Travel

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 most important metropolis on this planet, residence to a whopping 37 million folks within the metro space. Town. Unimaginable, superb, 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, tons of of neighborhoods.

However, as a customer to town, there are just a few areas which can be preferrred to remain in. You don’t have to undergo all of the facilities and wards. In my opinion, there are solely about eight areas value staying in.

Right here is my breakdown of these eight greatest neighborhoods in Tokyo for guests (in addition to advised 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 wish to reply:

What’s the perfect neighborhood for sightseeing?
Shinjuku is a busy, centrally positioned 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 energetic, action-packed a part of city that additionally occurs to have some good hostels, low cost eats, and reasonably priced nightlife choices.

What’s the perfect neighborhood in Tokyo for museums?
Positioned in and round the principle park in Ueno are a number of the metropolis’s greatest 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 night time the bars and golf equipment open up and fun-seeking locals gravitate right here.

What’s the perfect neighborhood for buying?
Upscale Ginza is among the world’s most well-known buying 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 awesome 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 on the lookout for previous Edo — the erstwhile identify of this metropolis — you would possibly discover it in Asakusa.

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

What’s the perfect neighborhood total?
Marunouchi is smack within the heart of all of it. It’s not essentially loaded with all of the sights — in spite of everything, that is Tokyo, so that they’re unfold out — but it surely’s geographically preferrred and has just a little little bit of one thing for everybody.

So, with these questions answered, right here’s a breakdown of every neighborhood, with advised lodging, so you already know 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 prepare 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, particularly 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 standard room, shared kitchen, and lively bar/restaurant.
  • MID-RANGE: Hotel Century Southern Tower – Request as excessive a room as potential at Resort Century, positioned just some minutes’ stroll from Shinjuku Station, and also you’ll be rewarded with a incredible 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 smooth resort bathed in comfortable, off-white hues. The visitor rooms are loaded with all of the facilities you’d count on from a luxurious resort, together with posh bathtub 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 realize it or not: the brilliant flashing lights, the glass skyscrapers, the sidewalks full of 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, reasonably priced 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 could 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 combined and female-only dorm rooms. The sleeping quarters consist of personal cubby-hole-like areas for optimum privateness. Every pod has a lightweight, {an electrical} outlet, hooks for hangers, and a shelf.
  • MID-RANGE: Shibuya Creston Hotel – Whereas just a little bland, this resort is clear, snug, reasonably priced, and in an awesome location. Rooms have coffee- and tea-making machines and complimentary bottled water.
  • LUXURY: Cerulean Tower – Set in a high-rise constructing within the heart of Shibuya, Cerulean Tower begins on the nineteenth flooring, so that you’re assured an awesome view out of your room, which will likely be massive and include Japanese inexperienced tea units, a chaise lounge, mini-bar, and luxe bathtub merchandise. The resort 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 — principally 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 most important and greatest 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 Hotel and Hostel – Positioned proper throughout from Ueno Station, Grids is smack within the heart of the motion. The wood-paneled dorm rooms are clear and fashionable, and every mattress has a lightweight and energy outlet. The bogs within the shared bogs are of the super-high-tech Japanese selection.
  • MID-RANGE: Centurion Hotel & Spa – Just some minutes’ stroll from a number of subway stations and a prepare station, Centurion is an oasis. The spacious rooms have tea kettles and occasional makers, the bogs characteristic luxurious bathtub 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 placement is tough to beat.

 

The place to Keep for Nightlife: Roppongi

A towering skyscraper in the Roppongi district of Tokyo, Japan at night


House to the enduring Tokyo Tower, the Mori Artwork Museum, the Roppongi Hills, and Tokyo Midtown buying/leisure complexes, Roppongi has just a little one thing for everybody. However for those who’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: Hotel Villa Fontaine Tokyo-Roppongi – There aren’t 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 Garden Hotel Roppongi – Set in a smooth high-rise tower, Mitsui Backyard is a great spot through which to put your head. Rooms are available 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 prime eight flooring of one of many metropolis’s tallest skyscrapers, the Ritz-Carlton is among the most luxurious spots in Tokyo. There are seven eating places and a complete flooring devoted to wellness and understanding. Rooms have floor-to-ceiling home windows, some with beautiful views of Mount Fuji. Even the fundamental rooms are enormous and laden with all the luxury facilities you’d count on from a resort 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 could 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 kinds and traits.

And if all that buying builds up an urge for food, Ginza boasts a tremendous assortment of eating places. Not surprisingly, it’s simple to interrupt the financial institution right here at counters serving a number of the greatest sushi you’ll eat in your life. However for those who look a bit, there are ample reasonably priced 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, through which every mattress is in a pod-like setting. So count on to get some additional privateness right here — so long as you don’t thoughts sleeping in a pod. Every has its personal lights, shops, cabinets, and a cushty mattress. There may be 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 positioned up in a tower on a road flanked by retailers, eating places, and bars so it’s proper in the midst of the motion. The rooms are pretty massive and have desks, minibars, and spacious bogs. 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 bathtub merchandise, Bluetooth audio system, Nespresso espresso machines, and, after all, beautiful 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 gymnasium within the resort.

 

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, certainly one of Tokyo’s best Shinto shrines (from the seventeenth century), the imposing neo-Baroque imperial palace, and a handful of different beautiful 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 Road is a fringed with indoor and outside pubs; Nakamise Road is similar however for buying. There’s additionally the historic Hanayashiki amusement park, and, in neighboring Ryugoku, you possibly can witness sumo wrestlers training.

Finest Locations to Keep in Asakusa

  • BUDGET: Plat Keikyu – Conveniently positioned throughout from Akasaka Station, Plat is bathed in plenty 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 likewise a 12-person female-only dorm) with semiprivate pods which have lights and shops.
  • MID-RANGE: Asakusa View Hotel – 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 Hotel – A pleasant, luxurious base for a keep in Asakusa, this resort has an enormous gymnasium, a laundry room, an upscale Japanese restaurant, and even a cigar bar. The 487 rooms are all a bit on the smaller facet, 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 buying in Japan, Shimokitazawa has modified so much 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, lots 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 lately.

Finest Locations to Keep in Shimokitazawa

  • BUDGET: The Wardrobe Hotel – This hostel has personal rooms and a big dormitory for these on a critical 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 lightweight and outlet — and subsequently, much more privateness than your common hostel dorm room.
  • MID-RANGE: The Mustard Hotel – Opened in late 2021, the 60-room Mustard is a minimalist boutique resort within the heart of Shimokita. Naturally, the visitor rooms have file gamers with a number of vinyl. The on-site café serves up third-wave espresso to locals and guests alike.
  • LUXURY: Yuen Bettai Daita – Positioned simply to the west of Shimokitazawa, this can be a ryokan-style property (which means a standard inn). There’s even an onsen (scorching spring) within the resort. 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 value 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 on., then simply shrug and put your self in Marunouchi. Geographically, it’s within the heart of all of it.

The neighborhood is host to basic 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 buying facilities, galleries, and eating places, Marunouchi is only a brief prepare trip to the remainder of Tokyo.

Finest Locations to Keep in Marunouchi

  • BUDGET: Hotel Metropolitan – Marunouchi doesn’t have plenty of reasonably priced lodging choices. Resort Metropolitan could not have hostel costs, however for a bit greater than a mean hostel, you possibly can keep in complete consolation right here. Positioned in a tower throughout from Tokyo Station, the rooms listed here are on the smaller facet however have bathtubs, bathtub merchandise, flat-screen TVs, and free bottled water and inexperienced tea (plus electrical kettles).
  • MID-RANGE: Marunouchi Hotel – It’s arduous to get extra Marunouchi than this resort. The property has a number of good eating places, together with French, Japanese, and teppanyaki ones. The big customary double rooms have large beds, plus sufficient facilities to make any traveler really feel relaxed and cozy.
  • LUXURY: Four Seasons Hotel at Marunouchi – You’ll be able to count on to be pampered at his posh, centrally positioned, five-star resort. The rooms are enormous, 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 huge. There are few different locations the place I actually need to emphasise that the placement you select to base your self is of utmost significance. This fashion, 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.

Ebook Your Journey to Japan: Logistical Suggestions and Tips

Ebook 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.

Ebook Your Lodging
You’ll be able to ebook your hostel with Hostelworld as they’ve the most important stock and greatest offers. If you wish to keep someplace aside from a hostel, use Booking.com as they constantly return the most affordable charges for guesthouses and low cost inns.

For extra locations to remain, take a look at my article on my favorite hostels in Tokyo. It has an extended 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 unsuitable. I by no means go on a visit with out it as I’ve had to make use of it many instances up to now. My favourite corporations that provide the perfect service and worth are:

In search of the Finest Firms to Save Cash With?
Try my resource page for the perfect corporations to make use of if you journey. I listing all those I take advantage of to save cash once I’m on the street. They are going to prevent cash if you journey too.

Remember to take a look at the Japan Rail Pass for those who’ll be touring across the nation. It is available in 7-, 14-, and 21-day passes and might prevent a ton of cash!

Need Extra Data on Japan?
Remember to go to our robust destination guide on Japan for much more planning ideas!


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