Tokyo Hotels Etc.
 

My husband and I have a 2 week trip to Japan planned for the end of August. I was there in 2007. He has never been there. Before I go into the schedule questions, I need help finding a hotel in Tokyo. I am truly at a loss. I stayed in both Minato and Shinjuku. I preferred Minato. We will be there 4 or 5 nights maximum. I have recommendations for the Shinagawa Prince Hotel and the Imperial Hotel.

Our budget is under $200/night for Tokyo. I can't remember if Minato was centrally located. But I remember the area being very nice. We are flexible world travelers meaning we have stayed in different kinds of places. We are not attracted to the tourist crowds and like hitting one site and then hanging out the rest of the day. We love food, restaurants, museums, cafes and meeting people. Not big into shopping. Finally we are an older couple. Japan is on my husband's bucket list.

In terms of schedule, we want to go to Kyoto (of course), Miyajima, and Kanazawa. I am thinking 4 nights in Tokyo, 4 nights in Kyoto, 2 nights Miyajima and 1 or 2 nights in Kanazawa. We will have a couple of extra nights after that. I have recommendations for the Granvia in Kyoto and Nara Hotel in Nara. We will stay in a royokan in Miyajima.

Please share your ideas. I feel overwhelmed figuring this out. I am looking at hotels on TripAdvisor and Bookings.com.

Many thanks.

Lisa

"In terms of schedule, we want to go to Kyoto (of course), Miyajima, and Kanazawa. I am thinking 4 nights in Tokyo, 4 nights in Kyoto, 2 nights Miyajima and 1 or 2 nights in Kanazawa. We will have a couple of extra nights after that."

Depending on your interests and whether you are pairing Miyajima with Hiroshima or not, one night might be sufficient in Miyajima. That said, two nights might be perfect!

For Kyoto, 4 nights is not much. I am not alone in thinking that Kyoto and Nara, together, were best suited to at least 6 nights. But it really depends on what YOU want to see and do.

I gave Kanazawa only 2 nights and regret that decision -- there is a great deal to see there! And if you combine it with Takayama, you might consider aiming for 3 nights in Kanazawa and 1 in Takayama, or perhaps 2 and 2, in which case you might want to tilt your time toward Kanazawa.

You might also want to consider night on Koyasan:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4900.html

"I am looking at hotels on TripAdvisor and Bookings.com. "

Also look at http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com

If you haven't seen it yet, there is a TON of very helpful information on japan-guide:
http://www.japan-guide.com

Enjoy!

Regarding Tokyo, I agree with you completely about Shinjuku not being the best place to stay. It strikes me as being similar in some ways to Times Square in NYC -- lots of people seem to wind up staying there, but there are dozens of other places in the city that are far more attractive.

Shinagawa is convenient for transportation (from Shinagawa station, there are direct trains to both airports and to Kyoto/Osaka/Hiroshima, and it's also on the JR Yamanote line); however, the area itself isn't terribly interesting. If you stay in places such as Roppongi, Ueno, or near the Hibiya garden, you'll be in a much more interesting environment. (I'd include Ginza in that list, but that would appeal more to people interested in shopping.)

I really loved staying in Asakusa near Sensoji Temple and would definitely recommend that area to anyone who likes strolling to take in the atmosphere and is looking for a quieter "homebase."

If you are open to hostels, I can't recommend K's House Tokyo Oasis enough. It's in a great location within walking distance (5-15 minutes) of several subway lines, Sensoji Temple (which is great to visit in the early morning and later in the evening when the major crowds have dispersed) and a number of small restaurants. The hostel is also very quiet and the staff are friendly and full of great recommendations. The roomiest (Type A, which is still on the small side) private room runs about $100/night.

For Kyoto, a more budget minded option is the Palace Side Hotel, which has small but clean rooms and is right next to Kyoto Imperial Garden and 5 minutes from a subway stop. It's in a quiet area within walking distance of some restaurants (there's a nice yakitori place nearby) and konbini. And it's pretty easy to get to Gion by bus. A double room here is under $100/night.

"1 or 2 nights in Kanazawa" One night isn't even a whole day. I highly recommend at least two nights in Kanazawa. We spent three nights and wished we had more time. I'd also want more time in Kyoto.

Thank you all very much for these great comments and suggestions. I will check in with you again soon.

For our first trip to Japan we split the Tokyo time between 2 nights on arrival into Japan and 4 nights before departure. We had originally booked to be elsewhere but had to swap our first two nights a week before travel, and ended up in Shinjuku. Our last 4 nights were in Asakusa.

Shinjuku was actually a good option for us for our first nights in Japan -- it was easy to get to from the airport, and easy to get around the city as well, there was a cool shrine nearby and the famous department stores with their amazing food hall floors, and it was just for the two nights.

Asakusa was of course more interesting, though we did find it harder to find eating options in the evening, we found a lot of local restaurants closed many of the nights. We travelled in late autumn so not sure why that was. I think I'd do more research and pick a different hotel next time, in a different corner of Asakusa, but I did like the area very much.

We got a room at the Oakwood for well < 200 per in Tokyo, but that was a few years ago.

We just stayed at the Celestine Hotel in Minato - an extremely nice business class hotel for under $150USD through Expedia. It is a 8 minute walk to the Tamachi station (JR Line) and Mita station (Toei). Highly recommend. If you stay at the Celestine, take the N'Ex train to Shinagawa station and then a short taxi ride to the hotel from there.

One of our biggest time wasters in Tokyo was hunting for an ATM to accept either of our cards. Citibank was one of the only banks that took them. There's one at Narita.

Akihabara was an interesting place to poke around if you find anime/video games/collectible characters interesting. We also enjoyed Senso-ji temple and the crepes on Takeshita-dori near Meiji shrine.

I recently returned from Japan and used either the Post Office, which seem to be on every other block, or 7 Eleven, every block...lol....to get yen - don't know why tbtraveler would have such problems....

Update. I tried to book at the Gate Hotel is Asakusa. Too late. Sold out for now. I want to get on a cancellation list if it exist. Disappointed.

Thank you for the recommendation regarding The Celestine Hotel. It looks good and reasonable. I read a lot of strong reviews. However many said t is located in a business district that shuts down at night. Meaning there were few open restaurants in the evening. What did you do regarding this?

We will go to Kanazawa for at least 2 nights. Does anyone know the Nikko there? Looks good.

Will stay in Kyoto for 5 nights. Granvia Hotel is okay.

So far this is how it is looking.

Tokyo - 5 nights
Kanazawa - 2 nights
Miyajima - 2 nights
Kyoto - 5 nights

Suggestions or comments please. Please bear in mind, I can't handle more than 4 stops in 2 weeks. So when you can suggest something, please think of it as an alternative to one of the stops mentioned.

PS Tokyo food halls are awesome.

PSS Really wanted to see the Sumo guys again. But that starts shortly after we depart.

Much better! I'd shift at least one night from Tokyo to Kanazawa, but whether to do so really depends on your interests.

KJA - Please help me understand more about spending 3 nights in Kanazawa. This is tough. The biggest haul will be getting to and from Miyajima. Thank you.

I can only tell you about my experience and direct you to some resources. I trust you have seen the japan-guide pages on Kanazawa?
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2167.html

My recollections of Kanazawa are of a beautiful, mostly walkable (OK, I was younger then, and even then an occasional taxi was welcome!), city with gorgeous gardens, interesting neighborhoods, some of the finest crafts anywhere in Japan (which says a lot), and a spectacular setting, with the snow-capped Japanese Alps in the offing.

Here's what I did in my limited time there (just 2 nights): Long walk around the city and river around sunset; dinner; enjoyed the spa at my hotel (which included a hot-spring-fed outdoor bath on its roof, as well as indoor baths and saunas -- one of my very few experiences of a Japanese bath); toured Myoryuji ("NInjadera"); browsed the Nagamachi District, with its samurai houses and various craft shops (including places where I could learn about Yuzen silk dyeing, Kutani pottery, Maki-e lacquerware, etc.); visited the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Products and Crafts and Ishikawa Prefectural Art Museum; explored Gyokusen Garden, and savored a traditional Japanese tea service there (such a treat!); visited Seisonkaku; spent hours roaming Kenrokuen; visited Oyama Jinja; and took a brief stroll through the Eastern Pleasure Quarter.

Trust me -- my time in Kanazawa was FULL and, for my interests (which may well differ from yours) very rewarding.

I did NOT have time to visit either of Kanazawa's two geisha districts except for that one brief stroll, or to visit Kanazawa Castle (although I did walk by the Ishikawa Gate), or explore the Omicho Market, or to roam through the Teramachi district (except for my visit to Myoryuji). And I would have LOVED to visit Kenrokuen again, to see more of it and to see parts in a different light.

I think you'll find that several trip reports have included descriptions of time in Kanazawa -- you can use the "advanced search" feature (or google!) to find them.

Hope that helps!