“Ginza accomodations on a budget”
My husband and I went to Tokyo for a 12 day vacation. This is the destination that I have always wanted to see. I booked our room at the Monterey Ginza through Expedia, the process was very easy. Japan, being hit hard by a drop-off in tourism since the big quake, has a LOT of discounted hotels.
I wanted something nice-ish because my husband travels on business and is very critical of hotel accommodations. Although I read reviews of HMG on other sites I was still very surprised at the tininess of the room. We booked a double bed and the bed actually took up about 4/5ths of the floor space! However, it was quiet, extremely clean, and the bathroom was in tip-top condition, with a soaking tub and a very sophisticated toilet seat- which I laughed at, but learned to appreciate! Common areas were clean and stylish. The staff was very helpful, spoke Fairly good English and were always pleasant.
The Location of HMG is fantastic- a few short blocks from Chuo-Dori and world class shopping. The area has amazing restaurants for all price levels, our favorite spots were the noodle cafes, curry places and a cute little Belgian ale pub round the corner.
HMG is located near the Ginza-Itchome Station and the Tokyo Metro Ginza Station which makes it easy to take the subway to any other part of town. Tokyo Station is a fairly easy walk, less than 15 minutes, and will save you a lot on cab fare. Get a Suica-Nex train pass deal at Narita and have a BLAST running all over Tokyo!
Area recommendations
While Ginza is an amazing fasion center it is more expensive and somewhat formal. I am a bohemian at heart- I LOVED the Shimo-Kitazawa area for its funky, friendly style. Down to earth, affordable fashions, lused (American) clothing, handcrafts, music etc. It is a bit out of the way, but it is worth the trip. You can couple it with a visit to the Mingeikan Traditional craft museum, which is near Tokyo University in Komaba. they are just a couple stations apart on the Keio Inokashira line (local) out of Shibuya Station.
Shibuya is a blast- reserve a full day for that area.
O-daiba is also a great place to see some cool stuff. We enjoyed the Toyota flagship MaxWeb. The classic car collection is amazing- and free! Also check out the giant ferris wheel next door.
The Hama Rikyu Garden in the Shimbashi area is absolutely gorgeous. They offer a historical tour with a clever electronic personal guide. Stop to enjoy matcha tea at the tea house on the lake and soak up some etherial beauty! Also close by is the Panasonic Lifestyle Showroom to enjoy some up to the minute technology. Panasonic also has a nice private art gallery on site which features high quality art from around the world.
I would recommend against Akihabara (Electric Town) unless you absolutely love noise chaos and crowds.
Getting around
The smartest thing we did was purchase a Suica card NEX (Narita Express) fare package at the JR East office at Narita. It is only available to people traveling on a foreign passport. It offers discounted NEX tickets and a Suica card which is basically a universal train, bus, subway pass for all of the Tokyo Metro area. It is rechargeable at any station. it will save you digging for correct fare every time you go through the train gates- which is a LOT! Suica credit can also be used for vending machine purchases in the stations, vendors and affiliates such as Kinokunaya Book Store. Return your Suica card at Narita and you are refunded any unused fare (less a small service fee, plus a 500 yen deposit. Use that to buy lunch at Narita while you wait for your flight- or spend it in the duty free shop.
