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Hotels in Tokyo 2014/6/25 15:58
Hi all

I am torn on where to stay in Tokyo.

At the moment, I have booked Century Southern Tower, but am not sure if I should opt for Hotel Metropolitan Marunouchi or Hotel Ryomeikan. Both hotels are cheaper than CST though I note that the hotel rooms are smaller.

I realise that CST is near Shinjuku station and walking distance to more happening places, particularly in the evening. However, I'm not much of a night owl and have this perception that it will be very busy and conjested around Shinjuku station. I don't hate crowds and I intend to see the Shibuya/Shinjuku area regardless, but I'm wondering if somewhere a bit calmer may be better. I intend to go on a few day trips, so I think access to Tokyo station would be easier?

What are the restaurants like around Tokyo station? Are there any decent supermarkets/convenience stores near Hotel Ryomeikan or Metropolitan Marunouchi?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

Zomp.
by zomp316 (guest)  

Re: Hotels in Tokyo 2014/6/25 21:24
If you plan to use the shinkansen (or other trains departing from Tokyo Station) for your day trips, it sure is a lot more convenient to stay in the Tokyo Station area. Getting to Tokyo from Shinjuku can be a nuisance.

Metropolitan Marunouchi has always seemed overpriced to me. The lowest-priced rooms do not have a view (I believe they face an inner courtyard) and I have always felt that the cost was too high just for the convenience of the location. The rooms that do have a view cost at least as much as rooms at Century Southern Tower, at least any time I've looked. But it is definitely the most convenient hotel on your list in terms of being situated for day trips out of Tokyo Station.

Century Southern Tower is a good choice if you really want to stay in Shinjuku, but cost performance there has gone down in recent years. (It has gotten extremely popular, and the room rates have gone up accordingly. It used to be possible to get a great deal there, and it's still sort of okay in terms of value, but not as good as it used to be.)

There are P{LENTY of restaurants around Tokyo Station. Besides the ones in the station area, there are a lot in adjoining large building complexes like Maru Biru and Kitte.

There is a nice supermarket in the Coredo Nihonbashi complex that is close to the Hotel Ryumeikan. I'd probably choose that hotel myself if I was staying alone and didn't want a big room. (Indeed, their lower-priced rooms are a bit on the small side for a couple.)

Convenience stores are all over the place, and there are small supermarkets and other places to buy food (including a huge food floor in the basement of Daimaru) around Tokyo Station. Believe me, you will not go hungry.
by Uma (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Hotels in Tokyo 2014/6/25 21:45
I think you may have sold me on Hotel Ryumeikan.

I can save 60,000 yen by staying there instead of Century Southern Tower. I don't intend to spend my 10 days in Tokyo only shopping and so I think the Shinjuku area may not suit my preferences, though I note that there are a few tourist attractions in that area.

As I intend to do a couple of day trips, go to DisneySea and then take the JR to Matsumoto before heading to Kyoto, being close Tokyo station will probably be better. Also, I know that it will be much easier to get to Tokyo station from the airport.
by zomp316 (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Hotels in Tokyo 2014/6/25 22:59
I personally like the Tokyo Station area just fine. Shinjuku is better if you're into shopping, but the Tokyo Station area is a very good base for day trips as well as for Tokyo sightseeing. I wouldn't say the Tokyo Station area is "quiet," exactly, but Shinjuku can be somewhat of a madhouse. That said, I never had any problem whatsoever with noise at Century Southern Tower. My hotel room there was a calm, quiet oasis (with a lovely view).

Disclaimer: I've never actually stayed at the Ryumeikan myself. I've considered it many times, and spent a fair amount of time looking at reviews and room photos, but it never quite fit into my itinerary, or else I've found lower-priced options in other parts of Tokyo. (You do pay for the location, but arguably it's worth it.) One real plus is that they have a coin laundry; it's one of the few properties in its class that do. If you are staying 10 days I bet you will use it.
by Uma (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Hotels in Tokyo 2014/6/26 00:11
I'd say the immediate areas around Century Southern Tower and Hotel Metropolitan Marunouchi are equally congensted. There's more late-night activity around Shinjuku, but the building next to your hotel in Marunouchi has restaurant floors that are open until 4am, so there will be places to go late at night. Marunouchi in general has a fantastic selection of restaurants all within easy walking distance.

For food shopping, Shinjuku wins by a little bit, since there's an amazing department store food floor in the basement of Takashimaya (across the bridge from the hotel), which includes a decent supermarket. In Marunouchi you can shop at a branch of Seijo Ishii in the Shin-Maru Building (next to your hotel), or you can find a great selection of take-out food inside Tokyo station itself. There's also a department-store food floor a few minutes south of your hotel in the basement of the post office tower.

Generally speaking it's a tossup, but Shinjuku is a more varied neighborhood, with residential areas, shopping, and office buildings. Marunouchi is just shopping complexes and offices, and more skyscrapers.
by Umami Dearest rate this post as useful

Re: Hotels in Tokyo 2014/6/26 07:51
Have you thought about Shiba Park? It is about 4km away from Tokyo station, it is a nice area, with plenty of restaurants around and zozoji. I thought that the Tokyo Station area was pretty uninteresting though Tokyo Station Hotel was awesome (and awesomely expensive). I've also stayed at Shibuya for a week or so (Dormy Inn Premium - great!) but really it is just shops and more shops. And we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Shinjuku for about a week a few years back but I hated the area, save for the park across the road which was very pretty while the plum blossom was out
by Lazy Pious (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Hotels in Tokyo 2014/6/26 08:31
I stayed at the Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku around this time last year. And would recommend it, just across the street from the Century Southern Tower, away from the railways and to my surprise it was very quiet almost boring) Very close to the JR station. I think we paid under 12000 yen/night. only downside is the view, there is none but is that really important? To me the most important thing about a hotelroom is that it's clean and convenient location wise (as in near the station)

If you plan to visit shinjuku/shibuya/harajuku/ikebukuro. I would stay a few nights in Shinjuku.
by reprazent rate this post as useful

Re: railroad options 2014/6/27 09:05
"Ryomeikan" seems to be a typo for "Ryumeikan"; here "u" is pronounced longer.

As I intend to do a couple of day trips, go to DisneySea and then take the JR to Matsumoto before heading to Kyoto, being close to Tokyo station will probably be better.

You seem to have not yet cheeked well some railroad routes.

There is no regular JR train for Matsumoto departing from Tokyo Station, while there are many JR Ltd. Express trains for Matsumoto departing from Shinjuku Station.
Rapid trains for Shinjuku Station depart at Tracks 1 and 2 (above the ground) of Tokyo Station.

In Tokyo Station, there is a long way to Keiyo Underground tracks used by trains for Maihama Station, which is near Tokyo Disney Resort. (From Shinjuku Station of JR, you can get to Maihama Station taking two trains with much shorter and easier transfer.)

Among the thirteen Toei and Tokyo Metro subway lines, Tokyo Station is only on one line, which is Marunouchi Line.

Hotel Metropolitan Marunouchi is close to Entrance B7 of subway Otemachi Station(s), though platforms for the four of the five lines other than Tozai Line are located apart from the entrance.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/station/otemachi/yardmap/images/yardmap.gif

Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo is close to Entrances A3 and A7 of subway Nihombashi Station(s). To travel to places near a station on subway Tozai, Ginza or Asakusa Line, Nihombashi Station(s) may be better than Tokyo Stations of JR and subway.

by omotenashi rate this post as useful

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