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About AkiWatch

Run by Bawic Studio

What it does

Popular places — in Japan, and in the Alps — book out months ahead. But plans change, and cancellations follow. That spot goes to whoever notices first.

AkiWatch tells you the moment a sold-out date opens up again. Pick the places and dates you want, and an email or a phone alert arrives with a link to that place's own booking page.

What it covers

Mt. Fuji mountain huts

Mainly the Yoshida trail, plus Chojo Fujikan (Summit) on the Fujinomiya route and Setokan on the Subashiri trail. 11 places covered, Jul–Sep. Includes Tomoekan (7th Station), Toyokan, Goraikokan, Gansomuro, Fujisan Hotel, Chojo Fujikan (Summit).

Northern Japan Alps mountain huts

Mt. Yari and Hotaka, the Omote-Ginza and Ura-Ginza ridges, Kamikochi, Tateyama / Mt. Tsurugi, and Mt. Karamatsu above Hakuba. 23 places covered, Apr–Nov. Includes Yarigatake Sanso, Hotakadake Sanso, Enzanso, Sugoroku Hut, Tokusawaen, Karamatsu Sanso, Raichoso.

Campsites and glamping resorts

Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Kanagawa, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Nagano, Mie. 17 places covered, year-round. Includes Fumotoppara, Daigo Greenvila, Glamping B&V Nasu, Glamping B&V Lake Kawaguchi, Takibi no Niwa, GRANP Glamping Resort.

Japan ski accommodation (Myoko, Nozawa, Niseko, Rusutsu, Furano, Kiroro, Hakuba, Zao)

Slope-side hotels, onsen ryokan, lodges and condominiums in Myoko Akakura, Nozawa Onsen, Niseko, Rusutsu, Furano, Kiroro, Hakuba and Zao Onsen. 20 places covered, Dec–Mar peak. Includes Akakura Kanko Hotel, Komatsuya (Seki Onsen, Myoko), Morino Lodge Myoko, Sakaya Ryokan (Nozawa Onsen), Kawaichiya Ryokan (Nozawa Onsen), Niseko Park Hotel, AYA Niseko, Niseko Kyo, The Vale Niseko, The Maples Niseko, The Setsumon, The Vale Rusutsu, Zaborin (Niseko), Fenix Furano, Yu Kiroro, Zao Kokusai Hotel, Pension Kurumi (Hakuba Goryu), Morino Lodge Hakuba, Hotel Goryukan (Hakuba), Hakuba Panorama Hotel.

Koyasan temple lodgings (shukubo), Japan

Shukubo temple lodgings in the UNESCO World Heritage monastic town of Koyasan (Mount Koya). 6 places covered, year-round (peak in April and Oct–Nov). Includes Eko-in Temple, Fudo-in Temple, Saizen-in Temple, Fukuchi-in Temple, Soji-in Temple, Ichijo-in Temple.

Ginzan Onsen ryokan inns, Yamagata, Japan

The Taisho-era wooden inns lining the river in the snow-country hot-spring village of Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata. 9 places covered, year-round (peak in the snowy months, Dec–Feb). Includes Notoya Ryokan, Hatago Itouya, Ginzanso, Kosekiya Bekkan, Honkan Kosekiya, Takimikan, Yanadaya, Fujiya, Kozankaku.

Shirakawa-go gassho farmhouse stays, Gifu, Japan

Thatched gassho-zukuri farmhouses you can sleep in, in the UNESCO World Heritage village of Ogimachi — most take only a few parties a night. 13 places covered, year-round (peak in the snowy months, Dec–Feb; the four January–February light-up nights are allocated by lottery). Includes Koemon, Hisamatsu, Gensaku, Rihei, Isaburo, Wadaya, Nodaniya, Kidoya, Kanja, Juemon, Shimizu, Yoshiro, Otaya.

Alps mountain huts (Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy)

Alpine club huts in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Italy — Zermatt and Saas-Fee, the Haute Route, the Bernese Oberland, the Zugspitze and Berchtesgaden, the Zillertal and Stubai Alps, the E5 and the Dolomites. 45 places covered, Jun–Oct. Includes Monte Rosa Hütte, Mönchsjochhütte, Konkordiahütte, Cabane des Vignettes, Watzmannhaus, Berliner Hütte, Innsbrucker Hütte.

Tour du Mont Blanc refuges (France, Italy, Switzerland)

Refuges, gîtes and inns on the 170 km loop around Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland — Les Contamines, Les Chapieux, the Val Veny, Courmayeur, the Italian and Swiss Val Ferret, La Fouly, Trient and the Chamonix valley. 25 places covered, Jun–Sep. Includes Cabane du Combal, Auberge-Refuge de la Nova, Rifugio G. Bertone, Refuge de Nant Borrant, Refuge des Mottets, Gîte Alpage de La Peule, Auberge la Boërne.

Places with their own official cancellation alert

Some places run their own official cancellation-alert service, free of charge and in finer detail than AkiWatch can offer. AkiWatch does not sell alerts for those; it points you to the official one. They still appear in the free calendar and have their own pages here, but not in the alert sign-up.

PICA Fujiyoshida, PICA Fuji Saiko, PICA Fuji Grinpa, PICA Hatsushima, PICA Yatsugatake Akeno, PICA Lake Yamanaka, PICA Sagamiko, PICA Omote-Fuji, PICA Chichibu, PICA Fujiyama, THE GLAMPING Hakone

How it works

  1. Pick the places and dates you want. Dates do not have to be consecutive, and no account is created.
  2. When a sold-out date opens up again, an alert goes out with a link to the official booking page.
  3. You book it yourself there, at the same price as booking direct. Openings are first-come, first-served.

Alerts arrive by email (everyone), phone push through the web (nothing to install), and Telegram. How to set them up

Plans

One-time purchase, not a subscription. An alert ends on its own once your dates have passed, and there is no cap on how many alerts you receive. The first price shown is the launch discount; there are no changes or refunds after purchase.

Measured

About 35% of dates that had gone fully booked opened up again (Mt. Fuji 51%, the Northern Alps 50%, campsites and glamping 27%, ski stays 12%, Koyasan 16%, Ginzan Onsen 38%, Shirakawa-go 10%, the Alps 6%).
About 28% of those openings were taken again within an hour, and half were gone within about 6 hours.

Both come from AkiWatch's own record of the published availability of the places it covers.

Who runs it

Run by Bawic Studio ([email protected]). Terms · Privacy · Legal notice (Japanese)

What it will not do