FAQ

General Questions

1. What is the cost of using Welcome Inn Reservation Center's (WIRC's) service?

Our service is free of charge.

2. Are the room rates Welcome Inns offer really reasonable?

Welcome Inns are registered when they meet the following conditions.
―They welcome overseas guests.
―Their daily rate without meals, tax and service charges does not exceed 8,000 yen per Single or 13,000 yen per Twin/Double room in the regular season.

3. Is my personal information secured?

Yes, we use industry-standard SSL. Your personal information including passport and credit card will be encrypted to protect data transmissions. Though your information is password-protected, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and member ID.

4. How do I get a travel information?

We do not handle travel information. Please visit Japan National Tourism Organization’s website (http://www.jnto.go.jp)

Reservation Questions

1.How do I reserve a room through WIRC?

Please make membership registration to save you trouble and time in processing your application. Then, search and select your choice from the homepage. The list of Welcome Inns meeting your conditions comes up on the screen. Each Welcome Inn’s page has its own application button.

2.How do I know the status of ?

You can check the status by yourself on our site. Please log in “” at the top right hand side of our home page. All booking records made under your name comes up.

3.How do I pay my room charge?

You are requested to settle the payment directly with the Welcome Inn when you check in or check out. Your credit card information is only for ensuring your reservation, and is not for payment.

4.How do I change or cancel ?

You can change or cancel your reservation on “” at the top right hand side of our home page.

5.Am I responsible for a cancellation fee?

Yes. As you agreed to our terms and conditions for the membership registration, you will be held responsible for a cancellation charge when you fail to follow the Welcome Inn’s cancellation policy shown on our site. In such a case, your credit card information will be given to them.

6.Is the rate per person or per room?

The listed rates are per room. Please carefully look at the rates and notes before you apply. The discount rate for children differs from Welcome Inn to Welcome Inn.

7.Does the rate include meals?

Meals are not included except at a few Welcome Inns. Please carefully look at the notes for the room rate and meals before you apply.

8.How do I get a map of each Welcome Inn?

You can see the map for each Inn by clicking “MAP & DIRECTIONS” at the top of each Welcome Inn’s page.

9.What is the difference between a Twin and a Double?

A Double (or Double-bed room) is furnished with one bed for a two-person occupancy. A Twin (or Twin-bed room) is furnished with two separate beds.

10.Can I leave my luggage before checking in?

Almost all Welcome Inns accept keeping luggage before check in. Please refer to the detail of the Welcome Inn on our web site.

11.Can I reserve a car parking space?

If the Welcome Inn has a parking lot or space, you can reserve it through us.

12.Can I make a reservation for someone else?

If you are not a travel agent and are only making reservations for your family or friends on their behalf, you can make a reservation for up to 10 people. Please note that you are responsible for the payment when cancellation charge is incurred.

13.I cannot find any available room for my preferred period. Is there a peak travel season in Japan?

If you are planning to travel during the following peak periods, please apply as quickly as possible.

･New Year’s Holiday period: December 29 to January 3
･Cherry Blossoms Season: Late March through early April
･Golden Week Holidays　: April 29 to May 5
･O-Bon Holiday: Second and third weeks of August
･Autumn Foliage Season: Middle to late November (particularly in Kyoto)


*On the following festive occasions, accommodation’s occupancy will be also very tight because travel agents block the rooms in each area:

･Snow Festival in Sapporo: Feb. 6 – 12 in case 11th falls on Sat. or Sun.
･3 main festivals in Kyoto: Aoi Matsuri on May 15, Gion Matsuri in Aug., Jidai Matsuri on Oct. 22
･3 main festivals in Tohoku: Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori on Aug. 1-7, Kanto Matsuri in Akita,on Aug. 4-7, Tanabata Matsuri in Sendai on Aug. 6-8
･Takayama Festival in Takayama: Apr. 14-15 and Oct. 9-10

14.I cannot find the hotel I wish to stay.

The hotel for which you are looking might not be our member or may have left our organization. Please utilize other channels to secure your room with them.

Problem FAQ

1. I tried to register myself but my application form didn't go through.

Please check your application form when you submit. If you do not complete the form, a warning message will come out and let you know which field you need to fill out. Or if any of your statement is not in the English alphabet mode, your application form will not go through or get garbled.

2. Though I submitted my membership registration form, I still don't hear from you.

Your ID will be sent to you by e-mail as soon as you apply. The reasons we can think of are: 1) your e-mail address was incorrect, 2) interruption or malfunction of the Internet provider's service, and 3) failure of your registration due to garbled data. Please try again or let us know how your first trial was.

3. When I tried to send my application form, my computer malfunctioned and my application form didn't go through or became invalid.

Our site is designed for multilingual use and doesn’t support for the old operation system. If your computer's operation system is older than Win 2000 or Mac 10.3, please use on updated computer to access our site. We also recommend using Internet Explore6.0 or higher, or Firefox2.0 or higher to access our site.

If your computer meets the system requirements, We suggest you clear your URL history, temporary Internet files and cookies, and delete of unused extraneous files and software.