Hello all.
If you could please recommend hotels for the following locations (Hotel and what you liked/disliked would be amazing + links appreciated)
—> Tokyo (Shinjuku / Shibuya ) Kinda unsure tbh where to stay.
—> Kyoto
—> Hiroshima
—> Osaka
This will be our first time in Japan. So excited.
Thanks
Thank you :)
if you find someone post is useful, can always save their post to your FB to read it later rather than saving to notes, good luck!
Solid idea, ty ty.
Minn Gion in Kyoto is fantastic. It was brand new when we went in September.
It's a good place only if you like seeing loads of ball sack
Have you been there?
one at the airport after an ana redeye yes, Japanese men a lot like to sleep naked. my eyes are bleeding
Enjoyed stay at Oakwood Apartments Azabujuban. In Kyoto I would try to stay in a hotel close to Kyoto station for ease of travel.
If you don't mind staying a bit further (about 20 minutes train distance - 7 station), Omori near Shinagawa strikes the balance between nice hotel and affordability. It's small though for a party of 4 so 2 rooms but still did come cheaper for us. Shinagawa is within the Narita Express route if your airport is Narita otherwise, not far (shuttle bus distance) from Haneda.
Other people have said Ueno is nice (north of Tokyo) and that station has a direct line to airport (Keisei Skyliner).
Budget is the biggest thing. Without the context of that it's hard to recommend. Are you being value spenders or do you need a certain level of comfort.
Do you need to stay right by the best districts or is a bit of a walk and navigating a complex transport system your jam.
No one size fits all.
In Tokyo I chose Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku for its proximity to Shinjuku Station and Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal with Airport limousine buses operating between Haneda and Narita airports to the front of the hotel. In Kyoto I rate Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto Terrace Hachijo Higashiguchi for its spacious rooms, Japanese and Western-style breakfast buffet, coin laundry, proximity to Kyoto station, Honke Daiichi-Asahi ramen restaurant and Don Quijote in Kyoto Avanti. We saved a relocation by day-tripping to Hiroshima (and skipping Miyajima) but that was when JR passes were cheaper than now.
+1 for Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku. It's also near Yoyogi Station if you want to avoid the chaos that is Shinjuku Station. Great location and easy to find!
OP, what's your budget for hotels?
+1 for Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku that is our go to its close to everything we were there during a earthquake, this hotel is very solid. the familymart next door lost most of its beer. booooooo
Yes Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku is great
The hotel Bill Murray stayed in in Lost in Translation looks pretty cool imo, I'd stay there.
The strings intercontinental that is $1200 a night, stayed there on ihg points (promo 40000/night), nice but not worth the cash.
All depends on budget tbh. I've always had a good experience with the various business hotel chains around. I just decide on the area that I want to stay in and find one with good reviews that meets my budget.
In terms of places to stay into Tokyo, stick to the Yamanote line for easy transport - I've always liked staying in Asakusa but am staying in Ikebukuro on my upcoming trip as I've got lots of day trips planned out west plus Sunshine City is right near the hotel I picked.
I always stay in airbnb's when visiting Japan - though I do travel with my 3 kids, and family friendly hotel rooms aren't so cheap.
but I prefer to stay in an airbnb as it gives me the option of cooking.
plus separate rooms/spaces.
plus I get to stay in an actual house or apartment - i.e. experience a glimmer of residential/everyday life.
I stayed in an excellent 2 storey wooden house in Ueno 5 years ago. tatami floors upstairs , etc. typical 1950s house. it was located in a random street - street view shows that it was demolished about 3 years ago ;(
p.s. I lived in Japan for 4 years.
Love hotel all the way
In Kyoto, my wife & I stayed here a couple of years ago, nice hotel and handy to the train station:
Trying to figure something out similar - 2 adults and a 8yr old in April.
Current planned itinerary is to stay the night in Tokyo and leave for Nagoya/Kyoto the next afternoon. So just looking for the most convenient place to stay one night - easy access after flying in, some light sightseeing during day and easy to get to JR Tokyo the next day with least walking. We will have at least one piece of luggage with us and forward the rest to Kyoto/Osaka depending on final itinerary.
Sunroute seems like a good choice. Thanks @sumyungguy
There are no Shinkansen terminals at Shinjuku Station so you may want to stay somewhere where you don't need to make a connection. I did it the other way round, straight to Kyoto from HND to use the 7-day JR pass for all the long hops (Hiroshima, Himeji) then back to Shinjuku so we could use the Airport Limousine back to HND (and the bus to Tokyo Disney). Would also work if you're flying into NRT.
Hotels near either Tokyo or Shinagawa stations seem super expensive though. Hence leaning towards staying further away and needing a commute.
We are landing 4:30pm at NRT. Making a trip straight to Kyoto may turn out a bit hectic for us.
Guess it depends on how you're doing rail passes. We used the 7-day JR first, a 48-hour Tokyo subway ticket for the last two days, then a limousine bus on our departure day. Looks like 3.5 hours from Narita to Kyoto but the trade-off is one less relocation… and the Shinkansen is way more comfortable than long-haul economy.
@sumyungguy: Hmmm. When you put it that way, definitely food for thought. Will consider this.
For our usage, our calculations didn't show any real benefit with the JR Pass. Right now, we are not looking to use a JR Pass.
Thank you everyone for your responses.
join this FB group about Japan Travel Planning that provides everything you need to know before going.