Initiated in 1991, the Welcome Inn Reservation Center (WIRC) operated by ITCJ aims to provide lodging establishments in Japan increased opportunities to welcome overseas visitors while offering foreign travelers a wide selection of accommodations that are both comfortable and reasonably priced. This reservation assistance service is provided by ITCJ in close cooperation with the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) and under the supervision of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Japanese government.

WIRC maintains an official listing of participating establishments that are known as Welcome Inns. To qualify for participation in the Welcome Inn program, lodging establishments must meet several criteria, among which those that specifically relate to the needs of travelers from abroad are:

• They must welcome and be capable of lodging foreign guests.
• Their daily rates must not exceed 8,000 yen per single room or 13,000 yen per double room (excluding taxes and service charges).

ITCJ publishes and makes readily available an English language booklet with a detailed listing of participating establishments named the Directory of Welcome Inns. Besides referring to this booklet for booking information, foreign travelers can also make a reservation through the WIRC website and at five reservation counters in Japan. Please note that booking assistance is designed to help individual travelers from abroad who have difficulty finding reasonable accommodations in Japan because of their inability to communicate in Japanese. Since reservations for small groups are not normally handled by travel agents on a commercial basis, WIRC provides the service for parties of up to 10 persons.

Special Note to Travel Agents

Please note that our agreement with our sponsors makes it impossible for us to handle reservation requests through travel agents. Travel agents are free to view the listings on the WIRC website and in the Directory of Welcome Inns booklet, but we request that they contact the Welcome Inns directly for booking information.