Tokyo Love
Karriem Drewery
LITTLE TOKYO! I've only been to Japan once on a layover from Thailand. We had about twelve hours so we took a subway into Narita and saw just a glimpse of Japan. And I'd say Little Tokyo is a little less than the equivalent of that. It's a very small glimpse into some Japanese shops, cuisine, clothes, and history.
The desserts/cuisine here is also super delicious including Mikayawa to choose from a variety of mochi, and Caf Dulce, known for their coffee (I've personally loved their roti and other baked goods) is also worth checking out. In addition, if you're feeling like having a bit of France in Japan, you can get some handmade French macarons at 'Lette Macarons, located within the Japanese Village Plaza as well.
Tokyo Love Hotel for Post-Travel Restoration2012/3/23 00:01 My husband and I will be arriving at Haneda Airport at 5 a.m. and will probably leave our bags at our hotel in central Tokyo by around 7. We plan to do some sightseeing that day but will be grungy and discombobulated from extended travel, and initially we will want nothing more than to shower and relax for a couple of hours. The ideal place for this would be a hotel room, but after spending an inordinate amount of time looking at hotels with early check-in plans or day-use plans, I could find nothing that really works for us. (We don't want to spend a lot of money.) We ended up booking a standard hotel plan with a 3 p.m. check-in, but that is a long time to wait.
I'm thinking about getting a "rest" at a love hotel, but in many years of traveling to Japan, I have never availed myself of such a place, and have never really paid much attention to them. Can someone tell me the best areas in central Tokyo to find an assortment that would be available at that time of morning? All we really want is a bath/shower and a place to sit or lie down, and maybe watch TV. (Ironically, the LAST thing I will be interested in is sex, so I'm actually hoping the decor isn't overly stimulating to my partner!) The cheaper the better as long as it isn't too seedy, and we can handle check-in procedures in Japanese.
I would need to know exactly where the hotel clusters are situated, relative to a station or landmark, as we would be too embarrassed to ask people on the street.
Or does anyone have an alternate suggestion? I would consider just going to a public bath (a simple sento, not the big theme-park style spas), but not many are open that early.
Thanks!by Umakun
Re: Tokyo Love Hotel for Post-Travel Restoration2012/3/23 11:56 Thanks! Another thing I was thinking about was maybe an Internet cafe that has comfortable pair seating and showers. Any particular suggestions or recommendations?
by Umakunrate this post as useful
Re: Tokyo Love Hotel for Post-Travel Restoration2012/3/23 12:49 Love hotel is called 'rabu-ho' in Japan, just a trivia.
Now, I guess you take a train from Haneda to Centaral Tokyo. You don't want to walk long early in the morning upon the arrival.
Sure, there are too many to pick one. Either Shibuya, Shinjuku or Ikebukuro might be the first choice for location, but smaller Yamanote stations provide shorter access to the rabuho area. Close to the stations. Then, one recommendation is JR Gotanda, where many rabuhos are scattered around, should be good location in condideration of your walking distance to the hotel area and relatively easier access from Haneda as well.
They usually offer 'service time for rest' starting early in the morning or vary the check-in hour, anyway to allow you to stay for something like 7 to 10 hours once check-in. Your case would be 5 to 18, for instance. The range of the hours is fixed no matter when you check in.
Just for your reference and consideration, here are two of the hotel websites. You can learn or guess about them a bit. Price for rest is around Y4500-7500 per room anywhere in the central Tokyo.
rated above 4 stars
-b-side.com/access.html
rated around 3 stars
Oh, by the way, it will stimulate your husband for sure. Do not turn on TV carelessly... He will ask... did you mean it?
Good luck
by Jay Key (guest)rate this post as useful
Re: Tokyo Love Hotel for Post-Travel Restoration2012/3/23 19:38 Thanks for the links, and for the tip about the TV. I was thinking more in terms of watching Ohayo Nippon or something, but it is logical that the TV would be pre-set to open up with more specialized material. In terms of the decor, many of the room photos I've seen look pretty unstimulating and I'm guessing that if you want a fantasy theme room, phallic decorations, or mirrored ceilings you have to pay more than the basic rate. Oh, sheesh.
I actually found a number of standard hotels that have check-in plans starting as early as 5 or 6 a.m., but none of them were quite right for us. I wish there were more to choose from, but it's easy to understand why most hotels don't even bother with such plans.
by Umakunrate this post as useful
You should adjust to local time - no rest2012/3/24 04:03 I believe that the last thing you should do is to go for a rest. If you choose to rest/sleep you will probably end up waking up sometimes in the afternoon and you will not sleep the next night.
The best is to have a quiet day in town and enjoy light drinks and meal. When you finally check in your hotel, do not go to sleep; instead try to adjust to Japanese time, have a stroll, your evening meal and then try for an early night.
Next day you will be all set to go :-)by iwanderrate this post as useful
Re: Tokyo Love Hotel for Post-Travel Restoration2012/3/24 04:24 I am not sure if you want to take a rest at a NetCafe during day time. There are many Manga/Net Cafes with shower, lounge chairs, portable beds, etc. in addition to private cubicles. But it is usually smokey and unless in a private cubicle, you are out in the open.by amazinga (guest)rate this post as useful
Re: Tokyo Love Hotel for Post-Travel Restoration2012/3/24 04:58 We definitely don't want to sleep! "Rest" is what they call a short-term rental of a love hotel room.
I'm hoping that by taking a red-eye from the U.S. (leaving shortly after midnight) I might actually be able to sleep some on the plane (usually, with a midday departure, I can't sleep a wink). Then as long as I can keep up that first day (and hopefully get some sun), I might do better with jet lag than I usually do. We shall see...
That's a good warning about the smoke. The only time I ever used an Internet cafe it was not smoky, but that might just have been luck.by Umakunrate this post as useful
Shower Rooms at Haneda2012/3/24 05:34 Maybe it will be enough to quickly freshen up using the facilities at Haneda. They do have shower rooms in the International terminal arrival area, and it would be a heck of a lot cheaper than either a hotel or an Internet cafe.
Probably I'm overthinking this, but I have had some pretty unpleasant hours waiting for check-in times in Japan when I wasn't feeling well. A couple hours is one thing; 8 hours could be a bad way to start a trip.by Umakunrate this post as useful
Re: Tokyo Love Hotel for Post-Travel Restoration2012/3/24 09:34 Thanks for the link. I've definitely thought about going to an onsen, but haven't found one that is a good match with our needs. Most of them don't open until 10 or later, and I hope to be freshened up and ready to go by around that time. I also want to minimize or ideally avoid use of public transit at rush hour that morning. (Although I've considered activating our JR passes and hopping on a comfortable shinkansen or limited express train for an hour or so, relaxing in the comfortable seat and having a nice breakfast while enjoying some scenery.)
by Umakunrate this post as useful
To those unfamiliar with modern Japanese society, love hotels can seem seedy, discomforting, and highly unconventional. However, they're a regular part of life here, and have been around for centuries, even supporting the local economy.
In densely packed cities like Tokyo, most people live in small apartments and share space with parents, children, extended family members, or roommates. Plus, the walls in some Tokyo apartments are about as soundproof as a microphone.
Love hotels tend to be a pretty good value and typically have better amenities than standard business hotels. So even though they're technically lovers' dens, staying in one alone can be an enjoyable experience. I decided to try it for myself.
The double bed and abundance of doughnut pillows on top of it were comfortable, but the cake-and-wafer bench was not. Made out of a rigid metallic material, this piece of furniture seemed way more stylish than it was practical.
Most importantly, the room felt clean, though this comes as little surprise in a country as fastidious as Japan. To put it bluntly, cleanliness is an absolute must when sleeping in a room that's typically used for sexual encounters.
Most love hotel rooms have fans built into the roof to maintain ventilation and block out excessive sound on nights when the hotel and surrounding areas are busy. You can usually turn the fans off if you find them irritating.
I'm not someone who usually chooses places to stay based on decorations, so this was the first time I've stayed at a love hotel that has such a distinct and overt theme. It didn't necessarily bother me, but I do tend to be more drawn to simple designs.
Description
Not for the faint of heart, a fragrance sparked by the complexities of love with warm notes of Dark Vanilla Bean, sensuous Sandalwood, provocative spices and an unexpected kiss of sweet Orchid.
This is Shuu, a Japanese pop culture enthusiast who loves anime, manga, visual novels, J-pop and other things in-between. I like translating my favorite J-pop songs and sometimes writing articles on this blog. I'm also open to taking Japanese to English translation commissions.
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