Hotel Recommendation in Tokyo

[gem2niki]

Plenty of you guys went to Japan. So any hotel/hostel recommendation that is cheap/safe for a group of 4 in Tokyo?

Laine recommended Sunshine Prince in Ikebukuro.
JenKat mentioned Tokyo International Youth Hostel which is in Shinjuku?

So frustrating to look for...argh

Comments

[fawnfawn.livejournal.com]

haha actually i've been to both oddly enough.

my first trip was in the hostel but my sister and i had to share it w/2 other strangers (it's a hostel afterall) and the bathroom were communal (like dorm living, if you've lived in college dorms before). there was also a curfew at night (10pm i think) and also we had to switch rooms in the middle because there was a 4ppl group that needed our room, so they put us in w/another 2 ppl party. so while it was SUPER cheap and a goodish location (just around the corner from the station) my sister and i later decided if we could afford it, we'd prefer an actual hotel.

my recent trip was at the prince hotel (though i personally like the ikebukuro theater for free internet) and actually i always plan to stay in ikebu whenever i go to tokyo because it has all the stuff i could ever need in walking distance (mandarake and animate down the block) in fact, i don't ever have to go to akiba if i'm in ikebu i think haha...plus the millions of arcade centers.

obviously my pick is the actual hotel because no curefew, set room, and location. but if you're tight on budget, it doesn't hurt to use the hostel. it's a good one i think, i liked the location too as a first timer.

edit:
i see that you have a group of 4, so the hostel will probably give you all your own room, which is good, but bathroom and showers are still communal~

edit2:
also if you plan to buy a ton, sunshine prince might be more convenient because they have the airport bus in it's lobby so you don't have to lug your luggages on the street or into the subways.

[gem2niki.livejournal.com]

ouu airport bus. i really like ikebu a lot too. otome road! haha.

i'm guessing hostel is more for backpack adventuring japan, than shopping? XD i can't imagine having to moving rooms. what a hassle.

did you book the hotel online as well? i'm trying to figure how i can request a joint room for 4 people.

is communal like, when you're in a shower, other people are there too or something?

[fawnfawn.livejournal.com]

yeah communal is public.

so the restroom is like going to the bathroom and brushing your teeth in a restaurant (multiple sinks multiple stalls) they have onsite laundry too i think?

the bath for showers and stuff is like a public bath...like in a sports lockeroom or something? you get to be nudies with everyone haha

my sister and i were dirt poor (just out of college) so we didn't buy much or anything and the hostel price was so cheap. we spent $300 only for 4 days and it was just on food and transportation...it was totally ghetto but fun~

for the prince hotel i booked it online:
http://www.princehotels.com/en/sunshine/
you can request the joint room in the "comments/notes" section when you reserve.

man the sunshine prince is just a block from otome road. i went every morning when i had to wait for my sister to get up and i would see fujoshi with their roller bags ready to sell back their doujins and buy new ones =p also i went to the arcades early too to play UFO catcher things...my sister wakes up laaate, but it was the best place to kill time.

[revenus.livejournal.com]

Dunno about cheap or anything, but when I was in Tokyo I stayed at the Hotel Grand Palace. It's super nice, but then again costs could be an issue. Haha, sorry, I'm no help, but good luck looking!

[nittle-grasper.livejournal.com]

Toyoko Inn: http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/

[maiki.livejournal.com]

There's also Weekly Mansions, which gets cheaper if you go for their weekly or monthly packages: http://www.wmt.co.jp/reserve/index.html

I remember Kurot always staying at Higashi Ikebukuro's. WMs usually have quite a walk from the nearest train station though (around 5-8 mins).

[jen-kat.livejournal.com]

I think she'll be staying there again this time, too. XD;

[kkarth.livejournal.com]

No recommendations here but have fun! :D

Approx when are you going?

[shinkyomu.livejournal.com]

youth hostel is actually pretty fun. we also stayed at that one when I did homestay and went traveling later. we even stayed at a temple in kyoto. :D :D

[shinkyomu.livejournal.com]

by temple i meant shukubo! :D

[gem2niki.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't mind doing hostel in Kyoto. People there are so genuinely friendly. But in Tokyo...blah..haha.. I don't trust big cities! haha...

[shinkyomu.livejournal.com]

Yeah Kansai people are so much more friendly. :X

[runninwild04.livejournal.com]

well i stayed at a place in tsukiji... it was called the hotel new hankyu tokyo. i really loved it and i don't remember it being too pricey... plus it's near the JR line and it has a few metro stops nearby too. the area isn't too busy either.

http://hotel.newhankyu.co.jp/tokyo-e/index.html

[gem2niki.livejournal.com]

Hmm I'll check on it. Did you go with a group?

Thanks :D

[runninwild04.livejournal.com]

i just went with one other friend actually ^^ we stayed in tokyo about 13 days. i wish it was longer *A*

[neru-kudasai.livejournal.com]

*is jealous* I wish I could go back to japan!