First Time in Tokyo All the Dos

My budget was $150 a night or less, and there were a few things I really wanted with our hotel. I set out to find a four-star hotel, in a central location, near a metro stop, that was at least 300 square feet, with a king bed, a refrigerator and a Nespresso machine. It quickly became obvious that there were not a lot of rooms that were 300 square feet or rooms with king beds. After diligently searching, I finally found the Hotel Metropolitan Edmont. The room was a tiny bit smaller than I hoped (280 square feet) but it had everything else I wanted for the price. It came with all kinds of necessities in the room that you never see in America, like a razor with shaving cream, pajamas and slippers. There was, of course, a bidet and a humidifier. We were not prepared for the Tokyo summer heat! But the room came with a deodorizer spray and the hotel had a laundry room. An extra perk were the vending machines (with beer and wine) and the microwaves next to the laundry room.

The hotel had multiple restaurants plus a fancy speakeasy bar. Across the street, there was a Family Mart, 7-Eleven and a Starbucks. One night when it rained, we noticed they even had umbrellas to rent. We did spend a few nights out after the trains stopped and were able to get an Uber back for about $20 from places like Shinjuku and Ginza. While the Tokyo Dome area is not a busy tourist area, this proved to be a great landing spot for exploring all of central Tokyo. Places like Akihabara and Ueno were super close by and it never took too long to get to any of the other popular locations. If the perks I was looking for are on your list, you are on a budget and you don’t mind taking transportation to get around, I would highly recommend this hotel for a visit to Tokyo. On the plus side, the neighborhood was also super quiet and still had some great restaurants or bars within walking distance.

After a week in Japan, we took the bullet train to Kyoto for another three nights. Here we stayed at the Hyatt Place Kyoto. This hotel was subtly elegant and had great amenities for the price. It was also literally next to the train station, providing very easy access to transportation. Central Kyoto was quiet but still had some great restaurants, bars to walk to and a great Sake tasting place.

We took the train to Osaka to visit Universal Studios for one day. If you are an anime fan, this is a great option. We happened to be there during One Piece Summer and while they had an awesome Demon Slayer VR ride. Our second day was spent sightseeing in Kyoto. I really enjoyed seeing the old-school more ancient side of Japan. If you have the energy, you can absolutely do Kyoto in a day. With the trains from Kyoto to Osaka taking about an hour, you could easily stay in either place for three nights and spend a day exploring each city.

I highly recommend at least a week in Tokyo and a few days for Kyoto and Osaka. Nice hotels can be found for a great price and some beautiful ones with perks for a tiny bit more. The dollar to the yen, currently 145 to 1, made everything quite affordable. I'm happy to provide the itinerary I created with any booked trips.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Tokyo. In need of further inspiration? Check out Chee Moua’s guide, Group Adventures: Must-Try Experiences in Tokyo.