where to stay in tokyo
A tiny rant on hotels in Tokyo!
I personally believe you could stay anywhere and still have a wonderful time however, over fifteen years of visiting Tokyo as a tourist I personally prefer to stay in Shibuya or Shinjuku area. Yes, they are hectic parts of the city, but they offer very easy access to all the best suburbs. Travelling in Tokyo can be a type of extreme sport sometimes (in the best way) and it can be more soothing and relaxing to have a centrally located hotel to come and take a little rest in between bursts of exploring, in my opinion.
Please trust your intuition when booking accommodation – I truly believe that will always lead us to where we’re supposed to be above anyone’s recommendations. For myself however, I don’t recommend staying in the Asakusa / Ueno / Taito area as it’s quite disconnected from the best parts of the city, even though there are a lot of hotels and guesthouses here.
If not in Shibuya, Shinjuku or Ayoyama / Omotesando, I do like to stay in Shimokitazawa or Setagaya area, it’s slightly more alternative, without the high rise of Shibuya or Shinjuku, but it’s not as well connected to the rest of the city. There are fewer options here (I’ve included Yuen Bettei Daita and Mustard Hotel below) but this is the general area I call home and has more of a local feel.
My top pick is Yuen Bettei Daita, for both location and how special it is. That being said, it’s not a budget option, but everyone I have recommended to stay there has absolutely loved it. Yuen Shinjuku is the same chain but more of a standard hotel with a Japanese twist.
There are SO so so many more than I have mentioned here, and a lot of really good options, but these are places I’ve stayed and would recommend.
Areas: Shibuya, Shinjuku, Omotesando, Naka-Meguro, Shimokitazawa
Hotels:
Dormy Inn Meji Jingu