Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo
 

Good morning

Has anyone stayed here, and, if so, any tips on the hotel or the area around it? It looks like it's in the middle of a great night life area and conveniently located to transportation.

And did you stay in a renovated room - apparently they renovated some rooms as recently as December.

Thanks for any thoughts.

I hate a late evening drink at a bar / lounge near the top of the Keio Plaza Hotel. The views were lovely. I didn't much like the area, but then a lot could have changed since I was there.

It has been a few years, but I think I stayed here. I don't really like this area at night.

I think that you are overthinking this hotel situation for only 1 night in Tokyo upon arrival. Personally, even with a 3:30PM arrival into Narita, I would still get to the Shinkansen and go straight to Kyoto and not waste time going to a hotel in Tokyo for 1 night. Then you would arrive into Kyoto after the 3PM, hotel check-in time and not have to wait for your room to be ready. Plus, the next day, you would have 2 full days in Kyoto before heading back to Tokyo where you would then have 4 straight days.

If I were to stay overnight in a hotel in Tokyo, upon arrival and for only 1 night, I would go to Tokyo Station train station and either check into Tokyo Station Hotel, connected to Tokyo Station, or the Metropolitan Hotel which is also either connected to or nearly connected to Tokyo Station. On my return trip to Japan, this summer, I will be trying out both of those hotels. I’ll stay 5 nights in one, upon arrival into Tokyo and then on to Kyoto for 9 nights and then 4 nights at the other one before flying home. I will also buy my Shinkansen tickets online, before I leave home, and have the ticket company send one ticket to my first hotel in Tokyo, upon arrival into Tokyo, and have the other one sent to my last hotel in Kyoto before departure back to Tokyo. I will then be done with the ticket situation.

When you have either your 3 or 4 nights in Tokyo, I would then focus on the area that you seem to want to stay in which is Shinjuku, but would not worry about it on a 1-night stay. Plus, a poster, on your other thread, commented that it’s not an area with an easy connection to the Shinkansen for your onward trip to Kyoto the next day.

https://www.hotelmetropolitanmarunouchi.jp/en

https://www.thetokyostationhotel.jp/...944.1523028956

Also, in your other thread, I think you mentioned something about wanting to walk in a park-like setting either on arrival day or the day after. Well, if you stay at a hotel at Tokyo Station, you have the whole Imperial Palace nearly across the street, a 10-minute walk away. Plus, if you want to walk around, in other surroundings, you can easily walk to Ginza as I did it from when I was at the Four Seasons Hotel, last summer, and which was a 5-minute walk, from Tokyo Station (on the same street) and a 15-minute walk to Ginza.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3017.html

In your other thread, I think you mentioned that you read something about a fish market that one could go to early in the morning. I guess you meant Tsukiji Market. You can see it on the above map as it’s south of Ginza which is south of Tokyo/Marunouchi (Tokyo Station).


Hope this has helped. You are leaving pretty soon and need to get in some hotel reservations as prices can fluctuate like crazy.

Happy Travels!

Have not stayed st the Kreio but once visited a friend there. Typical large 4 star hotel with moderate sized rooms, maybe 300sq feet or so. Area full of tall gov/business buildings so area rather dead at night.
The other side of Shinjuku station however is bustling with shopping, restaurants and night life.
I however would consider , if flying into NRT, taking the NEX train to Tokyo station than onto Kyoto your first day. You could use your JR pass for this and the trip from NRT to Tokyo takes about an hour and a Hikari about 2 1/2 hours to Kyoto. If you fly in at 3:30 you will be in Kyoto about 7:30-8:30 pm. Have dinner and go to sleep and get ready for a full day on the next day.
if stopping in Tokyo I, too would stay around Tokyo station. I don’t usually stay around Tokyo station but maybe Guenmai will take me to the Aman😁

mjs: Off we go to the Aman!!! Smiles. An acquaintance of mine stayed there last fall. Maybe I'll go there for a meal.

Happy Travels!

Hi everyone

I am pretty sure I am going to stay in Tokyo one night before heading out, but thank you for explaining it to me. I may find a hotel near Tokyo station then? Digging around...

The Keio Plaza idea was for the last three nights, not the first night. I'm not sure of it yet. Shinjuku seems near things I would want to see and the station is there.

The Ascott has a studio room for 37000 or one bedroom/living area for 42000. It looks very nice too.

PS thank you for the links to the hotels very near the station, I will look at them too.

If your are staying only one night consider staying here. https://www.marunouchi-hotel.co.jp/en/

It is just outside Tokyo Station and I really liked it.

I visited the Ascott in December and also looked in on the Palace hotel nearby. The Ascott is located about a 10+ min walk from Tokyo station. Easy flat walk if no rain. The hotel is a bit hidden as it is located on the upper floors in one of the tall buildings in the area. Only looked at a two bedroom apartment but I believe the one bedroom is the same with one less bedroom. Very modern clean Japanese decor. Nice kitchen with modern appliances. Large stacked washer/dryer in a closet. Lots of room, especially for Tokyo. Expensive. Unlike west Shinjuku the area has a lot of open space as it is close to the Palace. Quiet at night. Lots of restaurants under Tokyo station.
Am not sure I would spend that much money for short overnight stay on the way to somewhere else. The Tokyo station hotel would be more convenient.
There are less expensive hotels nearby as well as a Courtyard.

OK. If you decide to stay at Tokyo Station/Marunouchi and need to possibly pack a lunch for your Shinkansen trip to Kyoto, for the next day, then not only are there the vast food choices at Tokyo Station, but also Daimaru department store is attached to Tokyo Station. If you go into the department store, go to the basement level and there are tons of deli-style food vendors that will pack your food in containers. I ate many a meal from the department stores in both Tokyo and Kyoto and had a lot of food packed to go. I'm just trying to make things easier for you as you have such little time.

Also on the top levels of Daimaru, there are cafes and restaurants. I ate at the Italian restaurant up there and it was quite good and was also packed with folks. Late one night, while in my room at the Four Seasons Hotel, I got hungry so I threw on some clothes and walked the 5-minutes to Tokyo Station/Daimaru department store and went to the Italian restaurant at Daimaru. I didn't have a reservation or anything as I hate to have to be locked into restaurant reservations.

When I return to Tokyo Station/Marunouchi, I plan to eat on the 12th floor, of Daimaru, at Nihombashi Isesada as it has eel. I absolutely love eel as I used to eat it a lot in Danmark in the 70s/80s.

https://www.daimaru.co.jp.e.md.hp.tr...kyo/index.html

https://www.daimaru.co.jp.e.md.hp.tr...ant/index.html

Happy Travels!

Out of curiosity, I just looked up the Ascott. I had heard of it before, but didn't know what the price point was. Well, I put in some end-of-May prices and it popped up at $364.80 breakfast included on the Ascott's website. I then went on my Expe... account and pulled up what I paid for the Four Seasons-Marunouchi last summer and it was $364.25-breakfast and other amenities included.

I just remember that for Japan, in my own experience, hotel prices were fluctuating worse than airline prices can fluctuate. But, I stayed on my laptop checking out prices constantly and it paid off. I got the Four Seasons in Kyoto for more than 50% off the price that was popping up had I stayed there about 4 months prior and the prices were even fluctuating, like crazy, for the time period that I was to be there during summer.

Happy Travels!

This is quoting 2000-2300 bucks a night, is that correct? oy

OK, so I am going to select one of the three hotels - either of the two Guenmai described, or, the Ascot. I will see if the Ascot happens to have anything extra that the other two do not. Being near the Palace grounds would be nice, as I do expect to do some wandering when I get into town and checked in. I hope it's open after 6 PM on Sundays.

Ginza sounds like a nice wander, too.

Thank you

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3018....tion_admission The grounds close at 4:30PM.

If you're going to wander to both Ginza and the Imperial Palace grounds, in your very limited amount of time, then why not select a hotel location between the two areas of which Tokyo Station is? And if you stay at the Ascott, are you going to walk with luggage to Tokyo Station to catch the Shinkansen train on to Kyoto the next day? If it's raining, the rain can be fierce, really fierce.

It would seem more logical, to me, to walk to Ginza on your first night there and then walk to the Imperial Palace grounds the next morning and before having to check out of your hotel and get the Shinkansen to Kyoto.

Happy Travels!

Bucks or Yen? Plus, in Yen it would read 20,000-23,000 yen, not 2,000-2,300 yen. I just looked up that hotel website and the prices were given in Yen, not U.S. dollars and were in the 20,000-23,000 YEN price range. www.xe.com for conversion.

Happy Travels!

OK! Will check it all out. I looked up the Tokyo station hotel, it looks very nice and it's right there.

I plan to take a mid-afternoon train. Not lunch time, but maybe around 3 PM or so, to arrive in Kyoto around 5 PM ish. So will have morning to wander a bit.

Thanks again

>>This is quoting 2000-2300 bucks a night, is that correct? <<

I doubt it. I know I paid well under $200 and ¥20,000 = about $185.

It seems that your trip is coming together now. This coming summer, I look forward to trying out both Tokyo Station Hotel and the Metropolitan Hotel at Tokyo Station as I booked and paid for both rooms months ago. For both hotels, I booked a room that is one level up from a standard room in order to have more space. Hotel rooms, in Japan, can be quite small.

Just remember that if you're arriving into Kyoto, on a work day, then it might take a while to get a taxi to your hotel if arriving around 5PM.

Happy Travels!

Your link comes in at 230000 yen a night. not 23000. ouch

Thanks! I will keep that in mind. Would it be better to arrive a little later? How bad are we talking here, time wise and traffic? How far is the airport from downtown? I don't have tickets yet, and I'd at least like to be checked in and walking to dinner when it's still light out. a little evening exploring...

edit: you also mentioned packing lunch for the Shinkansen. Do they not have food on it?