Laundry in Japan: Coin Laundries and Hotel Washing Machines

Laundry is one of the small chores that makes a two-week trip with a carry-on possible, and Japan makes it easy once you know where to look. Coin laundries are everywhere, clean and open late, and many hotels have a guest machine on one floor. This guide covers where to wash, how a coin laundry works step by step, the words on the control panels, detergent, drying, etiquette and a simple plan for a fortnight, with the Japanese you are likely to see.

Where to wash your clothes

• Coin laundries (コインランドリー): the usual answer. Self-service shops, often open 24 hours and unstaffed, in most neighbourhoods.
• Hotel and hostel guest machines: many business hotels have a laundry floor or corner with coin-operated washers and dryers, and most hostels have a machine or two.
• Hotel laundry services: pricier, but you hand clothes over and collect them later. Ask at the front desk about cut-off times.
• Ryokan: rarely have guest machines. Ask the staff if you need something washed, and expect to pay for a service if one exists.
• Your room: a few items in the sink or the bath, hung on a rail, is fine for a pair of socks and a shirt.

If you are still choosing where to stay, our comparison of ryokan, hotels, capsule hotels and hostels in Japan notes which types usually have a laundry; check the facilities list on the booking page.

What a coin laundry looks like

• Open for long hours, often around the clock, and often with nobody working there.
• Front-loading washers in several sizes, from a few kilograms to large drums for duvets.
• Washer-dryers (洗濯乾燥機) that wash and dry in one machine, usually slower than using a separate dryer.
• Large dryers stacked in a bank, often gas-powered and fast.
• A separate sneaker washer and dryer in many shops.
• Folding tables, baskets and sometimes a small seating area with a vending machine.
• A change machine (両替機) that turns banknotes into 100-yen coins; newer machines may take an IC card or QR payment.
• Detergent: many washers add it automatically, and others sell small packs from a vending machine.

Konbini and drugstores sell travel-size detergent too; see our comparison of 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson for what the convenience stores stock.

How to use a coin laundry, step by step

• Pick a free machine and check the drum is empty. A forgotten sock from the last customer is common.
• Load your clothes without overfilling. Most machines show the capacity in kilograms.
• Choose the course (コース) on the panel. For ordinary clothes the standard course is fine.
• Check whether detergent is automatic. If the panel says 洗剤自動投入 you can skip adding your own; if not, add your own pod or powder.
• Pay. Many machines ask for payment first, then you press start (スタート). Some take coins only, so keep 100-yen coins ready.
• Wait or leave and return. The panel shows the time left (残り時間). Do not come back much later than the end of the cycle.
• Move to a dryer, which usually runs per coin for several minutes. Start with one round and add more if clothes are damp, checking the pockets and lint filter first.

Coins matter here, so keep a few spare 100-yen coins. Our guide to how much cash to bring to Japan explains why a coin stash is useful.

Coin laundry control panel words

Hotel washing-machine panel words

Two things surprise many visitors. Many Japanese home washing machines wash in cold water by default, and hotel machines are often the same, so do not expect a hot wash for greasy clothes. Also, the dryer function on vertical (top-loading) machines is usually weak, so use a proper dryer if you have the option and dry heavy items such as jeans separately.

Detergent: liquid, powder and pods

• Liquid (液体) is easy to measure and the most common in small bottles.
• Powder (粉) is cheap and works well, but needs a scoop.
• Pods (ジェルボール) are the easiest to carry. A few in a zip bag is enough for a trip.
• Fabric softener (柔軟剤) is optional and often strongly scented. If you are sensitive, skip it.
• Travel sizes are sold at konbini, drugstores and 100-yen shops, and many laundries sell small packs from a vending machine.

Drying your clothes

• Coin laundry dryers are fast, and Japanese commercial dryers are often gas-powered, so a load can dry in much less time than a home dryer.
• Most hotel rooms have no dryer. Look for a bathroom drying function (浴室乾燥) with a switch near the bath, a clothes rail or a retractable line.
• Rooms often include a pinch hanger you can use to dry socks and underwear.
• In the rainy season and in humid summers, clothes dry slowly indoors, so use a dryer for jeans and towels.
• Do not put wool, delicates or anything labelled no-tumble-dry into a hot dryer.

For the rainy season, humidity and what to pack, read our guide to Japan's weather by month and what to wear.

What it costs

Prices vary by shop and machine. As a rough guide only, washing is typically a few hundred yen per wash depending on the size of the drum, drying is charged by time and typically costs a hundred yen or so for several minutes, and a full wash and dry often lands around a thousand yen. We could not fetch an official price page from a coin-laundry chain on 20 October 2026, so treat these as unverified rules of thumb and check the price on the machine before you pay.

Etiquette

• Do not leave your clothes after the cycle ends. Other people are waiting, and unattended items may be moved.
• Do not put shoes in the regular washer. Use the sneaker machine, or wash shoes elsewhere.
• Clean the lint filter in the dryer after use, and wipe the folding table.
• Keep voices low, especially late at night.
• Take your bag and lost items with you. Do not leave anything valuable in the shop.

Finding a laundry and what to pack

• Search Google Maps for コインランドリー or "coin laundry" near your hotel. Look for the hours and recent reviews.
• A laundry bag keeps dirty clothes apart from clean ones.
• A few detergent pods in a zip bag and a small travel line or pegs.
• Some 100-yen coins, ideally in a small pouch.
• Enough underwear and socks for four to five days, so laundry is a planned stop rather than an emergency.

A sample laundry plan for two weeks

Japanese words for laundry

To practice reading these words, try writing the kanji in our kanji writing practice tool: 洗, 濯, 乾 and 燥 appear on almost every machine.

Official information

We could not fetch an official coin-laundry chain or tourism-board page about laundries on 20 October 2026, so this guide cites no official source. Machines, payments and prices change, so follow the instructions on the machine and the signs in the shop.