Japan Stay Club Apartments

Has anyone stayed in any apartments of Japan Stay Club? Your reviews would be appreciated.Also which is their most convenient apartment. Thanks.

I stayed at an apartment in Kamata through them for a few weeks, it was great and so much cheaper than a hotel. But if you are going for tourism and such staying on the Yamanote line would probably be better for you.

Harumi was very helpful, and made everything simple. You just request dates, if they have them available they hold the room. Then you pay and that's it.
You're suppose to call when you get to Japan to get the proper codes to get in the building, but Harumi emailed them to me the day before I arrived.

They don't have extra hidden fees either. I was half expecting them to charge me a utility bill after I left for blasting the AC 24-7.

I'd definatly use their service again and reccommend it to others.

Thanks for your reply. I am not sure when they state occupancy for 4 and only 1 double/twin bed provided. Do they provide a sofa bed?

We rented some apartments through Japan Stay Club. They are very helpful and try to match your needs with available apartments. It is being said, that apartments along the Yamanote Line are small and comparably expensive. I have seen one. It was designed for 1 to 2 people. Which meant one bed and one futon- next to each other and no more room to spare. You might want to look at the available floor space before making a decision. We went for a bigger one two subway stops away from Shinjuku, it was less expensive and bigger.
Japan Stay Clubs Service has been excellent so far and any issues arising were handled by them in a very proficient and prompt manner. Can only recommend their services.
Riko and Harumi have both been a great help and their proficiency in English is a great help when one does not communicate well in Japanese.

Thanks for your reply.Are you able to advise me which of their apartment is the most convenient in Tokyo. They have so many to choose from and being unfamiliar being my first trip that I have problem in deciding. My husband and I together with my two adult sons would be in Tokyo in early November for a week. Would appreciate any advice. Thanks again.

All their locations are very convenient! don't forget that Tokyo has one of the best public transit system in the world, thought it is tricky if you have never used transit in other big towns like New York, London, Paris. If you don't have a map of Tokyo you must get one now (I get mine in a bookstore specializing in travel books and maps) or look for areas maps(Asakusa, Roppongi etc.) on the internet. You also have to read a guidebook on Tokyo ASAP to get the lay of the land.Lonely Planet and Rough Guide are the best. That said, Japan Stay club places look more suitable for 2 people than for 4, unless your sons don't mind sleeping on futons on the floor. I would suggest that you don't rent a place in the most touristy areas as you will pay dearly for that. You must also think very clearly about your real needs. These apartments are nice but hardly bigger than a hotel bedroom. Their kitchen is very small too. Are you going to have only your breakfast there or are you also planning to cook the evening meal for 4 (in a tiny kitchen) after a full day of sightseeing? and where are you going to buy the food? touristy areas don't always have supermarkets or they aren't easy to find and the food in the big department stores (they all have an amazing food floor)is great but pricey. In a more residential area you will find supermarkets and markets but will likely be confused by food you aren't familiar with. Don't forget that near each major and medium transit station there are hundreds of restaurants with not only Japanese food of all kinds but also cuisine from Italy, France, India, etc. Department stores have a full floor(at the top)with many self contained restaurants. All in all, wouldn't it be easier to just rent 2 twin bedrooms in a business hotel?

Thanks for your foresight. I wanted to book Toyoko Inn in Ikebukuro but I have a problem in booking as on the last day I only needed 1 double & 1 single room. They will not accept bookings with repeated names as stated when making reservations. Could not find any tel.no to call them. Would you know? Thanks.

Another alternative is http://www.liveinasia.com/

They have 2 two bedroom apartments near the JR Nakano station, which is about 5 minutes by train from Shinjuku. It looks like one of the two bedroom apartments has a sofa bed in the living room.

I stayed over a month earlier this year in one of their apartments near Nishi-Ogikubo (it was a 1 bedroom) and I cannot say enough good things about it and about the people working at LiveInAsia.com.

Thanks for the replies.
Liveinasia prices are too high. How silly of me not to see the tel.nos. of Toyoko Inn on their individual hotel sites. I shall call them with my bookings.
Have a happy day everyone.

Pat, you can also fax Toyoko Inn. Quite often it is easier to read a foreign language than to speak it. The majority of the desk staff at Toyoko are young women. They are charming and helpful but can be easily thrown off track by words and colloquial expressions they aren't familiar with.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I do not have a fax. I have found another hotel which sounds good, @ Y18,000 per room that sleeps 4 pax. The Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro, what say you? Thanks again.

Somehow I still prefer to stay together as a family group. Returning to JapanStayClub apartments and doing my calculations based on Ikebukuro Apt.16, it worked out to Y14,635 per day (1 son departing a day earlier). They have 5 apartments in Ikebukuro for occupancy of 4 and would appreciate if you could advise me which has the best location. So sorry to bother you. Thanks once again.

Hi Pat,
All the apartments are located near the JR Ikebukuro station (the pink building-you can see train tracks coming out of it) the apartments are on one side of the station or the other. The # 10 is the farthest away from the JR Yamanote loop line. # 12 and #15 look like the biggest ones for the price but they,11,12, 15,16 are all close to the station, a station with 2 big department stores. Do ask the company to send detailed directions as small streets don't have names so usually one takes one's bearings by landmarks like a grocery store, a coffee shop etc. #10 is close to the Arakawa tram line, the only old tramway left in Tokyo.

Hi Monkey See, Thanks for helping me decide on the best option. You take care.

hello is what the apartments close ikebukuro are with much noise because the station we want much calm because our daughters is fragile
we are 3 it is necessary a bed for us doubles and a bed simple step very far from the stores of food
thanks for your answer

jeeves: have you checked the various apartments the JSC has in Ikebukuro? they are all at least a 4 minutes walk from the station, others 10 minutes away. Check the one farther away from the station (the station is the pink building on all the maps. I am sorry but I don't quite understand the rest of the questions. Could you rephrase them better?