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The Finest Neighborhoods for Your Go to


The famous Senso-ji temple in bright and sunny Tokyo, Japan
Posted: 3/24/2023 | March 24, 2023

Tokyo is the biggest metropolis on this planet, residence to a whopping 37 million folks within the metro space. Town. Unimaginable, wonderful, and bewildering. However large.

By way of neighborhoods, there are 14 city hubs unfold out throughout the megalopolis. There are additionally 23 wards — 5 of which make up the central a part of city — and, inside these wards, lots of of neighborhoods.

However, as a customer to town, there are only some areas which can be ultimate to remain in. You don’t have to undergo all of the facilities and wards. For my part, there are solely about eight areas price staying in.

Right here is my breakdown of these eight finest neighborhoods in Tokyo for guests (in addition to instructed lodging in every) so you possibly can determine which space is best for you.

However, first, listed here are some frequent questions I get requested about staying in Tokyo that I need to reply:

What’s the perfect neighborhood for sightseeing?
Shinjuku is a busy, centrally situated neighborhood that has sufficient sights to awe any customer — particularly a first-time customer.

What’s the perfect neighborhood for vacationers on a price range?
Shibuya is a vigorous, action-packed a part of city that additionally occurs to have some good hostels, low cost eats, and inexpensive nightlife choices.

What’s the perfect neighborhood in Tokyo for museums?
Situated in and round the primary park in Ueno are a number of the metropolis’s finest museums. If you wish to spend a day or three going museum-hopping, that is the place to do it.

What’s the perfect neighborhood for nightlife?
When the solar goes down, Roppongi comes alive. It’s already a buzzing neighborhood, however at evening the bars and golf equipment open up and fun-seeking locals gravitate right here.

What’s the perfect neighborhood for purchasing?
Upscale Ginza is without doubt one of the world’s most well-known purchasing districts. Everybody from legendary, household-name worldwide designers to native up-and-coming ones have shops right here.

What’s the perfect neighborhood for foodies?
Maybe essentially the most bustling district within the busiest metropolis on the planet, Shinjuku can be an excellent place for hungry food-loving vacationers, as it’s residence to swaths of bar-and-restaurant-flanked lanes.

What’s the perfect neighborhood for historical past?
Asakusa is a central neighborhood that additionally occurs to be one of the crucial conventional. When you’re in search of previous Edo — the erstwhile identify of this metropolis — you may discover it in Asakusa.

What’s the perfect neighborhood for hipsters?
Shimokitazawa, often called “Shimokita” to locals, has been reworked in recent times right into a go-to spot for hipster cafés and cinemas.

What’s the perfect neighborhood general?
Marunouchi is smack within the middle of all of it. It’s not essentially loaded with all of the sights — in any case, that is Tokyo, in order that they’re unfold out — but it surely’s geographically ultimate and has slightly little bit of one thing for everybody.

So, with these questions answered, right here’s a breakdown of every neighborhood, with instructed lodging, so you realize exactly the place to remain in Tokyo:

 

The place to Keep for Sightseeing: Shinjuku

A traveler exploring a dim, narrow alley in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo, Japan
Shinjuku is fascinating. It’s like Tokyo in microcosm. Glowing skyscrapers, temples, placid parks, hip and conventional eating places, chaotic road crossings, and the busiest practice station on the planet — it’s all right here. There are practically a dozen and a half Michelin-starred eating places within the neighborhood, in addition to scores of narrow-laned swaths lined by diminutive bars and street-food eateries, specifically Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho. Shinjuku can be residence to a LGBTQ+ district.

Finest Locations to Keep in Shinjuku

  • BUDGET: Unplan Kagurazaka – The dorms right here all have self-contained bunks full with a snug mattress, gentle, energy outlet, and safety field. The hostel additionally has a typical room, shared kitchen, and lively bar/restaurant.
  • MID-RANGE: Lodge Century Southern Tower – Request as excessive a room as doable at Lodge Century, situated only a few minutes’ stroll from Shinjuku Station, and also you’ll be rewarded with a improbable view of the Shinjuku skyline. The spacious visitor rooms have a desk and a sofa. The hearty breakfast buffet is included.
  • LUXURY: Hilton Tokyo – A ten-minute stroll from Shinjuku Station, the Hilton Tokyo is a swank and modern lodge bathed in mushy, off-white hues. The visitor rooms are loaded with all of the facilities you’d count on from a luxurious lodge, together with posh tub merchandise and ultra-fast Wi-Fi. When you can nab an upper-floor room, the views are spectacular.

 

The place to Keep for Finances Vacationers: Shibuya

People crossing the street during busy traffic around the Shibuya area in Tokyo, Japan
When most non-Japanese folks consider Japan, significantly Tokyo, they consider Shibuya — whether or not they understand it or not: the brilliant flashing lights, the glass skyscrapers, the sidewalks filled with folks, the mesmerizingly busy intersections with pedestrians marching in each route.

It doesn’t seem at first that Shibuya could be candidate for the budget-minded traveler, however there are some very nice, inexpensive hostels right here, and the thoroughfares are sprinkled with above-average road meals. Plus, the eye-candy spectacle of all of it means that you would be able to simply plant your self someplace and spend hours beguiled by the extravaganza that’s Shibuya — all with out spending a dime.

Finest Locations to Keep in Shibuya

  • BUDGET: Almond Hostel & Cafe – This enjoyable and relaxed hostel has blended and female-only dorm rooms. The sleeping quarters consist of personal cubby-hole-like areas for max privateness. Every pod has a light-weight, {an electrical} outlet, hooks for hangers, and a shelf.
  • MID-RANGE: Shibuya Creston Lodge – Whereas slightly bland, this lodge is clear, snug, inexpensive, and in an excellent location. Rooms have coffee- and tea-making machines and complimentary bottled water.
  • LUXURY: Cerulean Tower – Set in a high-rise constructing within the middle of Shibuya, Cerulean Tower begins on the nineteenth ground, so that you’re assured an excellent view out of your room, which shall be massive and include Japanese inexperienced tea units, a chaise lounge, mini-bar, and luxe tub merchandise. The lodge additionally has eight totally different eating places and bars.

 

The place to Keep for Museums: Ueno

Cherry blossoms overlooking a lake in Ueno Park is sunny Tokyo, Japan
The Tokyo Nationwide Museum, the Ueno Royal Museum, the Tokyo Metropolitan Artwork Museum, the Nationwide Museum of Nature and Science, the Nationwide Museum of Western Artwork, and the Shitamachi Museum are however a number of of the museums which can be sprinkled round Ueno — largely Ueno-koen, the Central Park–like swath of greenery that’s the centerpoint of the neighborhood.

Staying in Ueno means you’ll be mere steps from the largest and finest museums. However it’s not all museums right here. Along with the good park, Ueno is a wonderful eating vacation spot too.

Finest Locations to Keep in Ueno

  • BUDGET: Grids Lodge and Hostel – Situated proper throughout from Ueno Station, Grids is smack within the middle of the motion. The wood-paneled dorm rooms are clear and fashionable, and every mattress has a light-weight and energy outlet. The bathrooms within the shared loos are of the super-high-tech Japanese selection.
  • MID-RANGE: Centurion Lodge & Spa – Only a few minutes’ stroll from a number of subway stations and a practice station, Centurion is an oasis. The spacious rooms have tea kettles and low makers, the loos characteristic luxurious tub merchandise, the in-house eatery focuses on steak, and the spa makes use of pure spring water.
  • LUXURY: Mimaru Tokyo Ueno Okachimachi – The rooms at this property are extra-large; some have 4 futon beds, and others have kitchens and eating tables. Bathrobes and slippers in every room make the keep that rather more snug. And the situation is difficult to beat.

 

The place to Keep for Nightlife: Roppongi

A towering skyscraper in the Roppongi district of Tokyo, Japan at night
House to the long-lasting Tokyo Tower, the Mori Artwork Museum, the Roppongi Hills, and Tokyo Midtown purchasing/leisure complexes, Roppongi has slightly one thing for everybody. However if you happen to’re into nightlife, it’s significantly nice. When the solar units, the golf equipment and bars shine — every thing from wine, craft beer, and liquor bars to golf equipment the place you possibly can dance till the solar rises.

Finest Locations to Keep in Roppongi

  • BUDGET: Lodge Villa Fontaine Tokyo-Roppongi – There are usually not a ton of price range choices in Roppongi, however Villa Fontaine makes up for it by providing superior service and clear, snug rooms with fridges, humidifying air cleaners, AC, electrical kettles, and TVs (and bidets).
  • MID-RANGE: Mitsui Backyard Lodge Roppongi – Set in a modern high-rise tower, Mitsui Backyard is a great spot wherein to put your head. Rooms are available in various sizes — there’s one with a “tremendous king” mattress that would match a big household — and all are geared up with instant-coffee machines, inexperienced tea, fridges, electrical razors, pajamas, and a bidet within the toilet.
  • LUXURY: Ritz-Carlton Tokyo – Housed within the high eight flooring of one of many metropolis’s tallest skyscrapers, the Ritz-Carlton is without doubt one of the most luxurious spots in Tokyo. There are seven eating places and a whole ground devoted to wellness and figuring out. Rooms have floor-to-ceiling home windows, some with gorgeous views of Mount Fuji. Even the fundamental rooms are big and laden with all the luxurious facilities you’d count on from a lodge of this caliber.

 

The place to Keep for Buying: Ginza

Cars traveling during a long exposure shot in the Ginza district of bustling Tokyo, Japan
When you’re seeking to max out your bank card in Tokyo — and it’s actually not a problem to try this — polished and posh Ginza is the place, Its streets are flanked by upscale retailers for all of the household-name designers, in addition to some Japanese ones that may be unfamiliar to you. Regardless of the case, you possibly can spend days right here leaping from boutique to boutique, immersed in all the newest types and developments.

And if all that purchasing builds up an urge for food, Ginza boasts a tremendous assortment of eating places. Not surprisingly, it’s straightforward to interrupt the financial institution right here at counters serving a number of the finest sushi you’ll eat in your life. However if you happen to look a bit, there are ample inexpensive ramen and soba locations, izakayas, and yakitori eating places scattered across the district.

Finest Locations to Keep in Ginza

  • BUDGET: Imano Tokyo Ginza Hostel – Imano has snug dorm-style rooms, wherein every mattress is in a pod-like setting. So count on to get some further privateness right here — so long as you don’t thoughts sleeping in a pod. Every has its personal lights, retailers, cabinets, and a cushty mattress. There’s additionally a bigger room for touring households and some personal rooms, in addition to a communal kitchen and a cushty widespread lounge.
  • MID-RANGE: The Celestine Ginza – The 104-room Celestine is situated up in a tower on a road flanked by retailers, eating places, and bars so it’s proper in the course of the motion. The rooms are pretty massive and have desks, minibars, and spacious loos. Some have floor-to-ceiling home windows; others have snug sofas.
  • LUXURY: Hyatt Centric Ginza – The 164 rooms at this property are understated however crammed with snug luxurious facilities. BeeKind tub merchandise, Bluetooth audio system, Nespresso espresso machines, and, in fact, gorgeous views of Ginza and past make this one of many poshest spots on the town. There’s additionally a celebrated restaurant and a 24-hour fitness center within the lodge.

 

The place to Keep for Historical past Lovers: Asakusa

The famous Sensoji temple during a sunny day in the Asakusa area of Tokyo, Japan
Asakusa-jinja, one among Tokyo’s biggest Shinto shrines (from the seventeenth century), the imposing neo-Baroque imperial palace, and a handful of different gorgeous shrines contribute to the historic make-up of tranquil Asakusa. When you got here to Tokyo to delve into the historical past of this fascinating metropolis, Asakusa is the place to plant your self for some time.

However there’s extra to this neighborhood than simply historic websites. Hoppy Avenue is a fringed with indoor and outside pubs; Nakamise Avenue is identical however for purchasing. There’s additionally the historic Hanayashiki amusement park, and, in neighboring Ryugoku, you possibly can witness sumo wrestlers working towards.

Finest Locations to Keep in Asakusa

  • BUDGET: Plat Keikyu – Conveniently situated throughout from Akasaka Station, Plat is bathed in a whole lot of wooden, giving it a really homey really feel. The hostel has personal and semi-private rooms, in addition to 12-person dorm rooms (and in addition a 12-person female-only dorm) with semiprivate pods which have lights and retailers.
  • MID-RANGE: Asakusa View Lodge – This distinctive property tries to take you proper into the guts of historic Tokyo. Anticipate finding geishas strolling by as if the nineteenth century by no means ended, in addition to a theater for performing conventional Japanese performs. The rooms are snug and easy, bedecked in darkish woods and boasting bathtubs, TVs, and kettles for sipping inexperienced tea.
  • LUXURY: Asakusa Excel Lodge – A pleasant, luxurious base for a keep in Asakusa, this lodge has an enormous fitness center, a laundry room, an upscale Japanese restaurant, and even a cigar bar. The 487 rooms are all a bit on the smaller aspect, however they make up for it with a number of the most snug beds round.

 

The place to Keep for Hipsters: Shimokitazawa

A sunny day in Shimokitazawa with people walking around exploring in Tokyo, Japan
As soon as the one-stop neighborhood to go thrift-store purchasing in Japan, Shimokitazawa has modified loads within the final 5 years. Shimokita, as locals name it, has been reworked right into a district for individuals who love indie movie, indie bookshops, hipster cafés, and cutting-edge eating places.

Better of all, most of the hip thrift shops are nonetheless right here. So you possibly can keep in Shimokita and buy groceries through the day after which hit up the good eating places and bars which have opened up comparatively just lately.

Finest Locations to Keep in Shimokitazawa

  • BUDGET: The Wardrobe Lodge – This hostel has personal rooms and a big dormitory for these on a severe price range. As is the case in lots of hostels in Japan, the sleeping state of affairs within the dorms is pod-like: every visitor will get their very own particular person pod with a light-weight and outlet — and due to this fact, much more privateness than your common hostel dorm room.
  • MID-RANGE: The Mustard Lodge – Opened in late 2021, the 60-room Mustard is a minimalist boutique lodge within the middle of Shimokita. Naturally, the visitor rooms have document gamers with a number of vinyl. The on-site café serves up third-wave espresso to locals and guests alike.
  • LUXURY: Yuen Bettai Daita – Situated simply to the west of Shimokitazawa, it is a ryokan-style property (which means a standard inn). There’s even an onsen (scorching spring) within the lodge. The visitor rooms are minimalist within the Japanese method, however oh-so-comfortable on the similar time. The on-site conventional Japanese restaurant/teahouse is price staying in for.

 

The place to Keep for Comfort: Marunouchi

The historic metro station of Marunouchi in sunny, bustling Tokyo, Japan
When you can’t determine a neighborhood to remain in since you’re too little (or an excessive amount of) of a foodie, historical past buff, shopper, nightlifer, and so forth., then simply shrug and put your self in Marunouchi. Geographically, it’s within the middle of all of it.

The neighborhood is host to traditional conventional websites in addition to tall glass skyscrapers. So it’s previous and new, conventional and modern. House to Tokyo Station, the Nationwide Museum of Trendy Artwork, the Tokyo Worldwide Discussion board, and scores of purchasing facilities, galleries, and eating places, Marunouchi is only a quick practice trip to the remainder of Tokyo.

Finest Locations to Keep in Marunouchi

  • BUDGET: Lodge Metropolitan – Marunouchi doesn’t have a whole lot of inexpensive lodging choices. Lodge Metropolitan might not have hostel costs, however for a bit greater than a median hostel, you possibly can keep in complete consolation right here. Situated in a tower throughout from Tokyo Station, the rooms listed here are on the smaller aspect however have bathtubs, tub merchandise, flat-screen TVs, and free bottled water and inexperienced tea (plus electrical kettles).
  • MID-RANGE: Marunouchi Lodge – It’s onerous to get extra Marunouchi than this lodge. The property has a number of good eating places, together with French, Japanese, and teppanyaki ones. The massive commonplace double rooms have large beds, plus sufficient facilities to make any traveler really feel relaxed and comfy.
  • LUXURY: 4 Seasons Lodge at Marunouchi – You may count on to be pampered at his posh, centrally situated, five-star lodge. The rooms are big, and lots of have nice views of Tokyo Station and past. There are solely 57 rooms at this boutique 4 Seasons outpost, so count on to get all the eye you need right here. The in-house eatery fuses French and Japanese cuisines to nice fanfare.

***

Tokyo is very large. There are few different locations the place I actually need to emphasise that the situation you select to base your self is of utmost significance. This manner, you received’t spend a lot time traversing town on the subway.

However don’t be too involved about it, both. Tokyo is nice for simply wandering too, taking within the organized chaos that’s the world’s greatest — and busiest — metropolis.

Guide Your Journey to Japan: Logistical Ideas and Tips

Guide Your Flight
Use Skyscanner to discover a low cost flight. They’re my favourite search engine as a result of they search web sites and airways across the globe so that you all the time know no stone is left unturned.

Guide Your Lodging
You may e book your hostel with Hostelworld as they’ve the largest stock and finest offers. If you wish to keep someplace apart from a hostel, use Reserving.com as they constantly return the most affordable charges for guesthouses and low cost resorts.

For extra locations to remain, take a look at my article on my favourite hostels in Tokyo. It has a protracted listing of them!

Don’t Overlook Journey Insurance coverage
Journey insurance coverage will defend you in opposition to sickness, damage, theft, and cancellations. It’s complete safety in case something goes incorrect. I by no means go on a visit with out it as I’ve had to make use of it many occasions previously. My favourite firms that provide the perfect service and worth are:

On the lookout for the Finest Firms to Save Cash With?
Try my useful resource web page for the perfect firms to make use of while you journey. I listing all those I exploit to save cash once I’m on the highway. They’ll prevent cash while you journey too.

You should definitely take a look at the Japan Rail Move if you happen to’ll be touring across the nation. It is available in 7-, 14-, and 21-day passes and may prevent a ton of cash!

Need Extra Info on Japan?
You should definitely go to our strong vacation spot information on Japan for much more planning ideas!



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