Accommodation

[Koula]

Hi everybody, I am new to this Just wanting to know if anyone can help me out - I am looking for accommodation in Tokyo for myself and my husband for 6 nights (16th May - 22nd May). Any ideas? Anyone know of someone who might like to put us up for 6 nights and we can pay them accommodation rather than staying in a hotel - I feel we would get a better feel of the Japanese culture?? Any suggestions?

[talz13]

I would suggest staying at a ryokan if you can. I stayed at a couple of those last year and they were great:

Ryokan Kangetsu: RYOKAN KANGETSU-Tokyo Budget Hotel-Economy Accommodation Cheap Inn Japan booking,
Homeikan: http://www.homeikan.com/en/en_welcome.html

Those are both in the Tokyo area for a couple examples (not a very long trip to get anywhere around Tokyo anyways).

[Sangetsu]

If you plan to stay in someone's home, you'll probably find that the most noticeable cultural difference between you and your hosts will be your language. You'll probably find the rest to be no so different from your own country.

Staying at a ryokan is nice (I stay in them frequently), but their quality varies widely. Some are very nice, with a private shower and toilet, others are not, and you'll have to share facilities with other guests. You may also find that non-smoking rooms are not available (they aren't in most ryokans), and the rooms often smell of very stale smoke. The main reason I stay at ryokans has less to do with the room than it does with the food (which is often incredible), and the use of their onsens (hot spring/bath). Cleaner (newer) ryokans with private showers and baths tend to be expensive (I've paid as much as $700 for one night), but I prefer them to the older ones which I have visited.

Ryokans are a perfect place for a one night stay, or perhaps a weekend, but you'll find a regular hotel much more convenient for longer stays.

I would recommend the Intercontinental hotel at Tokyo bay. The hotel is located next to the water on the bay, with a wonderful view of Odaiba and the rainbow bridge. It is located next to Takeshiba station, on the Yurikamome line, which you can use to get to Odaiba and Toyosu, or to Shinbashi station (where you can connect to the Yamanote line, which encircles the heart of Tokyo). The Intercontinental is also walking distance from Hamarikyu Gardens, the Tsukiji fish market, and Ginza (bring good walking shoes). The hotel has a very good Japanese restaurant, and you should try the traditional breakfast served there, it is very good.

My other favorite hotels are the Nikko hotel (in Odaiba, on the other side of Tokyo Bay), or the Conrad Hotel, which overlooks Hamarikyu on one side, and Shinbashi on the other. But these hotels are quite a bit more expensive than the Intercontinental.

I don't recommend the hotels in Roppongi, Shibuya, Shinjuku, or Shinagawa. Those parts of the city are must-sees, but they are crowded, noisy, and somewhat smelly. The hotels around the bay are far enough from the city center to be quiet, but close enough that you can reach it within minutes on the train, bus, or taxi.

[talz13]

also, check out Hostels & Youth Hostels Worldwide - Online Bookings to find some cheap places. You don't have to book through them, but it does help in finding lists of accommodations.

[Troo]

I tend to view hotels as the place you sleep, nothing more. You pay for location (i.e. not in the armpit of Shinjuku, for example) and quality, but I've no interest in anything other than clean, with en-suite facilities.

A Ryokan is a good experience (if you get a good Ryokan, of course), but the good ones, as mentioned above, are ludicrously expensive. No matter how many of you you cram into a single room, Ryokan usually charge per person rather than per room.

I get on extremely well with the Chisun Grand in Akasaka. The staff are extremely helpful, they have an entire non-smoking building (the hotel is made up of two physically separate buildings), it's right outside exit 5 of the Akasaka metro station, and the area has some truly glorious restaurants (as well as an open-late bookshop and some 24-hour convenience shops). The rooms are small, but with plenty of space to stash a suitcase where you won't trip over it in the night.

Chisun Grand Akasaka

This time around, though, I'll be giving the Prince in Sunshine City a try. I've heard good things about it, and now that the new metro line is in place Ikebukuro is far more accessible (and the rest of Tokyo is far more accessible from Ikebukuro).

Reviews on Trip Advisor

I don't recall it being a 20 minute walk from Ikebukuro station to Sunshine City, so maybe the reviewer got a bit lost

Be aware that unless you specifically request a double bed you may end up with twin beds. I've spoken to many couples who've complained of sleeping in twin beds in Japan because they never thought to confirm their requirements with their booking agent or the hotel directly.

Japanese hotels are usually for business travellers, so your room is more often than not fully stocked with a fridge, free bottled water, a TV, free internet access (whether wifi or a Cat-5 cable - check first if you intend to use it), toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, disposable razor, comb / brush, toothpaste, shower gel, shower cap, flannel, towels, yukata, slippers, alarm clock and toilet paper. Some hotels also have things like conditioner or moisturiser but that's more dependent on the hotel itself. I've yet to stay at a Japanese hotel which didn't supply all basic toiletries for free, though.

There's little more traditional than pooping on your Toto Washlet and having it wash and air-dry your bum before you have a soak in the bath, wrap yourself in your yukata, and settle on the bed to watch Japanese paparazzi trying to induce epileptic fits in their victims