When you book with expedia etc., you don't pay the lowest rate, and you have to prepay your whole stay (often 100% non-refundable).

If you did a web search, you would have found the website of Granbell with online reservation. They don't even want your credit card information because they trust that you will show up.

Try this website. Note that single rooms at the Granbell in Shibuya are pretty small.

http://web.travel.rakuten.co.jp

Note that the English version of rakuten requires credit card information. Official hotel bilingual website does not.

Don't think it's a good idea to take advantage of the honor system in Japan. Abuse of this convention results in special hotel promotions being exclusively available to the domestic market. Some traditional hotels don't even bother doing business with overseas guests because of this.

I used the Japanese version and fully honoured the reservation. I expect no less of my fellow travellers on the forum.

Should I repeat that the hotel's *own* English website does not require credit card info?

Rakuten website seems to be offering the best deal (I didn't know your exact dates so I just typed in random dates), but I think you would like to stick to the sites you feel comfortable booking with, right?

Otherwise I was going to suggest Sunroute Akasaka as well (yes I know it's a chain and the single room is teeny tiny)- but I don't think it'll come up with the hotels.com

Have you considered Hotel Monterey Hanzomon? It's centrally located and hotels.com has it.

Thanks everyone! Much appreciated. I've booked myself into the Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku...great location,and TA reviews and only $120per nite!! The Granbell was my first choice...but they are underconstruction and won't be open til Sept.1. The recentreviews on TA for Hotel monterey Hanzomon were not great...poor location, cleanliness and difficulty with English nixed this option for me. Many thanks to all! Natalie

Was there a suggestion of abusing something here? I may be dense. I really get nervous whenever anyone thinks they can take advantage of certain courtesies afforded foreign travelers in Japan because after awhile those courtesies tend to go away. The usual case is people making reservations and not showing up. I cringe at the thought of that. Japanese people never do this without canceling. Overbooking is not a way of life the way it is out west.

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