RFI: Hotels in Tokyo

Or you could stay in a traditional ryokan though I really recommend getting out of Tokyo into the country to do this as the ryokans in Tokyo are not brilliant.

Tokyo is an easy city to get around. Stay on the West Side because it's nicer but especially Shibuya-ku and Minato-ku are full of young people and convenient.

If you have yen to burn, you could also stay in the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku seen in Lost in Translation or the Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi Mori Tower.

What's your budget?

There is an even cheaper one whose name escapes me that is a few blocks west of Kimi and is not-so-westerner friendly, it helps if you speak a little Japanese. It's about $30 USD/night for a single.

There's another cheap one called Taito (Asakusa) that was recommended to me that is purportedly pretty good and also about $30/night.

http://www.kangetsu.com/sub7.htm

4-7 Kagurazaka, Shunjuku-ku,Tokyo +81-3-3260-3769/fax+81-3-3260-37695 Jap.rooms without bath12.000 yen w/breakfast 10.000 yen/without meal

Photos at http://www.kaku-kouzo.com/gallery/wakana/wakana.html
Kagurazaka http://www.isone-sekkei.com/hosaka/kagura/saka/sakae.htm

If you want to reserve here in English, probably best to do it by fax.

My friend and I are thinking of spending 50 euros each a night so I guess that's 120 USD for a double room. It seems there are a few non-descript places in Shinjuku which fit the bill.

Have fun!)

Bump...in case anyone has any more up to date recommendations. And also any recommendations for Kyoto welcome.

I'm going in May, and paying for it myself rather than on business (so cheap is good).

I like the Tokyu stay brand. They are new, all no smoking, relatively cheap and have washing machines in the rooms through an incredible feat of Tokyo Tetris. All the big cities seem to have them.

In Kyoto I stayed at a cool place I found on Airbnb called magasinn Kyoto which was a tatami room above a design store in an old machiya building in a quiet neighborhood opposite a sake brewery.

https://www.magasinn.xyz/

If you do end up staying there I’ve got some great restaurant recommends.

Airbnb has some great stuff still and can be great value. Japanican.com is a good place to search for places as well.

Haven’t stayed in any of these but would like to.

https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/hotels/the-best-ryokan-tokyo

If I were looking for Airbnb’s in Tokyo I’d start in kakurazaka in Tokyo, there’s a cracking izakaya I love to visit when I am in town. I’ve also found really cheap ones in okachimachi which is a fun shitamachi neighbourhood and good for transit to get around. I’m sure some others will chime in with some cheaper neighbourhoods further out like Sangenjaya, Yoyogi or kichijoji, places I’ve visited but not stayed in.

Also worth considering if an where you might do late night activities as the trains stop relatively early, taxis are expensive and then you’re either walking or looking for a capsule hotel or all night bath house.

I've stayed in several of the APA chain hotels (also Sunroute) around Shinjuku and Asakusa and an airbnb around Ueno. These were all totally fine, but I don't mind super small rooms as long as they are clean (which they were).

I was trying to find the place I stayed in Kyoto. It wasn't anything special but I did like the location a lot, near Sanjo-dori just a couple of blocks from the Loft store. I could walk to many things from there.

AirBnB can be tricky in Japan due to the dubious legal position and the need to e.g. conceal from apartment neighbours that you are AirBnBing. It was easy to use in 2013 and 2015 but more complicated in 2017 for me - Tokyo / Osaka / Kyoto.
As far as districts go - staying in Shinjuku is lively and “wow”, plus easier access to e.g. Kamakura, Mt Takao and other stuff to the west. Ueno is also cool - a million museums, Ueno Park, Ameyoko markets (it’s my favourite so far). Harajuku is fine but it’s the cartoon Japan.

I stayed at APA Asakusa Kaminarimon in October. Tiny rooms but that's just Tokyo I guess. It's a couple door down from an excellent hole in the wall bar, Hoshiya. Area overflows with torusists during the day but it's pretty chill at night, with izakaya options around senso-ji.

In Kyoto I stayed at "Hotel Resol Trinity Kyoto Oike Fuyacho" which is a mouthful but it's very new and swish and spacious, and you can find good room deals on Expedia etc.

Would recommend both.

Although I can’t vouch for Tokyo as I haven’t used Airbnb there since the regulations changed but I had a great, and licensed Airbnb in Sapporo for a few weeks this January. Worth a look at least.

I stayed at an air bnb in the summer of 2017 and it definitely felt more stressful (even just dealing with the trash system) and not worth it. Stay in a hotel.

Trash system= meaning actual rubbish disposal.

Have also stayed in APA, in Sengakuji, was better than the Shinagawa Prince. Last time I just stayed in Shibuya, was worth the transit simplicity.

apa's owner is evil: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/business/japan-china-motoya-hotel-apa.html
dormy or toyoko inn for similar chain comfort without war crime denials, maybe even the gracery branches outside of shinjuku
pullman tamachi is where i stay when i want to get out of the house and work, or moxy hotel in kinshicho, rates just slightly higher than the local chains but cool vibes
wired in asakusa is cool and the rates aren't crazy in the right season

Definitely will be avoiding apa hotels in future.

dang did not know

since his hotels are used mostly by asian tourists, he's probably done more than most to increase mutual understanding, allow face-to-face interaction between people that might still harbor resentment or prejudices, and he's probably backing a lost cause... but yeah, i always choose another chain.

for Tokyo, we stayed at The B Tokyo Shimbashi which was new at the time, reasonably priced and very central. There was an earthquake while we were sleeping there so I can vouch for it being well built!

Given that every stay in an apa has been a tar encrusted thread to my health it’s good to have yet another reason not to use them.

For solo traveling in the city, travel light and find a place to crash wherever you wind up!

Thanks all - starting to get excited by planning for the trip.

abundant coin lockers, love hotels, capsule hotels, internet cafes. damn I miss Tokyo

my favourite - ticket diners! Food so good that one evening when I was on my own in Tokyo I looked around furtively and had TWO DINNERS.
https://i.imgur.com/TvBdCl6.jpg

try to find a converted love hotel, will be very spacious compared to a typical chain hotel

for Tokyo, we stayed at The B Tokyo Shimbashi which was new at the time, reasonably priced and very central. There was an earthquake while we were sleeping there so I can vouch for it being well built!

― Neil S, Tuesday, April 2, 2019 1:22 AM (fourteen hours ago)

For non-biz, I stayed at the b hotel in Akasaka about 10 years ago (it was brand new iirc) and it was fine (modern, budget boutique, "cozy" haha) not the greatest location but I was just using it as a crash pad at that point in my life.

Last 2 trips to Tokyo we stayed at the Shibuya Granbell (great location, was once pretty hip/cool but kinda falling apart these days) and the Cerulean (a little pricy, but worth it in my opinion).

Kyoto we usually stay in an onsen ryokan, not cheap but if you factor in the facilities, amenities, food & experience, you might be able to justify it.

the other place we stayed in Tokyo was Hotel Niwa, on the edge of Shinjuku. It's slightly more high-end but not ridiculously priced, and had great views across central Tokyo.

Dormy Inns are a good bet for budget-friendly chains IMO, every one of them has spa facilities and free ramen! We stayed at one in Osaka.

A Ryokan is a must even for just one night- we went to one in Hakone and it was an unforgettable experience.

I stayed in a converted live hotel call the hotel en in shibuya. It was pretty good although the rooms were still quite small if bigger than many I’ve stayed in.