Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

Sam was very much not looking forward to our stay at the Ibis Styles Nagoya, his claim was “Urgh an Ibis, which will be bad”. Contrary to the bog standard “red Ibis”, Ibis styles hotels generally are a bit better, providing local design elements and a better service. Our hotel for the night in Nagoya, the Ibis Styles Nagoya provided exactly that. The hotel was designed in a car factory/race track semi industrial style, fitting as Nagoya is the hometown of Toyota.

Our early arrival meant that we couldn’t immediately access our room, but they would happily store our bags until we could check-in later. When we came back later we got our room keys and went up to our rooms on the 10^th floor.

Sam and I had a smaller room with a king-size bed but overlooking the highways in front of the hotel.

Centrally in the room was of course the bed. At both sides you could walk around the bed (which in Japan is already a win). On the wall opposite the bed there is a wall-mounted tv. Against the wall of the bathroom there is a small desk area. In the entrance corridor there is an open hanging space to store your stuff and the minibar is included in this furniture. The standard offering was a water cooker with some black tea bags and 2 complimentary bottles of water. Thanks to my ALL Gold status we were also gifted a small plate with green tea bags, drip style coffee and 2 Ferrero Rocher.

The bathroom was small, but included a rainforest shower with closing door so no water could leak out. There was a small sink and of course the obligatory Japanese style toilet. Despite being a budget hotel, the multiple use containers of shampoo, conditioner and body wash where separate and not the all-in-one kind you would usually find at such properties.

Timothy had a larger room with two separate beds. This room was also very nicely designed for when you are not travelling as a couple. The toilet and shower where separate and the sink was in the main room area.

In the morning the breakfast was served buffet style, as it’s a budget property it was a limited offering. Luckily it was not solely Japanese styles so we could find something to our liking.

One evening we also enjoyed the set menu in the restaurant which also provided good quality for the price.

We also liked that the restaurant offered a separate menu for welcome drinks for Accor ALL members, this was a handy tool and should be used by more hotels.

Obviously being a budget hotel there was no gym, but otherwise we were very satisfied with our stay at the Ibis Styles in Nagoya, it’s a solid option to stay at.

2025 Journey Across Japan

1. Japan’s Superconducting Maglev train breaks world speed record at 603 km/h.
2. Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion.
3. QUESTION | Should you be stressed about travelling to Japan, and fear of missing out?.
4. Brussels Airport to Milan Malpensa with Brussels Airlines, operated by Air Baltic, ft. the 2025 check-in and boarding software hack.
5. REVIEW | Sala Montale Exclusive Lounge and Sala Gae Aulentin Premium Lounge at Milan Malpensa Airport, extra Schengen.
6. REVIEW | All Nippon Airways (ANA), Business Class, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Tokyo.
7. REVIEW | Toei Animation Museum in Nerima, Tokyo.
8. JAPAN | Tokyo Station, its Character Street and Pokémon Store.
9. REVIEW | Onyado Nono Asakusa Hotel in Tokyo.
10. TOKYO | Asakusa ft. Sensō-ji Temple.
11. JAPAN | The Odoriko train from Tokyo to Ito on Izu Peninsula.
12. PHOTOS & REVIEW | The Izu Teddy Bear Museum in Izu-Kōgen.
13. JAPAN | A visit to Ito on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture.
14. REVIEW | Japan’s Saphir Odoriko in Premium Green Car from Ito on Izu Peninsula to Tokyo Station.
15. GAY TOKYO | 24 Kaikan in Asakusa (+ Ueno and Shinjuku).
16. TOKYO | Sawara in Chiba Prefecture, ‘Little Edo’ beyond Narita.
17. TOKYO | Omotesandō in Shibuya – AEON Shinonome –  Uniqlo – Muji.
18. PHOTOS | The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei Park.
19. JAPAN | Solo in Tokyo.
20. REVIEW | Brussels Airport The View lounge.
21. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Business Class Brussels to Doha.
22. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Al Mourjan The Garden Business lounge.
23. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Q-Suite Business Class Doha to Tokyo.
24. REVIEW | Pullman Tokyo Tamachi.
25. REVIEW | The Railway Museum, Ōmiya, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.
26. TOKYO | Imperial Palace East Gardens – Akihabara – Tamiya flagship store – Skytree.
27. JAPAN | Kanazawa Castle – Kenrokuen Garden – Higashi Chaya District.
28. REVIEW | Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa Eki Nishiguchi.
29. JAPAN | Road trip to Hida no Sato, Takayama and Shirakawa-go from Kanazawa.
30. OSAKA | Namba Parks – Dōtonbori – Glico Man – Shinsaibashi.
31. REVIEW | Swissôtel Nankai Osaka.
32. Experiencing Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai Japan.
33. KANSAI | Osaka Castle ft. Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum.
34. OSAKA | EGDE store – Umeda Sky Building – Grand Front – Namba Parks – Daiso – Luscious.
35. REVIEW | Mazda Museum in Hiroshima.
36. REVIEW | Candeo Hotels Hiroshima Hatchobori.
37. JAPAN | The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum.
38. JAPAN | Himeji Castle.
39. JAPAN | Itsukushima Shrine on Itsukushima aka Miyajima.
40. REVIEW | Miyajima Seaside Hotel.
41. REVIEW | Spending a night in a couples’ or love hotel: ホテルCOO玖 男塾ホテルグループ in Okayama.
42. KYOTO | Nishi Hongan-ji Temple.
43. KYOTO | Nijō Castle.
44. KYOTO | Kamo River – Takase River – Pontochō.
45. REVIEW | Mercure Kyoto Station.
46. REVIEW | Kyoto Railway Museum.
47. JAPAN | Kyoto Station.
48. REVIEW | Nintendo Museum in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture.
49. JAPAN | Nara with its sika deer, and Tōdai-ji with the Great Buddha.
50. KYOTO | The Eizan Electric Railway or Eiden Line, at the foot of Mount Hiei.
51. REVIEW | SCMaglev and Railway Park in Nagoya.
52. JAPAN | Why you find Portuguese language signs in Nagoya.