Finding the right place to stay in Tokyo

One of the things I struggle with most is finding a good place to stay in Tokyo. Like it or not, Tokyo hotel rates are still expensive even with the weak yen. And with multiple districts you can stay in, it can be a challenge to find the best. In this article, I’ll share my thoughts on the typical places where tourists stay and how to choose the best place among them for you, based on cost and convenience.

Something to keep in mind: Tokyo is a polycentric conurbation. There is no one definitive “downtown” in the true sense. Most of the below districts themselves could be described as having a “downtown”. Therefore, it’s more important to keep distance and access to your top tourist spots as the main consideration.

Ginza

Ginza is near the center of Tokyo. It has been Tokyo’s premiere high-end shopping district for the past few decades. There are many hotels here, likely intended for foreign tourists to come shop until they drop, after which they can return to the comfort of their hotel.

The cash prices of these hotels can be absurdly high, but one can often find surprisingly good points redemption opportunities in Ginza.

The hotel at which I’ve stayed most frequently in Tokyo is the Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo. In the past, I was able to find good deals (around 21,000 points per night). World of Hyatt points can be obtained by transferring from Chase and Bilt, and often provide outstanding value compared to the cash prices of the hotel rooms. Just keep in mind the cash prices are very much inflated relative to other similar hotels in Tokyo.

I’ve also stayed at Aloft Ginza, which was great. Unfortunately it’s usually quite pricey and that makes it hard for me to book there again; not because I don’t want to stay there again, but because of the price tag.

The one issue I have with Ginza is, the food isn’t really great. This place is meant for shopping, not dining. You’d be much better served staying elsewhere if you want to eat good food.

Shibuya

Shibuya is the home of the young and rowdy, with hip restaurants and bars galore. Hotels here tend to be more hip and newer, catering less to the business crowd and more towards leisure travelers who want comfort. It’s no surprise it’s often the ward of choice for tourists.

Unfortunately, if you are looking to redeem points, this probably isn’t the best location to do so. Points availability at places like Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya is often quite constrained, and if you wish to book with cash, you will be greeted with high rates starting at $500 per night.

Instead, look into non-chain hotels such as the ones recommended on r/JapanTravelTips. They will provide better rates.

Shibuya is absolutely a great transit hub. It’s the western terminus of the Ginza Line, which you’ll find to be very useful for getting to various tourist areas such as Ginza and Asakusa.

The overall vibe is, Shibuya is a younger and more hip version of Shinjuku, even though both have nightlife options.

Shinjuku

Shinjuku is a commercial center, home to shopping (in the form of department stores) and fun (in the form of tourist attractions, restaurants, and nightlife—clubs, bars, etc.).

Shinjuku Station is the busiest train station in the world, and it’s often said to be the most difficult to navigate station in the world. (Well, it’s either Shibuya or Shinjuku stations, but from what I hear, Shinjuku is worse than Shibuya?)

It’s very well connected to other parts of Tokyo. Staying in Shinjuku means you’ll be in a good position to get around Tokyo in a reasonable amount of time… if you can navigate Shinjuku Station, that is.

Quite a few “standard” hotels can be found here. If you want to stay at a western chain hotel, this may be a good bet. However, many of these hotels aren’t anything special per se, and they may be a bit dated compared to the newer hotels established in Shibuya. However, there are still going to be great hotels to stay at in Shinjuku.

One thing to note is that parts of Shinjuku are considered a red light district. I would recommend doing some research on whether your hotel is being used as a brothel.

Tokyo Bay

“Wow, what a cheap hotel! What’s the catch?”

That is typically what I say when I see a hotel in Tokyo Bay.

The problem with Tokyo Bay is it’s really far away from everything except teamLab Planets and one of the go-karting hubs. Expect to spend at least 45 minutes to 1 hour to get anywhere from Tokyo Bay using the Tokyo Metro.

Shinagawa

Shinagawa is a commercial hub of Tokyo and a hub for JR train services. Realistically, you will be taking a JR train to get out of Shinagawa, so be prepared to take the Yamanote train everywhere you go, and then from there, expect a transfer away from Yamanote to a different subterranean Tokyo Metro line. This makes it relatively tedious to use because you can always expect to have to transfer, adding travel time to your (presumably) tight schedule in Tokyo.

There are some older, more established fancy hotels here, such as the Tokyo Marriott and the InterContinental “The Strings” hotels. But in terms of access to tourist destinations, you’d really be better served staying somewhere more convenient than Shinagawa.

Akasaka

This is pretty far east in Tokyo. You can stay here but I don’t think it’ll make for a very accessible journey.