JClare

I am going to Japan for the first time in March and frankly I am totally confused by where to stay in Tokyo. I know it is a huge city and it seems easy to get around by subway. Can someone suggest the best areas to stay for seeing the sights. Also, hotel recommendations -approx $200.00 per night. Many thanks.

Sydney2K

Firstly, I hope you have a great time in Japan, I hope you are going late March because around then is Sakura Blossom time.

There are several obvious places that put themselves for suggestions. Shinjuku/Shubuya, as arguably the brightest areas for food and entertainment have great hotels at all different prices. In Shinjuku and Shibuya you can walk out of the hotel lobby and be right in the middle of the action. Ginza with its high-class shopping, Roppongi for its night life and Ikebukuro, also for its shopping are also worth mentioning. All of the areas (apart from Roppongi) above are on the JR Yamanote line, the railway ring line. It's also probably easier for you to get to from the airport.

However another suggestion is to base yourself at one of the stations on a subway or private railway line. The advantages are that hotels here may be quieter and not so busy, the service more personal, and catching the subway gets you to more places that you want to see. IMHO the lines to check are the Toei Oedo railway line and the Tokyo Metro Marunochi subway line, as they cover a lot of Tokyo.

I figure the regulars here can help you on specific hotels (my taste in hotels is sufficiently cheap enough that I tend to excuse a lot that many may not), but these are the areas I think you should try and look up.

JClare

Thanks for all your information-very helpful. I am interested in cheap hotels too as long as they are quiet and clean, so I am happy for your suggestions.

DonTopaz

Best value, interesting neighborhood, easiest access to Narita: Ueno

Busy neighborhood where lots of people stay but which is a bit far from many attractions (and also has a lovely park that's closed on Mondays): Shinjuku

Best place to stay for access to all parts of Tokyo as well as airports & Kyoto/Osaka: Shinagawa

Likelihood that you'll make a bad choice, no matter where you choose: very close to 0%

lcuy

I happen to like the Roppongi area. The "hotel b" is a half minute walk from the Roppongi subway and train station, and very reasonable.

Have you tried the agoda.com booking site? Their prices are very good, and often include breakfast and local taxes.

laurie_ann

We enjoyed very much Asakusa and the Shigetsu on our trip to Japan a few years ago. http://www.shigetsu.com/e/guide.html They have singles around $100 and doubles around $200. It was very convenient to subway and the airport train. It is a small hotel with lots of Japanese style, note beds in doubles are traditional Japanese too (mats). And the neighborhood has many small restaurants, a beautiful temple and traditional style market.

hawaiiantraveler

lots of info your looking for on this thread

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...yo-edition.cfm

Aloha!

m_bran

Hi JClare,

I visited Tokyo for the first time in October and was overwhelmed by the choice of neighborhoods, too. I’ll add my rookie recommendation to your post but I see you already have received great advice from the regulars here.

I stayed at the Granbell Hotel Shibuya. It has a wonderful location for catching trains, the price was reasonable and accommodations were exactly as expected. It was clean & quiet in a bustling & fun neighborhood. I highly recommend it as a boutique hotel option.

http://www.granbellhotel.jp/index_e.html

Good luck & enjoy!

TokachiM

We used to stay at a business hotel near the Uguisudani stop (Yamanote). It's a big Love Hotel district (or it was), but the place was fairly close to the station, and of course, the Yamanote line really goes to a lot of the good places. I think it might have been Toyoko Inn http://www.toyoko-inn.com/e_hotel/00135/index.html.

This time when we go (for one night in January), we'll stay at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. Shinagawa is on the Yamanote Line, and also is close to Hamamatsu-cho which has the monorail to the Haneda airport. http://www.princehotels.com/en/shinagawa/access/

daneryland

You may consider Hotel Grand Palace for your stay at Tokyo. It has accommodation rates as per your budget and quite centrally located. Its distance from the subway is around half kilometer. Moreover you can easily find dining areas nearby.

DonTopaz

TokachiM: To travel between Shinagawa and Haneda airport, the easiest method is to take the Keikyu airport express line directly from Shinagawa station to Haneda airport. The entrance to the Keikyu station is just before you enter the JR station, on the right side (if the Shinagawa Prince hotel is at your back).

TokachiM

Thank you, rizzuto. At the risk of hi-jacking the thread, any recommendations for dinner around Shinagawa? (Budget, with two kids, jet-lagged)

DonTopaz

There's a nice Italian restaurant near the entrance to the station, called Pane e Vino, I think. As you enter the station area from the Shinagagwa Prince side, the restaurant entrance is on the left -- take the elevator to the 2nd floor.

There's also a supermarket with a huge food area in the basement floor with multiple, multiple take-away options. This is also near the station entrance but on the right side.

That's just 2, but you'll find a gajillion others in the area.