If you have no clue where to stay in Japan, and want an inexpensive hotel relatively well located (near Shinjuku and not too far from Asakusa), I would probably recommend that you follow my lead and stay at the Tokyo Plaza Hotel (in Shin-okubo, Tokyo). It takes less than 3 minutes to get from the Shin-okubo Train Station (one stop from the Shinjuku Train Station on the green JR Line [Yamanote] to Ikebukuro and less than 20 minutes from Nippori Station, where you would take the train towards Narita Airport).
Fair warning: though cute, the rooms at the Tokyo Plaza Hotel are SMALL. Not microscopic, nor coffin-like, but definitely small for my standards. They did come with two beds, so I assume that if I were travelling with my (now former) partner, I would be able to stay here comfortably, if not luxuriously.
The bathroom is tiny, and the seating area made me feel crammed even though I was there by myself, but I think it’s a good choice, and it’s not all that expensive (about $100 USD per night, considering this is almost downtown Tokyo, which is a bargain!). It also had a few added cute quirks, like the fact that it provided plenty of shampoo, face soap, body wash and individually-wrapped razors, toothbrushes with toothpaste and hair combs/brushes.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. If you do book with the Tokyo Plaza Hotel I do recommend Booking.com or Hotels.com, as the website is entirely in Japanese and Google Translate doesn’t work really well. Unless, of course, you do read and speak Japanese! Bonus points: front desk folks are fluent in English, and western-style breakfast is fully included. The only problem is, if your flight leaves early from Narita (like mine did), you have to eat breakfast elsewhere. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with my stay at the Tokyo Plaza Hotel and I would definitely recommend it!
Disclosure: My stay at The Tokyo Plaza Hotel was sponsored very generously by the organization that brought me to Japan for work purposes. I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either as I have no financial ties nor interest or stake in the hotel. The purpose of this blog entry is just to describe my experience at the hotel. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
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