Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [92]
Hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) Chaotic at Ueno-kōen Click here, peaceful at Shinjuku-gyoen Click here; early to mid-April.
Sanja Matsuri This massive festival, held the third weekend in May, features 100 mikoshi (portable shrines) paraded through Asakusa.
Asakusa Samba Matsuri Asakusa’s wild, flesh-baring samba extravaganza happens in late August.
Kanda Furuhon Matsuri (Kanda Secondhand Book Festival) This annual event occupies the whole district or Jimbōchō at the end of October. See also Bookshops.
Bōnen-kai Season This last one isn’t an official festival at all, but this is the late-December period leading up to New Year, when the Japanese hold their drink-and-be-merry year-end parties.
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SLEEPING
In Tokyo you can choose from the whole range of Japanese accommodation, from capsules to ryokan to luxurious hotels, but accommodation tends to cost a bit more than elsewhere. Prices quoted here are inclusive of taxes, service charges and Tokyo’s metropolitan accommodation tax. Top-end establishments typically accept credit cards, but many midrange hotels do not – best to check beforehand. Booking online usually nets significantly discounted rates, particularly at highest-end hotels.
Most midrange hotels in Tokyo are reasonably priced business hotels. Always check what time your hotel locks its doors before heading out at night – though most hotels stay open all night, some ryokan, hostels and smaller hotels lock up around midnight.
If you can make a few concessions to Japanese etiquette, ryokan and minshuku (Japanese equivalent of a B&B) are quite inexpensive, with rates from around ¥4500 per person. In Tokyo, unlike elsewhere in Japan, ryokan may offer meals for an extra fee and may not supply basic amenities like towels or toiletries.
At youth hostels and so-called ‘gaijin houses’ (foreigner houses) you can get single rates down to ¥3500 per person (about as low as it gets in Tokyo). But youth hostels usually impose a curfew, and gaijin houses typically require minimum stays of one month.
The International Tourism Center of Japan (formerly Welcome Inn Reservation Center; www.itcj.jp; Narita Airport Terminals 1 & 2; 8am-8pm), with another location at the TIC Click here in central Tokyo, is a free service that will make reservations for you at hotels, ryokan and minshuku in the Japan Welcome Inn hotel group.
If you absolutely must find inexpensive accommodation, book before you arrive. Flying into Narita – particularly at night – without accommodation lined up can be hellish. For hotels near Narita airport, Click here.
For more detailed information on capsule hotels, gaijin houses, hostels and love hotels, Click here.
Kanda & Tokyo Station
If you’re pinching yen, you can forget about staying in Ginza, but you can still be near the city centre just a few stops north. Credit cards are accepted at all the following places unless otherwise indicated.
BUDGET
Ace Inn (Map; 3350-6655; www.ace-inn.jp; 5-2 Katamachi, Shinjuku-ku; dm ¥3150-4200; ; Toei Shinjuku line to Akebonobashi, exit A3) Base yourself at the all-dorm Ace if you don’t mind this bargain being a little out of the loop (it’s still only a couple of stops from Shinjuku and Akasaka). There’s free internet access, Japanese-style rooms, a women-only floor and comfortable common areas.
Sakura Hotel (Map; 3261-3939; www.sakura-hotel.co.jp; 2-21-4 Kanda-Jimbōchō, Chiyoda-ku; dm/s/d ¥3780/7140/8200; ; Hanzōmon, Toei Mita, Toei Shinjuku lines to Jimbōchō, exits A1 & A6) The helpful staff is bilingual at this reliable, sociable spot in the bookshop district. The bar-cafe is open 24 hours and there’s a coin-operated laundry. From the A6 exit, walk south and turn right at the kōban (police box); the hotel is 200m on the right.
Tokyo International Youth Hostel (Map; 3235-1107; fax 3267-4000; www.tokyo-ih.jp; 18th fl, Ramla Bldg, 1-1 Kagurakashi, Shinjuku-ku; dm ¥3860; ; JR Sōbu line to Iidabashi, west exit or Namboku, Tōzai, Yūrakuchō, Toei Ōedo