Design-y Airbnbs Are Booking Up Fast in This 2024 Trending Destination

It seems like everyone in our Instagram feeds has been traveling around Japan this fall, and from what search bars are telling us, that doesn’t sound like it will be slowing down anytime soon. Airbnb just released its 2024 top destinations report, and Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto all made the list. Sandwiched among more predictable locales (Paris, for the Olympics) and the offbeat (total solar eclipse in Kentucky, anyone?) is that trifecta of destinations in the island country that seem to have eternal pull. Each city is just a few hours apart aboard a shinkansen, and with three very different personalities, they’re all worth a visit. 

Deciding on a place to stay in any of these incredible places, though, is a job unto itself. So we sifted through pages upon pages of listings and handpicked a few spots we’d book ASAP, as well as a few stylish hotels worth checking out. 

Too Cool, Top-Rated Airbnbs

We scoured Airbnb in each city with an eye toward design, filtering in different ways for guest favorites, superhosts, and geographic variance. We tried to steer clear of multi-room properties in favor of unique qualities and equally interesting neighborhoods or areas. 

Tokyo

In Tokyo, that meant an outdoor tub near youthful Shimokitazawa, and floor-to-ceiling windows on a quiet central quiet in Shinjuku.

Third-Floor Penthouse, Shinjuku

Japanese Old Traditional Style House, Setagaya City

Osaka

In Osaka, we found a two-story house with Japanese sugi-wood flooring, a cozy stay not far from beautifully planted Utsubo Park, and a well-appointed circa-1911 house near the Yodo River.

Traditional Wood House, Osaka City

Cozy Home, Osaka City

Circa-1911 Townhouse, Fukushima

Kyoto

In Kyoto, there’s a renovated modern machiya—traditional architecture of the area—and a two-bedroom home surrounded by lush gardens.

Fully Renovated Traditional Machiya, Gion

Garden House, Shimogyo

Hotels Worth Booking for the Design Alone

While there’s always an argument to be made for a classic like Tokyo’s Park Hyatt, here are 10 more hotel stays—all recommended by design-minded folks and editors—in Tokyo, Kyoto, and across Japan that are worth looking into. From an art island respite near Okayama to a regularly snowy Hokkaido ryokan, there’s a little something for everyone.