used to dogs.

Where the dog fee depends on the channel, book on the official site

Some properties waive the fee for up to two dogs on official-site and telephone bookings only, so finding the property on an OTA and then returning to the official site to book can be worth several thousand yen. OTA filter → confirm the policy on the official site → book through whichever channel prices better: that is the basic sequence. For side-by-side comparisons of specific properties, area-level articles that line properties up by whether dogs sleep in the same room, whether meals are served in-room, and whether there is a dog run — such as this comparison of five dog-friendly properties in Higashi-Izu and Ito (in Japanese) — are the easiest to search.

What to bring and how to behave: the terms every official policy shares

Cross-referencing the official terms of the four properties, what is asked of the owner is almost identical throughout.

• Vaccination certificates: rabies (annual; some properties accept the registration tag instead) and a combination vaccine (3-in-1 or more, 5-in-1 or more — each property specifies). Most ask to see them at check-in, so carry the original or a copy.
• Lead: required everywhere except the room and the dog run. Some properties state explicitly that you must bring your own.
• Crate (a portable box-shaped house for dogs): most properties provide one in the room, but using it is a condition overnight and whenever you go out and leave the dog behind. Bringing the one your dog normally uses helps it settle.
• Food and bowls: some properties supply food bowls, others expect the owner to bring them. Your dog’s usual food is normally your own responsibility.
• Health and timing: most properties require the dog to be at least four to six months old, not in season or pregnant, and basically house-trained (toileting, no excessive barking).
• Conduct in the room: the terms typically include not letting the dog on the bed, not washing the dog in the room’s bathroom, and cleaning up marking yourself with the supplies provided. They also state that any soiling or damage will be charged at cost.
• Consent form: some properties ask you to sign a pet-stay consent or custody form at check-in.

The details differ from property to property, so reading through the official “pet stay terms” once after booking will speed up the paperwork on the day.

Where to look next

Frequently asked questions

How should I search for a hotel that accepts pets?

There are three ways. (1) Use an OTA’s search filters to select “pets allowed” and build a wide candidate list, (2) check the official site of a property specialising in pet-accompanied stays for headcount, weight bands and vaccination requirements, and (3) read a general hotel’s “pet policy” page for the room types that qualify — in that order. OTA facilities fields can carry outdated entries that a property has not refreshed, so always re-check on the official page once you have a shortlist.

How much is the dog fee per night?

Across the four properties whose official policies we checked, it ranged from free to ¥5,500 per dog per night (tax included). Pricing falls into two philosophies: a per-dog, per-night charge by weight band (Hotel Epinard Nasu: ¥1,980 small/medium, ¥2,200 large; Wanwan Paradise Premier Izu Kogen: ¥3,300–¥5,500), and a number free, then per additional dog model (Regina Resort Fuji takes up to two dogs free on official-site and telephone bookings; Hotel Green Plaza Karuizawa charges nothing for the first dog and ¥1,100 from the second). Confirmed on each official website on 29 August 2026.

How much should I budget for the room itself?

Across the advertised prices at five dog-dedicated resorts (two guests per room, tax included, for stays in October–November 2026), the lowest per-room rate ran from the ¥20,000s to the ¥80,000s on weekdays and from the ¥40,000s to the ¥90,000s at weekends (Saturday). On a plan-average basis that is ¥50,000–¥110,000 on weekdays and ¥90,000–¥130,000 at weekends. Properties with heavier facilities such as rooms with private open-air baths or in-room dining stretch higher (as of 29 August 2026, HotelBank Editorial Team research, N=5 properties).

Is it better to book on the official site or through an OTA?

At some properties the dog fee depends on the booking channel. Regina Resort Fuji Suites&Spa takes up to two dogs free on official-site and telephone bookings (¥2,200 from the third), but charges ¥3,300 per dog of any breed through other channels. Finding candidates on an OTA, confirming the policy on the official site, and then booking through whichever channel prices better is the basic sequence.

What do I need to bring on the day of check-in?

Common to all four properties’ official terms are a rabies vaccination certificate (some properties accept the registration tag instead) and a combination-vaccine certificate (3-in-1 or more, 5-in-1 or more, as each property specifies), a lead, a crate, and your dog’s usual food and bowls. Most properties require the dog to be at least four to six months old, not in season or pregnant, and basically house-trained, and some ask you to sign a pet-stay consent form at check-in.

Are there properties where I can stay with a cat?

In practice, many properties accept dogs but not cats. If you are travelling with a cat, confirm on the official site that the property explicitly states “cats allowed” or “small animals allowed”, and read down to whether a carrier is mandatory — it will speed up the paperwork on the day.