do I need to book hotels before I go

I am going to Japan in 3 weeks time for 3 weeks. I will be visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama Nara and Hakone. Do I need to book hotels before I go or should I just book a hotel in Tokyo for my arrival and book the rest on leaving the place I'm in?

I'm not expecting it to be to busy during mid September to Mid October, so was going to book at the last minute, or just find some where to stay when I arrive.

I will be staying in budget to medium priced hotels/ryokans.

Do I need to book hotels before I go

No.

should I just book a hotel in Tokyo for my arrival and book the rest on leaving the place I'm in?

It's up to you. Whatever travel style you prefer.

I personally always book everything ahead to avoid time loss and negative surprises.

Your trip overlaps with one of the very pleasant seasons to travel in Japan, so if I were you, I would book in advance. I prefer not to spend my time looking for and struggling on the phone/internet before I travel to the next city. Particularly if you are thinking of "budget" places, I would book ahead to avoid disappointments and overspending :)

If you're not fluent in Japanese, finding a budget ryokan/hotel on the spot can be time consuming. You'll end up spending a lot of time try to find a hotel for the day. For this reason, you should book ahead whenever possible.

Even for one night business trip or three weeks holiday, I book my hotels in adance ( 2 to 3 months depending on seasons), especially so if the place I am visiting is new to me. This will give me peace in mind and time to explore instead of worrying about my next accommodation.

Another reason to book ahead is that many budget ryokan and minshuku are not obvious from the outside, especially if you don't read kanji. You wouldn't notice them just walking past.

If you book ahead, you can have maps etc organised and spend less time getting lost. It's not always easy getting documents printed 'on the road' even if you can book online (some places need 48 hours notice for an online booking)

I'm with those wo find booking ahead less stressful and efficient. And you can make use of takkyubin to make things even easier.

I think I will start booking, I don't like surprises either. Do you know a good web site from which I can book accommodation? Will I have to pay a deposit up front?

A site i used for booking up a number of hotels for my trip was Bookings.com
You don't have to pay any deposits up front and usually have free cancelations.

Sorry thats www.booking.com

Thanks for the advice, I will start booking.

I don't think anyone has mentioned yet that Sep 19 and 23 are public holidays, so those weekends and probably also the weekdays in between are likely to be a lot busier than usual in some areas.

I would definitely book ahead for that week at least other than in Tokyo or Osaka where it's probably not necessary.

Rakuten Travel always worked fine for me. But check the hotel deals, sometimes they have good rates if you book in advance ;) If you stay in Tokyo and wish to be in the best location, go to Keiunsou, the best :D

I once went during those holidays, better book in advance hotels, and trains, and everything ;) Even if you have everything perfectly planned ahead, you will still waste time finding a place around the corner. So, it is better to book ahead and save up a lot of time.