I stayed in Shinbashi recently and found it wonderful, with plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from, and the station location is super handy with multiple lines running through it, especially the Ginza and the Ueno-Tokyo line which I used quiet a bit, will definitely stay there again for future trips..

Good info, John! Thanks for being so generous with your time and information!

Thanks for the video and all our comments on difference areas which is really helpful for me to make a decision on where to stay

Thank you Thank youuuuuu!! This definitely did help. Lots of helpful information and tips. Super mega appreciated 😃🤙

Thank you. Super helpful. Longtime viewer.

i love reading the comment like reviews for places to stay thanks for the share! stay awesome!

Thanks for the information and another great video. I'm now seriously considering looking into staying near Shimbashi station now. Found sone great places on Expedia but too early to book as I'm visiting in October 2024. Looks a little quieter too in Shimbashi which is nice.🙂

So much Great Information. My stay in Tokyo will be based on using the Yamanote Line to visit and photograph Showa Era neighborhoods ,alleys and Buildings ( for an Art Project ). I think a Video on the best Showa Era neighborhoods would be Fantastic . Thanks for the Great Video

Aloha from Kailua HI John, Just left Japan after two blazing my hot , but wonderful two weeks.I just missed you by a day on this stream as I was at the B Ginza right across from Shiodome and Donki. Really enjoyed getting off at Shimbashi station everyday and perusing the neighborhood, your absolutely right in that it’s so conveniently located to all transportation and doesn’t have they Shinjuku, Shibuya commercialism/tourist feel. Anyways been s longtime viewer and really appreciate what you do. All my best to you ,Kanai, and Leo. Ps I also just missed you when you did your meetup at Ala Moana park few weeks back, but was working. Again, all my best. Aloha and mahalo nui loa 🤙🏼

John, I stayed in the Park Hotel in April before flying back to the states. The room is a little olders and smaller, but if you get the Tokyo Tower side (which I do recommend), you can look straight down on Shinbashi station and see all of the trains going by, which is really cool. And if you are lucky your room can see both the monorail and Yurikamome lines as well. Also close to Toranomon and Ginza is a decent walk straight north

Aloha 🤙from Honolulu! Excellent video, John. I'm staying Shimbashi next trip

You're a trooper John, venturing out into that heat - but hey it's a job so you can hardly avoid it! Thanks

😅planning a 2 day to Tokyo, debating where to stay- your info helped a lot! Thanks! Looking at Shinbashi now! 😄

This is my hood! When it's possible I always stay at the Conrad at Shiodome. Love the staff and the views are awesome! Love the complimentary bears and rubber duck! At nights I just love hanging out at bar that overlooks the Tokyo bay. Rooms is pretty large! Love the easy access to the Oedo and Yurikamome Lines and the Yamanote line is a station away. Love Conrad!

I'd say that Akihabara is a great location for a tourist on a budget, and especially younger tourists. Sure, the late night options aren't the best. Though, there are certainly a number of places open late at night. But, for those who like electronics and the anime/manga subculture, it'll be great (can spend the whole day shopping and not have to worry so much about lugging all your goodies across Tokyo lol). And, also, the transportation options really opens up Tokyo and the surrounding area. As you have the Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Chuo Sobu Line, Hibiya Line and Ginza Line (and then the Tokaido Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen & Tohoku Shinkansen lines only a few stations away). For the costs of the hotel (such as APA Hotels, Akihabara Washington Hotel), I'd say that it is a very good option for a younger tourist who is on a budget and also for someone who wants to be right by a station that is served by the Yamanote Line, still within easy access of Shibuya, Shinjuku, Asakusa, Ueno, etc, and not have to pay a big premium price for it. And for me, 3 of my 'must eat' places within Tokyo are in Akihabara. Tonkatsu Marugo, Kyushu Jangara Akihabara & Jiromaru Akihabara.

Stayed at Sheraton and Hilton to do Disney Tokyo and highly recommend bc it’s easy access from both Airport with limousine buses. I’ve also stayed in Ebisu which I liked because it’s access to the popular tourist spots due to Yamanote and Hibiya. Ebisu is really classy. I’ve also stayed in Asakusa near sensoji temple and agree with John it’s a different old town vibe. It nice to see the empty streets early morning in Asakusa. I’ve done both Hotels and AirBnB in Tokyo. Both have its pros and cons. The most important advice is access to train stations is most import to me and my family when in Tokyo. Second is ease of airport access but after visiting Japan many times I don’t stress about airport access anymore. I’ve taken the taxi, Airport Express trains and limousine busses. I prefer the bus when I have a lot of luggage. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on KZread and nice to see John still doing videos. His videos help me become a more savvy Tokyo tourist.

@nateshf9303

10 ай бұрын

Right on! My wife and I usually stay in Daikanyama between T-Site and Ralph Lauren

I agree that Shiodome is a very convenient place to stay, especially if you'd like to go to Ginza, Tokyo Station and Daimon, the imperial palace, all within walking distance. From Shimbashi, there's that U line going to Odaiba. Hamamatsu is a nearby station to Haneda by monorail. In Shiodome I used to stay at the Park Hotel that occupies the top floors of the Kyodo tower (station E 19 just under it), nice views on Tokyo bay on one side and Tokyo tower on the other. The Hama Rikyu gardens you mentioned is really worth a visit, one of Tokyo's best green spaces. Lots of restaurants in Shimbashi, from the station you can also reach Kamakura.

Glad to hear that your favorite place is Asakusa. Just traveled to Tokyo and stayed at APA Kaminarimon for two nights. A good experience especially during the nights having a quiet walk in 隅田川 park, seeing the beautiful river views with SkyTree Tower's shining lights. In the morning before leaving for Narita Airport we went to visit 仲間世 and ate at 一蘭ラーメン. So much fun. By the way Asakusa is very accessible not only to many attractions in the city but to the airport. No need to go to Ueno for transportation and the train price is cheaper especially for a family.

Sorry we missed you! We're staying at The Blosssom Hibiya and it's great! Shimbashi is easily accessible to many places and an easy walk to Ginza. We've stayed in Akasaka, Nishi-Shinjuku, and Tamachi before. So far, Shimbashi is our fave.

On my visit to Japan earlier this year, I stayed in Ginza side of Shimbashi station. Location was great. Yamanote, yellow & red lines gave me a ride to most everywhere I wanted to visit. All within 5 mins walk from my hotel (Remm+). Good access to Haneda as well (~7000¥ on taxi). Got a new trip coming in November and I'm looking at hotels on the same area again. 👌

Nice presentation, stayed in shiodome 2017-19 and Shinbashi is central to everything. ありがとう

Thank you John to elaborate and review shimbashi area and shiodome. I am agree with you that shimbashi is better than shinjuku that very crowded and noise. But the hotel prices for next cherry blossom very high, three times than normal price.

Much mahalo John! 😃🤙 Sorry I missed it live. See you and hopefully the family in 3 weeks ishes 🥳

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

Mahalo! Looking forward to seeing you next month!

thanks John!

As a fellow foreign resident, I agree with what you say. Especially about Shimbashi and Shibuya. However, Shimbashi has lately become more of a reservation-only business. My last visit down there was disappointing as every other business required reservation. I ended up going to a izakaya in Yurakucho instead. I still love walking around there and sometimes have a drink outside. Hope this helps for anyone thinking of hanging out in Shimbashi.

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

Is that so? I’ve not heard of that - I know popular places will take reservations and on some days, the places may just be booked up with people calling ahead. That is at EVERY place except maybe Ramen or gyudon. If you’re going out with coworkers, they’ll call ahead and reserve. It’s not really a “reservation” like a formal restaurant, it’s a call in the afternoon in the same day or around when they open or maybe the night before. It’s a good idea.

I have chosen a business hotel quite close to Shimbashi Station, towards the Shiodome complex just 50 meters before, just on the other side of the rails... Is that a nice zone in the evening? And from Haneda Terminal 3 you can get the Keikyu line directly to Shimbashi Station...

Hi John, we stayed at the Royal Park Hotel, and we loved it

Hi John. Thank you for sharing information about these two areas. It never occurred to me that I should consider staying in an area where there are lots of things to do. My first visit I chose Shinagawa because I went with the hotel I felt was nice to stay at. Now I know to consider staying where there'll be activities to enhance my stay in Japan. Great tip..as always! Mahalo John!

Could you make a video in the Hanzomon Station area please? I used to live there back in the eighties ..

I first stayed ah Shiodome about 18 years ago. You can stay at either and they’re both good. Ginza isn’t far away. Good salaryman restaurants near Shimbashi. I try to mix up where I stay each visit.

I stayed right next to shin ash I station at fresh inn this past March for the Tokyo Marathon. Thought the location was perfect since shinbashi had direct lines to most of the main Tokyo touristy spots

haha that first picture of the hotel room was one i recognized immediately -- i booked that from september 5-7 at Sotetsu Fresa Inn Karasumoriguchi, spent hours looking for value and modern-ness on top of being a 3-5 minute walk from the station

Stayed in Shiodome near the station. Lovely hotel right by the giant Steam punk clock. Awesome holiday

Going to Japan in October. We are booked for 9 nights at the Blossom Hibiya in Shimbashi.

from shiodome to shinbashi, is there a underground walkway? will be staying at hotel fontaine shiodome in july with 2 kids and eldery and want to stay out of the sun if possible

I like the looks of Narita Since you've covered Haneda airport could you show the Narita area and Accomodations please. We will be doing a lot off the beaten track, so I'm happy to do a little bit of Touristy stuff in Shibuya. Akihabara will probably be the biggest, so much so that we'll need to add another night. I have a G. maps page where I've placed green flags at the places we might like to see and do, and Akihabara is getting slightly ridiculous looking. My friend who I am traveling is in to the Anime and Girly Girl stuff (animal Cafes) I'm into Trains (if you've seen my posts you know that XD) but also Scenery I hope we can time the Autumn leaves and when traveling I like to urban explore. our budget hopefully will be 20K NZD I think about 1.65m Yen

I’m staying in shibuya tobu which is great spot and cheap not far from yoyogi. Then in December booked for asakusa which is also great. Depends what you done in the past. I’ve stayed the tobu a few times never been disappointed

I randomly booked tobu hotel in asakusa and fresa inn near shinbashi 😅both was due to their convenience in commuting and if u look at places to eat, casual dining or even street food…both places were spoiled with choices

i always stay at grand ginza hotel 200m from shimbashi station its perfect

I’m visiting with family in November and we are staying at Blossom Hibuya Hotel. I hope we have made the right choice with location. Any suggestion on what we could do or where we could go the day we arrive, as we land early morning and can’t check in until 3pm. We will have jet lag, I always get it bad, but it’d be a pity to waste the first day hanging around the hotel. There doesn’t appear to be a lot to do around the hotel itself. Is Hibuya park or Ginza far to walk? Thanks 😊

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

Oh, you mean HIBIYA, right? I was lost with the U in Hibiya 😆 oh yes, it’s a very convenient area, train lines, park - walking to Ginza and Toranomon, there is the HIBIYA MIDTOWN building with the Godzilla statue, Bic Camera at Yurakucho, the park. Google maps will give you estimated walk times.

Great content sir…I’m arriving in Tokyo this May and have a £60 budget per night, accommodation for myself for 6 nights. Any suggestions would be helpful 👍✈️🇯🇵

Usually stay in the Akasaka area. Feels like mid tokyo, easy to get around.

the only good thing about shinagawa is that its close to tennozu isle which is a very nice area. also john, i agree with you that ueno and asakusa are the best places to stay. i also run so if i could stay near yoyogi park or imperial palace, id do that too

Shiodome is great , lived there for 4 years! It.s new, clean and modern and very convenient access to transportation, restaurants and fast food. Not so expensive and worth it.

Oh no! I’ve already booked Toyoko Inn Asakusa Kuramae No.2.. I hope it’s a good hotel in a good area ..

Welcome to my weather here in Oxford, AL.

I have stayed in Shimbashi and Ginza. The areas are pretty much opposite sides of the train tracks.Ginza is more luxury with high end stores but the hotel price to match. Shimbashi is less luxury and as a result less cost. Walking between each is a 5 min walk.

We loved the blossom hibiya in shimbashi last year and will be staying there again in January. Amazing hotel and good value for money given the location. We also stayed in Shibuya. Whilst the hotel was good, the price was excessive and the location was a bit painful to get to.

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

I didn’t mention that, Shibuya is very inconvenient as a location. You really should take a taxi if transferring from another hotel. Wheeling your suitcase around there isn’t fun.

@TJ_Rider

10 ай бұрын

@@onlyinjapanGO agreed, we even found the Shibuya hotel inconvenient location wise after check-in. Especially if you want to do anything outside the immediate area. With Shimbashi, it is easy to get anywhere in the city. You can even get to Yokohama in less than 40 minutes and you can get to Kamakura in under an hour. All without needing to play train tag along the way.

Mr.Daub, you can introduce kinshicho too!

Im kinda Otaku but not so much Maid Cafe. Stayed in Hotel Resol Akihabara. I think nice to see the Anime Shops on a trip 1x and its kinda Central but next time i will go to Asakusa. Luckily there was a nice Streetfestival from a nearby Shrine at the weekend, that was a nice cultural disruption. I was only for a trip to Asakusa Shrine in Asakusa but looks very nice. I like to see more Residential Homes and the people there.

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

If you can catch a local festival, that absolutely makes that neighborhood super special, right outside your door! In fact, I should have mentioned that, looking for areas with local festivals may be a way to pick where to stay :)

I've noticed you seem to be able to pull up stuff on top of your video while your recording. Is that Realtime or do you must make it look that way in Post Production? If Realtime what are you using to do that?

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

It’s live.

@John Why not make a survey/poll about the reasons for coming to Japan and then make live videos talking about areas to live/visit to fit those needs?

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

I did this a few months ago :) asking about areas people were interested in. I’ll have another poll soon. It is a good idea! Thanks Lisa ^_^

I usually stay at an Airbnb in kamiyamacho, very close to yoyogi-koen station. but it’s all about preference! I love Shibuya but yes it can be dirty and busy in places.

@nateshf9303

10 ай бұрын

Behind Shibuya where all the embassies are is one of the most affluent residential neighborhoods and the best-kept secret.

@Jamess_z33

10 ай бұрын

@@nateshf9303 you’re spot on. It’s the best neighborhood. Quiet and only a short walk from Shibuya scramble.

@nateshf9303

10 ай бұрын

@@Jamess_z33 We usually either go to the back of JR station or go under ground to avoid the scramble or head down to Naka-Meguro instead.

Just come back from staying in shimbashi (freshu Inn just behind you) great central location.

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

I saw that one in the map, hard to beat that location!

Surprised no one mentioned Daikanyama, one of the most exclusive residential neighborhoods (and best-kept secret), between Shibuya and Naka-Meguro, but we prefer staying at Omotesando Hills right behind the Apple Store, another exclusive $$$$ area.

@Northstar2000

10 ай бұрын

Its all about yurakcho baby

@nateshf9303

10 ай бұрын

@@Northstar2000 Tokyo Forum is an architectural gem

@nateshf9303

5 ай бұрын

@@LiterallyJustAnActualPotato Ritz Carlton?!! Now we’re talking. We actually stayed up on the little hills of Ebisu when we were there in December, a 10-minutes walk to either Ebisu or Shibuya JR Station. Thanks for sharing your travel story.

😊😊😊👑

How's the weather in japan in october

@tthrl

10 ай бұрын

One of the best times to visit. Temperature 20-25 celsius, not much rain.

I'll visit Shimbashi next year in my first day. I don't get jetlag John

I dont stay in a place because of "Tourist attractions" It's better to stay in business hotels for long term travel. I like Akihabara, Kinsicho,Tamachi ,Shinbashi etc to stay in Apa or Sotetsu Fresa. But i'm not a regular tourist either. I come to roam around. don't care at all for tourist stuff. it's the atmosphere that is important for me.

The Conrad Hotel is for the filthy rich.. Almost $775 a night!!

Question: I love all the recommendations, but I have a question. Why are you standing in the hot sun, and such a HOT day? You could do the live, off to the side in the shade! You are dripping in sweat. Shade is your friend on a hot day. 🙂

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

It was that hot 🥵 and I think I’ve grown used to it. The phone didn’t overheat, there’s my proof. But yeah, noted!! Shade is good but strong signal is best so I thought it would be a good spot for uninterrupted 4G signal.

@carolineindacityphx

10 ай бұрын

@@onlyinjapanGO you suffer for your cause. Admirable. It didn't occur to me about the Wifi signal but you are right. I noticed the people around you were mostly walking in the shade and away from where you were standing. They were not interested in walking in the sun. 🤣 Stay 😎 out there!

I disagree about Shinagawa. It's an awesome place. I lived in Kita Shinagawa for two years. you can stay around Oimachi and take the blue line to Shinagawa which gets you access to Yamanote Line. They also hold a huge matsuri in that area between a few jinjas. Shinagawa seaside is a very beautiful area as well. You can even walk up Meguro river if you want. Shinagawa is great for price performance. But not around Shinagawa station.

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

To live, perhaps. As a tourist? Don’t you think there are many better places? Shinagawa wouldn’t even be in my top 20.

@SamA-bf8lw

10 ай бұрын

Going to Tokyo next month. Booked an Airbnb near Oimachi, in Tachiaigawa. It seems pretty good for certain places we want to go and a bit of a trek for others. Would rather stop in a somewhat local feeling neighbourhood rather than not though.

@yesilbursa

10 ай бұрын

@@onlyinjapanGO I guess it depends on what you're looking for. I'd rather save my money and stay in shinagawa. There are small hotels with kitchens inside for under $200 for a family of 4-5. With that kind of transportation I don't understand why people would want to STAY in the core areas like Meguro-Shibuya etc. It literally takes 20 minutes to get anywhere and you can immerse yourself into the culture. I'm 40 now so it's a different story if someone wants to get drunk every night and party. I think when you live in Tokyo, your perception of distance and time changes a lot. To us people living outside of Japan, one train transfer and 15-minutr train ride is nothing. I especially enjoy the train rides. It's nostalgic and it makes it a real Japanese experience for me.

@yesilbursa

10 ай бұрын

@@SamA-bf8lw if you're close to Rinkai Line , you can still get to Shibuya in 15 minutes. Even asakusa on the other side of the city is 35 minutes away. Imo you can't beat that location's price performance for older couples and families.

Why are we not seeing Leo and Kanae anymore?

@onlyinjapanGO

10 ай бұрын

I’ll see if they want to do one later this month but - after the pandemic when we were forced to stay at home, they really don’t need to be in videos and I always felt a bit cringey with KZreadrs who put a camera in their toddlers faces. I think Leo needs to do some growing before I feel like he can be in live streams. Kanae has been super busy with her job and when I’m home with family, the last thing I want to do is film more right? But let’s see if we can get them on once this month.

I'd rather choose hamamatsuchuo area

Naaaaahhhh bro as a wiseman once said is all aabout asakusabashi and wayno