Rakuten Travel: English site or Japanese site? Where the coupons are

By the Japan Hotel Coupon Radar team · Nov 8, 2026 · Checked against official pages · Contains affiliate links

Rakuten Travel has an English site, but most coupons and travel subsidies are only on the Japanese one.

Rakuten Travel runs two websites. They show many of the same hotels, but the deals are not the same.

English site (travel.rakuten.com)

• Fully in English, easy to book
• Has its own promo codes
• Most Japanese coupons and travel subsidies don't appear here

Japanese site (travel.rakuten.co.jp)

• Where the Coupon Festival, seasonal sales and regional subsidies like the Kyushu travel subsidy live
• Works in English with your browser's Translate button (how)
• You need a free Rakuten account and must be logged in

How to use a coupon on the Japanese site

1. Log in with your Rakuten ID.
2. Claim the coupon by tapping it on a sale page or in an email. Some coupons are added automatically.
3. Check it was saved in myクーポン (my coupons).
4. Book. On the booking step, look for クーポン利用 (use coupon). Rakuten picks the best combination for you. Make sure the total went down before you confirm.

Rules worth knowing

• First come, first served counts bookings, not claims. Once the limit is reached, coupons you claimed but didn't use disappear. Book right after you claim.
• Stacking: up to 3 coupons on a hotel booking, but only one hotel coupon and one local government coupon.
• Coupons can be used together with Rakuten Points.
• If you cancel, the coupon usually comes back the next day, unless it has expired or the limit was reached.

Which should you use?

Check both. If a coupon or subsidy is running for your dates, the Japanese site usually wins. If not, compare with the English site's promo codes.

Based on Rakuten Travel's official coupon help page. Rules can change, so check each coupon's conditions.