import type { Metadata } from 'next'
import InternalPageTemplate from '@/components/InternalPageTemplate'
import BreadcrumbJsonLd from '@/components/BreadcrumbJsonLd'
import Link from 'next/link'
import { getTranslations } from 'next-intl/server'
import { buildAlternates } from '@/lib/seo'

export async function generateMetadata({
  params,
}: {
  params: Promise<{ locale: string }>
}): Promise<Metadata> {
  const { locale } = await params
  const t = await getTranslations('seo')
  const { canonical, languages } = buildAlternates(locale, '/guides/japan-hotel-prices')
  return {
    title: t('guideJapan'),
    description:
      'Hotels in Japan frequently show different prices to visitors browsing from abroad. Here\'s why, which platforms show the biggest gaps, and how to book at the best rate.',
    openGraph: {
      title: 'Japan Hotel Prices: Why Foreign Visitors Often Pay More Than Locals',
      description:
        'Japanese hotels often charge international visitors 20–40% more than domestic browsers. Here\'s how to find the real lowest price.',
      type: 'article',
    },
    alternates: { canonical, languages },
  }
}

const articleSchema = {
  '@context': 'https://schema.org',
  '@type': 'Article',
  headline: 'Japan Hotel Prices: Why Foreign Visitors Often Pay More Than Locals',
  description:
    'Hotels in Japan frequently show different prices to visitors browsing from abroad vs. local users.',
  author: { '@type': 'Organization', name: 'CahooTravel' },
  publisher: {
    '@type': 'Organization',
    name: 'CahooTravel',
    logo: { '@type': 'ImageObject', url: 'https://www.cahootravel.com/cahootravel-logo.svg' },
  },
  datePublished: '2025-01-15',
  dateModified: '2025-01-15',
  mainEntityOfPage: 'https://www.cahootravel.com/guides/japan-hotel-prices',
}

export default function JapanHotelPricesGuide() {
  return (
    <InternalPageTemplate>
      <script
        type="application/ld+json"
        dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: JSON.stringify(articleSchema) }}
      />

      <article className="max-w-3xl">
        <div className="mb-10">
          <div className="flex items-center gap-3 mb-4">
            <span className="text-xs font-medium text-brand-purple bg-brand-purple-light px-2.5 py-1 rounded-full">
              Destination Guide
            </span>
            <span className="text-xs text-gray-400">7 min read</span>
          </div>
          <h1 className="text-4xl font-bold text-gray-900 mb-4 leading-tight">
            Japan Hotel Prices: Why Foreign Visitors Often Pay More Than Locals
          </h1>
          <p className="text-gray-500 text-lg leading-relaxed">
            Japan is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, and hotel geo-pricing
            is particularly pronounced here. International visitors frequently see prices 20–40%
            higher than what a Japanese user searching from a domestic IP address would see for the
            exact same room on the same night. This guide explains why and how to find the best rate.
          </p>
        </div>

        {/* Featured image */}
        <div className="mb-10 rounded-2xl overflow-hidden aspect-[16/7]">
          <img
            src="/guides/japan-hotel-prices.jpg"
            alt="Tokyo city skyline at night"
            className="w-full h-full object-cover"
          />
        </div>

        <div className="prose prose-gray max-w-none text-sm leading-relaxed space-y-8">

          <section>
            <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold text-gray-900 mb-3">
              Why Japan has some of the largest geo-pricing gaps
            </h2>
            <p className="text-gray-600">
              Several factors make Japan an especially clear example of geographic price
              discrimination in hotel bookings:
            </p>
            <ul className="list-disc pl-5 space-y-2 text-gray-600 mt-3">
              <li>
                <strong>Strong domestic booking market.</strong> Japan has a highly developed
                domestic travel industry with platforms like Jalan (じゃらん), Rakuten Travel
                (楽天トラベル), and Yahoo! Travel commanding significant market share. International
                platforms like Booking.com and Expedia compete aggressively for Japanese domestic
                users by offering competitive prices — prices that are not made available to
                international browsers.
              </li>
              <li>
                <strong>Yen volatility.</strong> Periods of yen weakness (such as 2022–2024, when
                the yen dropped significantly against the euro and dollar) made Japan extremely
                affordable for Western visitors in currency terms — but booking platforms responded
                by increasing nominal yen prices for international market segments, partially
                recapturing the exchange rate advantage.
              </li>
              <li>
                <strong>High inbound tourism demand.</strong> Japan&apos;s reopening after COVID-19
                restrictions led to record inbound visitor numbers. Platforms serving high-demand
                international travellers could sustain premium pricing for non-domestic market
                segments.
              </li>
              <li>
                <strong>Business traveller premium.</strong> Tokyo and Osaka attract large volumes
                of international business travellers who book on corporate accounts at higher rates.
                Algorithms calibrate international pricing upward accordingly.
              </li>
            </ul>
          </section>

          <section>
            <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold text-gray-900 mb-3">
              Popular areas and typical price ranges
            </h2>
            <p className="text-gray-600">
              To provide context for the geo-pricing gaps, here are typical price ranges for popular
              hotel areas in Japan, as seen by international visitors:
            </p>

            <div className="space-y-4 mt-4">
              <div className="bg-gray-50 rounded-xl p-5 border border-gray-100">
                <h3 className="text-base font-semibold text-gray-900 mb-2">Tokyo</h3>
                <p className="text-gray-600 text-sm">
                  Central areas (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza): budget hotels ¥8,000–15,000/night
                  ($55–105), mid-range ¥18,000–40,000 ($125–280), luxury ¥50,000+ ($350+).
                  Geo-pricing gaps of 15–35% are typical for mid-range and luxury properties.
                  Business hotels in Shinjuku and Marunouchi often show the largest gaps.
                </p>
              </div>
              <div className="bg-gray-50 rounded-xl p-5 border border-gray-100">
                <h3 className="text-base font-semibold text-gray-900 mb-2">Kyoto</h3>
                <p className="text-gray-600 text-sm">
                  Kyoto is one of Japan&apos;s most visited destinations. Mid-range hotels near Gion
                  and Kawaramachi: ¥15,000–35,000 ($105–245). Traditional ryokan accommodation
                  tends to have less geo-pricing variation (often booked direct or via Japanese
                  platforms), but Western-style hotels show significant gaps. Expect 20–30%
                  differences between Japanese and non-Japanese market prices.
                </p>
              </div>
              <div className="bg-gray-50 rounded-xl p-5 border border-gray-100">
                <h3 className="text-base font-semibold text-gray-900 mb-2">Osaka</h3>
                <p className="text-gray-600 text-sm">
                  Osaka is generally more affordable than Tokyo. Dotonbori and Namba area:
                  ¥7,000–20,000 ($50–140) for mid-range options. The Kansai region attracts both
                  domestic and international travellers, and geo-pricing gaps tend to be 15–25%
                  for international visitors.
                </p>
              </div>
            </div>
          </section>

          <section>
            <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold text-gray-900 mb-3">
              Which platforms show the biggest price gaps for Japanese hotels?
            </h2>
            <p className="text-gray-600">
              Not all platforms behave the same way with geo-pricing in Japan:
            </p>
            <ul className="list-disc pl-5 space-y-2 text-gray-600 mt-3">
              <li>
                <strong>Booking.com</strong> shows some of the most pronounced geo-pricing gaps for
                Japan. Users from Japan often see prices 25–40% lower than users from Western Europe
                or North America for the same hotel on the same dates.
              </li>
              <li>
                <strong>Agoda</strong> (owned by Booking Holdings, the same parent company) is
                heavily used across Asia and often offers the best regional prices for Japan hotels
                to Asian market browsers, while charging more to European and American users.
              </li>
              <li>
                <strong>Trip.com</strong> (formerly Ctrip) often shows competitive prices for Japan
                to Asian market users, particularly Chinese, South Korean, and Southeast Asian
                browsers. Users from Europe and North America typically see higher prices.
              </li>
              <li>
                <strong>Expedia</strong> shows geo-pricing variation but generally smaller gaps than
                Booking.com and Agoda for Japan. US-domestic Expedia users sometimes see Japan
                prices close to local market rates due to Expedia&apos;s US market focus.
              </li>
            </ul>
          </section>

          <section>
            <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold text-gray-900 mb-3">
              How to check all prices for a Japanese hotel in under a minute
            </h2>
            <p className="text-gray-600">
              Finding the best geo-pricing for a Japanese hotel does not require visiting multiple
              platforms or using any workarounds. Here is the process:
            </p>
            <ol className="list-decimal pl-5 space-y-2 text-gray-600 mt-3">
              <li>
                Find the hotel on Booking.com, Agoda, Trip.com, or Expedia and copy the URL.
              </li>
              <li>Paste the URL into CahooTravel.</li>
              <li>
                CahooTravel checks the hotel price as seen from Japan, South Korea, India, and
                100+ other countries simultaneously, and returns a comparison in under a minute.
              </li>
              <li>
                Book directly on the platform — no manipulation of your account, payment method,
                or connection required.
              </li>
            </ol>
            <p className="text-gray-600 mt-3">
              For Japan specifically, it is worth running the comparison on Booking.com and Agoda
              separately, as they often show different country-specific patterns for the same hotel.
            </p>
          </section>

          <section>
            <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold text-gray-900 mb-3">
              Practical travel tips for booking Japan hotels
            </h2>
            <ul className="list-disc pl-5 space-y-2 text-gray-600">
              <li>
                <strong>Book earlier than you think you need to.</strong> Japan — particularly Tokyo
                and Kyoto — is consistently in high demand. Golden Week (late April–early May),
                cherry blossom season (late March–early April), and autumn foliage season
                (mid-October–mid-November) sell out months in advance.
              </li>
              <li>
                <strong>Check cancellation policies carefully.</strong> Many of the best geo-priced
                rates on Booking.com and Agoda for Japan are non-refundable. Make sure you are
                confident of your dates before booking.
              </li>
              <li>
                <strong>Consider direct booking for ryokan.</strong> Traditional Japanese inn
                (ryokan) accommodation is often best booked directly or through Japanese-language
                platforms (Jalan, Rakuten Travel) where the prices are set for the domestic market
                from the outset. International booking platforms often mark these up significantly.
              </li>
              <li>
                <strong>IC card convenience.</strong> Most business hotels in Japan are near train
                stations. Factoring in the Suica/Pasmo IC card transit system can save significant
                transport costs compared to taxis — offset this saving against a slightly more
                central (and expensive) hotel choice.
              </li>
            </ul>
          </section>

          <div className="rounded-2xl bg-brand-purple text-white p-8 flex flex-col md:flex-row items-center justify-between gap-6 mt-4">
            <div>
              <h3 className="text-lg font-bold mb-1">Find the best price for your Japan hotel</h3>
              <p className="text-purple-200 text-sm">
                Check Booking.com, Agoda, and Trip.com prices across 100+ countries. Free to start.
              </p>
            </div>
            <Link
              href="/"
              className="flex-shrink-0 bg-brand-yellow hover:bg-brand-yellow-dark text-gray-900 font-medium text-sm px-6 py-2.5 rounded-md transition-colors whitespace-nowrap"
            >
              Check Japan hotel prices →
            </Link>
          </div>
        </div>
      </article>

      <BreadcrumbJsonLd
        items={[
          { name: 'Guides', path: '/guides' },
          { name: 'Japan Hotel Prices' },
        ]}
      />
    </InternalPageTemplate>
  )
}