nycgirl1

Hi everyone - hoping you can help me narrow down choices for a hotel that's close to transport and a good option for a solo traveler (I'm extending a business trip in Yokohama for another 2 nights so I can be more central in Tokyo metro)

I was hoping to stay here but it's booked up:
http://www.sawanoya.com/

Budget is around $200/night if possible (am a little flexible)

This will be my first time to Asia so I'll be doing a lot of sightseeing during the two free days I have. I've traveled extensively and lived in NYC so am comfortable with mass transit.

Thanks!!!

thursdaysd

I found this chain very useful for Japan:

http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/

Rooms are small but have everything you need, and you can book (and cancel) on line in English.

nycgirl1

Thank you! Any recommendations on which section of Tokyo I should focus on to narrow down exact spot? (I'm seriously overwhelmed)

thursdaysd

My first night I stayed near Shinagawa station as I was going on to Kyoto. When I came back I stayed in the Asukusa area here:

http://www.f-kamogawa.jp/home/top/index_e.php

(See also: http://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/.../trying-tokyo/ )

But it really depends on what you want to see in Tokyo.

Mara

For only two nights I would agree with thursdaysd as there is no need to waste time being in an inconvenient area. I have stayed in the Toyoko Inn near Shinagawa more than once.

My preferred Tokyo hotel is a small inn which is a bit out of the way in the Yanaka area which is not too touristy. Here is a link:
http://www.katsutaro.com/annex_index.html
It is about a ten minute walk to the JR Yamanote line and is also good for traveling back to NRT.

kikiv

It looks like we may be going to Japan next year. I am so glad I found this thread. The two hotels recommended by Thursdays and Mara seem quite nice and very affordable although I haven't a clue what area we should stay at at this point.
It is a beginning...

NYCgirl1 I would be interested to know where you decide to stay and hear back about your experience as I would love to stay in the $200 budget as well.

jlaughs

I would absolutely recommend Tokyu Stay (http://www.tokyustay.co.jp/e/) in Gotanda. There are Tokyu Stay hotels all over Tokyo, but I can only speak for the Gotanda location. We chose it because we wanted a relatively inexpensive hotel conveniently located to get to the airport the next day. After staying there, we said that if we ever get back to Japan, we will definitely stay there again. Although Gotanda is not a main tourist area, the location was perfect in terms of accessibility to other areas. The entrance for the Asakusa subway line was literally right outside the door and the JR Gotanda station on the JR Yamanote line was one block away (apparently the Tokyu Ikegami line was also very close, but we didn't see it). Because it's not one of the major stations, it was less confusing and less stressful to navigate.

The hotel was great! Plenty of security - needs room card to access elevator. The room had everything - TV, small kitchenette (microwave, refrigerator, kitchen sink, utensils, tableware, limited cooking utensils (pots/pans), etc.), washer/dryer, and computer (although they may not provide the computer anymore in the room). The front desk staff were extremely nice and helpful. I had emailed them a quick note from Kyoto saying that we would be arriving quite late because we had missed our train. They had my email printed out and knew who we were when we finally checked in.

During our trip, we also stayed at Conrad Tokyo, Capsule Inn Akihabara, Hotel Granvia (Kyoto), a ryokan in Kyoto and Dotonbori Hotel (Osaka). So, you can see that we stayed in places of a variety of styles and class range. We liked the Tokyu Stay as much as the Conrad and the Granvia (high end), and in some respects, might actually have liked it more.

Kavey

For another budget chain with clean, simple, comfortable rooms looks at Dormy Inn, we stayed in one last year and will be staying in a number of them this year.

But $200 will stretch quite far - we paid that for the Hotel Century Southern Tower in Shinjuku last time, as we found an offer on Agoda.com -- I'd check both Booking.com and Agoda.com for deals as I've got some very good ones for my upcoming trip.

I'd probably focus on establishing what the main things you'd like to see in Tokyo are - because Tokyo has a LOT of attractions and they are widely spaced out. Unlike most places, Tokyo is several distinct "town centres" smooshed together. We grouped our sightseeing shortlist by area and focused on one area at a time. We still didn't see half of what I had shortlisted...

Once you have done that, you'll get a better idea of which station makes most sense for you - maybe Shinjkuku or Shibuya, maybe Asakusa, maybe Ueno...

kalihiwai2

Here are some ideas for things to do

Most Tokyo travel stories showcase Shibuya, a stroll around that area and maybe shopping the 109 Building, quite an experience.

Tokyo Art Walk takes you through an interesting part of town, you can check out what exhibitions might interest you. The Mori Museum at Roppong Hills also offers a nice high rise view of Tokyo.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/attraction..._roppongi.html

The Suntory Museum link is broken in above page, here is working link
http://www.suntory.com/sma/exhibit/2013_4/index.html

The Meiji Shrine is a nice park like setting adjacent to the fashion centers of Harajuku, Takeshita Street, Aoyama and Ometosando areas.

The Palace grounds and Marunouchi/ Nihonbashi areas have some nice shopping in the older dept stores as well as shopping museums and
restaurants.

Ichigokan Museum
http://mimt.jp/english/

Brick square
http://www.marunouchi.com/e/shop?type=top

Asakusa and Senso-Ji are interesting

Check out the archives of Tokyo Eye for ideas and links as to what may interest you. You can toggle past years episodes
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/engli.../archives.html

Two days isn't a lot of time but you can see and do some fun things.

I like Mara's suggestion of the Yanaka area for a place to stay .
Neat neighborhood in a old fashioned area.
Close to the Yamanote line and Sendagai Station you can get around.
Invest in a Suica Card and plan on coming back to use any balance left on it
Have Fun