Hotels in Japan that work for stays of one week to several months fall into four types: (1) monthly/apartment hotels with kitchens, where you live as you would at home; (2) serviced apartments with furniture and housekeeping; (3) business hotel multi-night and weekly plans, usable anywhere in the country; and (4) multi-night plans at onsen and resort properties, for a change of scenery. As a price benchmark, the average OTA listed price for business hotels nationwide is about ¥15,600 per night, and about ¥18,200 in Tokyo (both as of September 2026, 2 guests per room, per room including tax; N = 7,900 properties nationwide / 968 in Tokyo; HotelBank Editorial Team research). This article sets out the leading brands for each of the four types and who each suits, together with current prices.

The Four Types of Long-Stay Hotels at a Glance

Start with the big picture. Even within “long stays,” the right type depends on whether you want to cook, want someone else to handle housekeeping, want to keep costs down, or want a change of environment.

* Brands are representative examples of each type, in no particular order. Each has different strengths; the list does not rank size or quality.

(1) Monthly / Apartment Hotels: Cook and Do Laundry in Your Room

This type is designed around “staying as if you lived there,” with rooms equipped with a kitchen (induction hob, sink, microwave) and a washer-dryer. You can book directly through hotel booking sites, and the biggest advantage over monthly rental apartments is that there are no upfront costs such as a deposit or move-out cleaning fee.

• MIMARU: An apartment hotel brand concentrated in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Spacious rooms of around 40 m² with a kitchen and dining area suit medium- to long-term stays by families and groups.
• Flexstay Inn (フレックステイイン): Some locations offer permanent monthly plans of 30 nights or more, at a price level that works well for solo long business trips or as an entry point to living in a hotel.
• Tokyu Stay (東急ステイ): Rooms come with a washer-dryer and a mini kitchen with a microwave (except some room types); the brand has long been popular for multi-night business and solo stays.

For a city-by-city comparison, see the apartment hotel comparison article (in Japanese), which selects five properties with kitchens and washer-dryers across Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Sapporo.

(2) Serviced Apartments: Stays of a Month or More, Housekeeping Included

This format combines spacious rooms with furniture and appliances with services such as regular cleaning and linen changes. It is often chosen by families accompanying expatriate employees and for assignments or secondments lasting from a month to a year or more. In Japan, international brands such as Oakwood, the Ascott group’s Citadines and Somerset, and Fraser operate in major metropolitan areas including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kyoto. Many properties offer one-bedroom-equivalent layouts with a kitchen and washer-dryer as standard. Prices vary widely by city, size and contract length, so monthly stays are generally quoted individually.

When comparing costs, including for family use, it is worth requesting monthly quotes from several operators and weighing them against the total cost of a monthly rental apartment, which adds deposits, furniture rental and utilities.

(3) Business Hotel Multi-Night and Weekly Plans: Available Nationwide, Predictable Costs

Many nationwide business hotel chains offer multi-night plans and eco-stay plans that let you choose how often your room is cleaned. Because they have locations throughout the country, you get the same experience even if your destination changes. Current prices: the average OTA listed price for business hotels is about ¥15,600 per night nationwide (N = 7,900 properties) and about ¥18,200 in Tokyo (N = 968 properties). Both are aggregates as of September 2026 for 2 guests per room, per room including tax; single occupancy, regional cities, and prepaid or early-booking plans often come in lower (HotelBank Editorial Team research).

• Toyoko Inn (東横イン): Located mainly near train stations nationwide, with nearly uniform room specifications at every property. Its membership program earns points on official bookings, making it a good fit for repeated multi-night stays.
• APA Hotel (アパホテル): Has a dense presence in city centers and is designed so that booking through its official app gives the best value. Properties offering multi-night plans are strong for long stays.
• Comfort Hotel (コンフォートホテル): Known for its free breakfast, which folds the cost of your morning meal into the room rate, making the living costs of a multi-night stay easy to predict.
• Dormy Inn (ドーミーイン): Many properties have natural hot-spring baths and saunas, and the brand is well regarded for touches such as a late-night snack service that ease the fatigue of a long stay.

As for whether a hotel or a monthly rental apartment is cheaper for a month, the answer depends on the break-even point: rental apartments carry upfront costs such as cleaning fees and utilities, so hotels tend to win on shorter stays, while rentals become competitive as the stay lengthens. For typical long-stay discount rates at hotels, see Japan Hotel Long-Stay Discounts: 15% at 7 Nights, 20% at 30 Nights.

(4) Onsen and Resort Multi-Night Plans: Workations and Toji

If the change of environment is itself the point, multi-night plans at hot-spring and resort destinations are an option. Kyukamura (休暇村) operates in national park and quasi-national park areas across Japan and suits multi-night stays and workations surrounded by nature. Kamenoi Hotel (亀の井ホテル) has locations in onsen towns and tourist areas nationwide, and some properties, such as those of Oedo Onsen Monogatari (大江戸温泉物語), offer hot springs and buffets along with plans for multi-night stays. Price levels are in a different league from urban business hotels: the average OTA listed price is about ¥33,300 for ryokan nationwide (N = 6,590 properties) and about ¥46,000 for resort hotels (N = 1,845 properties; both as of September 2026, 2 guests per room, tax included; HotelBank Editorial Team research). Because two meals are usually included, a fair comparison includes food costs. Using weekday-focused multi-night plans or toji plans, you can put together a stay for considerably less than these averages.

Three Criteria for Choosing: Length of Stay, Cooking, and Location

Three criteria are enough to narrow down the four types.

1. Length of stay: For about a week, business hotel multi-night plans (3) are the easiest. For two weeks to a month, apartment hotels (1) fit best; beyond a month, it becomes worth getting a monthly quote for a serviced apartment (2).
2. Whether you cook: If you will eat out or buy prepared food, (3) is enough. If you want to cook and do laundry in your room, narrow it down to (1) or (2). If you want breakfast included to fix your food costs, business hotel brands with breakfast (3) are convenient.
3. Freedom of location: For remote work or recuperation not tied to a workplace, weekday multi-night stays at onsen and resort properties (4) offer a different kind of value from the city.

Even within the same type and brand, the total you pay varies greatly depending on how you arrange the days of the week (whether the stay spans a weekend) and how you use early-booking and prepaid plans. The golden rule of long stays is to compare the total cost of the entire stay before booking, not the price per night.

To Explore Further

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What types of long-stay hotels are there?

They fall broadly into four types: apartment hotels with kitchens and washer-dryers, serviced apartments with furniture and cleaning services, business hotel multi-night and weekly plans, and multi-night plans at onsen and resort properties.

Q. How much does a long stay cost?

As of September 2026, the average OTA listed price for business hotels is about ¥15,600 nationwide and about ¥18,200 in Tokyo (2 guests per room, per room including tax). Single occupancy and early-booking or prepaid plans are often priced lower.

Q. Which type suits a stay of more than a month?

For stays of over a month, it becomes worth getting a monthly quote for a serviced apartment. For two weeks to a month, apartment hotels fit well; for about a week, business hotel multi-night plans are the easiest option.

Q. Are there hotels where I can cook for myself during a long stay?

Apartment hotels such as MIMARU, Flexstay Inn and Tokyu Stay have kitchens and laundry facilities in their rooms. Many serviced apartments also come with kitchens.

Q. How can I stay longer for a workation or toji?

Multi-night plans at onsen and resort properties such as Kyukamura, Kamenoi Hotel and Oedo Onsen Monogatari are options. Since meals are usually included, compare total costs including food; weekday-focused multi-night plans make it easier to keep costs down.

Methodology and Sources