A spot of trouble, please assist.
 

I have made reservations to a trip to Tokyo tomorrow actually, going from Copenhagen, transferring by Amsterdam to Narita airport.

Here is the pickle, I tried to make reservations to a hotel but my card (VISA) gets a decline becasue it lacks the capacity to pay for 13 days and I wanted to pay in cash upon arrival :mad:

I hate paying with my card over the net, I simply do not trust it. The problem is I made the reservation over a week ago and they decide to decline me one day before I go! If they had gotten to me earlier I might have been able to arrange something by my bank.

Do anyone have any tips on hotels (capsule or whatever) were I can just show up, get a room and pay cash. I simply couldn´t get through all the paperwork needed in one single day so basically I go on cash for now.

Please advise

I never booked hotels when I traveled around Japan. There was always something available somewhere. I doubt every hotel in Tokyo will be fully booked, just ask around or look up some when you get there.

Thank you, I continue to read up on travelstories from people that has been in japan, seems as if I would simply get in trouble if I just relied on my swedish VISA/bank card.

So... is cash "king"?
Can I get rooms using cash only?

You will not be able to stay at a hotel without a credit card. You can pay cash at the end of your stay, but will need to hold the room with a card. Luckily there is no shortage of hotels.

That must have changed recently then, because I always paid cash up front and had no problem, they didn't ask for a card. It might depend upon where you go, though.

I haven't stayed at tons of hotels, but stayed at a couple in Tokyo this year and a credit card number was required up front, and then I had the option to pay cash at the end of the stay. The card was to ensure I paid for room service, laundry, etc.

If you pay for everything up front though before you stay I do not see why they would need a credit card.

Last time I stayed at hotel I just paid in cash when I arrived.

So unless room service etc, works on a charge system I do not see why more hotels would not opt just to do a cash upfront system. This is Japan (the land of paying in cash) after all.

But if I want to purchase a movie or take a drink or snack from the fridge, who am I supposed to pay?

I know in the properties I manage in Niseko we require a credit card even though we always get payment in full up front. It's mainly in case of damage to the apartment which you may not be aware of until well after they've checked out.

The places I stayed at weren't fancy enough to have laundry, room service, etc. And this was 12+ years ago when credit cards were rarer in Japan... apparently, they are starting to move away from such a cash-based society, though it's still more-so than the US. Finally, nearly all the places were outside of Tokyo, mainly from Hiroshima to Nagasaki and in between.

Pretty much any major hotel requires a credit card these days.

It's for reasons as MMM pointed out and in case anything gets damaged.

Easiest way around it, get one of the debit Visa/MC cards, you load it with as much as you need and you're set.

Hmm, I was just thinking pay in cash. (Being Japan it would not surprise me), I do not go to enough hotels though to really know I guess, but I did not need a credit card or anything for the last one that I stayed at, I just paid cash for the room and that was it.

The hotel I stayed at in Shinjuku had a room of vending machines on each floor for booze et all, it also had a machine that you would purchase a movie from the hotel's service, you entered the receipt it gave you into the TV with the remote (I guess).

Thanks to everyone for replying so quickly and well informed.

The first day I got here (Japan) I simply asked the tourist center if they could recommend any hotels that cash payment was an option. She laughed and said that it was no problem and recommended the Ueno area.

And what do you know, the first hotel I stumble into "Suntargas" has a cheap rate, AC (thank goodness) , free Internet, razors, coffee, soap + breakfast :)
and gladly accepts cash.

A small modest room, semi western style, obviously not made for people who likes to sit in all day (perfect for me).

So everything is great for me and to this date I have already been to the park, two museums, the Imperial Palace, "Sunshine City" and pretty much all around Akihabara and got this cheap ass "DELL" at an outlet.

Best wishes
Mackan