Tokyo Hotels for Sr. Citizens
 

Help!!

We are Sr. Citizens that will be spending a few days in Tokyo after visiting China and Hong Kong. We would like a good location, None of us have ever been there. Price is not as big of a consideration as location. We will arrive at Narita, we are all very mobile but still do not want to struggle. any suggestions?

Tokyo is a bit unusual in terms of location, especially compared to Hong Kong: there's no such thing as a great, or even central, location in Tokyo. The physical size of the city is enormous, so you can expect to need some form of transportation to get you to the places where you want to go. For most tourists, this means the subway and local trains. The subway/train system is extensive and extremely easy to use, and you can get anywhere using it. However, this almost always involves some walking and stair-climbing.

I have 3 favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo.

<u>Shinagawa</u> is one of them, primarily because it's the one of the most convenient locations in the city for traveling around. Shinegawa is on the Narita Express train line (direct train line to the city), and it's on the Yamanote train line, which encircles the city and goes to many of the most popular tourist spots. My favorite hotel in Shinagawa is the InterContinental Strings, about a 5-minute walk from the train station. It's relatively expensive, but there are several other hotels in the immediate vicinity. If you're traveling to/from Narita to and Shinagawa hotels, you will not have to deal with any stairs.

<u>Ueno</u> is another favorite, because it has some very good moderately-priced hotels, and because it's within walking distance to lots of attractions: the Ueno Park, the Ameyoko shopping street, and the Asakusa neighborhood. Ueno is also on a train line direct from Narita, and it's also on the Yamanote train line. I've stayed at the Sutton Place Hotel -- excellent value (well under $150/night).

<u>Roppongi Hills</u> is another place I enjoy. There's lkots of upscale shopping, and there's convenient, escalator access to the subway. It's also near the Azabu-juban neighborhood, which is a wonderful place to stroll through and shop in local stores. The Grand Hyatt in Roppongi is where I'd stay, and it's one of the very nicest hotels I've been to.

A lot of people like to stay in the Shinjuku neighborhood, on the far western edge of Tokyo. I'm not a fan of the area -- for me, it's not got a whole lot of character, and it's way far away from the more interesting sites on the eastern side of Tokyo.

WOW!! You have given me more informantion than I could have gotten in several hours of research.Thank you for all of the help.

I was looking into the interContinental Strings, but will certainly look into other areas.

Thanks again, nobugs

Great advice from rizzuto, and of the three areas he recommends I'd go with Ueno. Very, very convenient, and great location for touring. In addition to the areas he mentions, it's good proximity (via public transit) to Akihabara, the Ginza, and Tsukiji. The western areas like Shinjuku put you farther from many of the sites, and farther from the airport.

I highly suggest a hotel that has direct (and hopeful frequent) Limousine bus service to/from NRT. That ensures the least amount of luggage hauling between the baggage claim and your hotel room.

Sorry, here's a link to the area list. Click on each area to find the hotel names: http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/bus...s/narita/index

And then of course, it's important your hotel is close to a subway or JR Yamanote line station.

Therese's comments are spot on re: Ueno. The only caveat is that Ueno does not offer the high-end hotels (such as the Strings) that you'll find in some other parts of the city. So, a lot depends on the group's preferences and priorities: if it's important to have a hotel with first-rate amenities (concierge, restaurant in the hotel/room service, lots of staff speaking English, etc), and rooms that are generally comparable to US-sized hotels, then you'll want to stay in a high-end hotel. If you're ok with skipping those features and spending $100-200 less/night, then you'll be fine in Ueno.