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I stay at very affordable Japanese business hotel chains like My Stays. Very famous tourist hotel is the Shiba Park and older Price Hotel. Next to the Tokyo Tower. Easy access to the JR Yamanote line, Hamamascho station. 5 to 10 minute walk.
It seems like Yokohama is where cruise ships dock so it would be nice if you would show that and how to get there from the airport.
I stayed in an old merchant-home-turned-hostel (Guesthouse Toco) in Yanaka on my last trip. I think that was probably my favourite location out of the 3 I've tried (also Akihabara and Asakusa). It's a surprisingly quiet part of town considering it's within walking distance of Ueno Station. Not necessarily the most jam-packed area in terms of sights but still a lot of quaint museums/shops/cafes scattered around the neighbourhood that don't seem to have much tourist attention.
Thank you for info because we are thinking of going when my granddaughter turns 18 and I know by then it should be back to normal this will be our first time thank you for letting us know when to go I don't want to go when it's crowded so thank you for your awesome videos 😊
Near akasaka-mitsuke station! Feels central, ginza and marunouchi line, Easy to get around.
The most annoying thing about hotel prices for families is not so much size but that the price is per a) per person and b) there're almost no family rooms/suits and regular rooms fit two people at best (not really an option with kids between 4 and maybe 14). Having to stay in a hotel like the Prince hotel where you pay $200 a night per person with a family really blows. When on business travel I really don't mind a medium priced (~$100) tiny room for the few hours a night I'm going to stay in it…
There're ton of great places in Ikebukuro, Ueno, Harajuku but I've also stayed near Kanda (which I really liked). But I think Tokyo is so great in public transport that it really doesn't matter where exactly you stay in the region you'll always be able to get around easily, in my experience better than in any other metropolitan area in the world…
Having stayed in Ikebukuro and also Kinshicho a couple of times, I really feel confirmed now 🙂
Super informative! Way to promote! Thanks John.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. The changes starting 9/7/2022 does NOT include individual tourism and seeing they are barely talking about allowing tour without an tour conductor escort but still be required to have a tour agency involved in scheduling (no details yet as to what the restrictions are nor flexibility on last minute changes), it is sort of pointless to be researching where to stay right now. We don't even know exactly when that tour without escort will start. Seasons change, hotel supply/demand changes, and the prices changes accordingly. A few hints can be found from airlines resuming flights which have been suspended for some time. Many are resuming end of October but many are also resuming end of March. I think the later is closer to the date when either Visa Waiver or at least substantial reduction in freedom of travel will happen in Japan and even then, there may be limitation in which countries people are able to enter Japan and travel with significant freedom. The dropping of PCR test for pre-departure is more about the Japanese voters as that impacts people in Japan traveling outside of the country and returning.
I find park benches, shrubbery, under bridges all very airy and affordable. 🤣
youre not really missing much in tokyo, if you want an experience that makes you want to keep coming back, its going to be a place like hakone, mt fuji, some kind of ryokan onsen experience. tokyo used to be fun back in the 90s, today it doesnt seem as exciting, its like an aging less cool version of itself.
For me it's Ueno. one of the first stops for airport express trains from Narita, on the Yamanote line, Shinkansen access for when you want to venture out of the city, walking distance to Akiba and Asakusa, Ameyoko, and half a dozen national museums clustered around the east/northeast of the park.
Recommendations for friends to travel in their 30s where there is a balance of relaxation and Tokyo attractions. Thanks
I stayed in Ueno two different times. Mostly used the Yamanote line. I want to go back and explore the other train lines to see want we kind find. Also stayed at the Prince Hotel. It was very nice.
I am always so amazed by the fact how much you know about Tokyo in every subject matter. I lived there until 1972, and you know so much more than I remember. Naturally too much of my memory is so archaic after 50-some years and 100-folds of growth/changes. Your information is well appreciated every time I go back for a visit. Thank you!!
We stayed near Disneyland for 2 days, then ueno, osaka .
I have booked for 2023 in Ginza and got an amazing price, so looking forward to it
I really love your video today being done right on the spot live and spontaneous, Makes it lively and fresh. Your communication skill is another gift you developed for the servise of others as well as yourself. Leo is very fortunate to have a father like you and such lovely and out-going mother in Kanae-san. Thank you for all the videos you make about Japan.
Another option is to stay in historic beautiful Kamakura. It’s only 1 hr south of Tokyo & used to be the capital of Japan. There are loads of temples & shrines to visit and some of the best sandy beaches in Japan. Sacred island of Enoshima is nearby & you can sometimes see Mt Fuji from there. Plus lots of hiking trails. When I lived in Japan, I used to love going to Kamakura & getting lost.
Dude, i haven't seen you a while but you have gain a lot of weight
We stay near Hatchōbori (in a small hotel with small rooms). This makes it close to 4 subway stations (Hibiya Line, Ginza Line, Asakusa Line and Yurakucho Line). 👍🙂
Nice video, enjoy them all, thanks. A lot of helpful info. I agree with a ton of what you say here, especially the idea of splitting/going to two different places of the city, that is what I did in a few places, and also on my first and only time in Tokyo (Shinjuku/Ginza) to get very different takes on the same city. I do have to say I see Ginza slightly different than you do, and it would be in my top 10. I found it convenient, close to a lot of things, great restaurants and places, a bit less crowded and not necessarily more expensive, in my experience at least. (Stayed at Gracery Ginza). Anyway, sharing in case it helps anyone.
I love staying in APA hotels,my go to place to stay, always!!
I am from Australia.. I have stayed at Toyoko Inn in Shinagawa and Kyoto. Very affordable and close to station. My Son, Daughter in law and grandson live in Japan
I checked the price of JR rail pass which must be bought prior to arrival. They send you a voucher and that is what you use as proof that you have the pass. Once you arrive, go to a JR office, and they enter the date that you want it to start and it expires in one, two, or three weeks afterwards depending on what you selected. For a two week pass it was around 340 dollars. This may change as the exchange rate changes.
What is recommendation for a wheelchair accessible hotel?
The Capitol Hotel Tokyu Tokyo …. has subways great breakfast near a shrine
We came in Feb 2020, just before the covid shut down, we stayed in Ikebukero because our son lived in Higashi Kurume at the time, and so he told us it would be convenient since the train station was there and we were able to really get around Tokyo and see everything we wanted and like you said, Ikebukero is a destination in itself. It has everything, shopping, food and all that Japan is uniquely known for. We stayed at a very small business hotel called Hotel Grand City which was great, clean, and close to Sunshine City mall It was small, but we were only in the room to sleep, so it really wasn't bad. Then at the end of our stay we stayed at the Hilton at Tokyo Disneyland, and I highly recommend staying there. It was a great way to end the trip! Sadly our tip was cut short because of covid and everything closed down, so we just went home. I hope we can come and visit Japan again in the future. Our son still lives there.
Any areas with multiple halal restaurants?
Would it be better or a bad idea to just rent an AirBnB. In or out of the big cities and just take trains or buses to the cities or attractions.
Or will tourist in the future be declined and will have to get hotel rooms.
Wife and i are in our 50’s and stay at k’s house backpackers asakusa, its location is great, meeting other guests etc, the backpackers hotels in japan are clean and well equiped, probably the equivalent of a three star hotel in europe.
We have booked at Ibis Styles Ginza, good location in Ginza. Area and very reasonable prices May 15,2023
This was informative stream…It will be great to create a list of top places and share it with us.
I stayed at the Hilton in the Disney/Maihama area at the end of my 3 week trip. So much space for all our luggage and things we picked up while shopping. It was super easy to get to Narita – bus straight from the hotel so we didn't have to worry about lugging all our stuff on the trains. My only complaint was I couldn't use the onsen or pool because I have a tattoo.
all the hostels are in asakusa, so much so that i've stayed there on all my japan trips….sick of it XD
We stayed in Shinbashi, near Ginza. Salaryman central! 😂 some of the places are a bit sketchy at night but pretty nice location-wise.
Akasaka is a great place to stay, lots of places to eat and drink! Also is super close to other big areas from what I can remember. I stayed there in 2019 at the New Otani Hotel and that was really nice and was close to the train station (literally 1 min walk from the hotel doors).
Also, a bit of an outside choice if you want something different but Odaiba is also very unique, shopping malls really close by and is a very cool place! Also can get the yurikamome line to shimbashi really easily and only takes about 15 mins.
When i book hotel or airbnb in tokyo , usually 3 months advance..its cheaper
Already found a place by tokyo Disneyland. Not even on purpose.
So helpful! Thanks
Mahalo John! I really appreciate this vlog I’m planning a trip for Spring next year. Keep up the awesome work! 🤙🌴🏄🏽♂️
It's hard to beat Yotsuya for convenience. I also like Akasaka-mitsuke, especially on weekends when it's quiet.
JAL City(Haneda) is a short walk from the airport monorail and quite convenient to get to the Yamanote Line and it's a beautiful ride in the city with about 15 stops along the way. I stayed there twice and the hotel runs around average $80 a night. It depends on the exchange rate. Some nights are cheaper, some a little more expensive. Nice rooms though with all the amenities
Good chat John, i have booked a weeks accomodation in Shinjuku for March, i have free cancellation, so may consider one of the alternatives you mentioned.