To add onto potential Portland activities, if the AA baseball team Seadogs are at home, it’s a cool place to see a game…and the left field wall is a replica of the Green Monster!
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This is amazing. Thank you! This probably fills most of my trip but I’ll be sure to ask if I think of anything else.
Need some more Tokyo help.
- Probably too general, but where in Tokyo should I stay?
- Any thoughts on Airbnb vs Hotel in Tokyo for a family of 4.
- When my sister and nephew visited a few years ago, they stayed in Shinjuku, and it’s hard to be more central than that in terms of a hub from which there’s plenty to do and also easy to get to other places.
Ginza area is also nice and central, but perhaps not quite as kid friendly. Anywhere around Tokyo Station should also work. Shibuya might be a little too central and frenetic. Avoid Ikebukuro and anything northeast of it, as the area becomes a bit seedy.
- I used to stay in Airbnbs exclusively during my visits to Tokyo but they’ve been too hit and miss for my taste and I’ve gone exclusively to hotels in recent years. Plus, stricter operating laws in Japan meant that many have shut down so there are fewer options than before.
With a family of 4, an Airbnb may be better if you could find an entire house for the extra space. But do diligent research before committing to any one place.
As far as hotels, I stay at one of the huge APA hotels whenever possible. Amenities are great and the price is right, but the rooms are very small. Very, very small.
I’ve also stayed at MyStays and Fresa Inns frequently. These are basically budget business hotels. Cheap and no frills, but reasonably clean and comfortable. And when it comes to hotels, be prepared for your room to be smaller you can imagine wherever you stay. But if your budget allows for a higher class of hotel, by all means go for it. You’ll be grateful for the (minimal) extra space and comfort.
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I stayed in some APA hotels, they usually have pretty good locations and staff that speak some English and are reasonably priced. But booking a single room I had to laugh because it’s so tiny there wasn’t even really anywhere to put my luggage.
So the hotel rooms in Lost in Translation were a lie? How dare Hollywood do that. As a 6’5" person am I going to even fit in a room/bed?
If you sleep in the fetal position, no problem!
Unlike the US, Japan actually has hotel rooms designed for one person. Of course the room is small as hell but it’s kinda nice having that option.
Many older hotels in Manhattan have rooms that are barely large enough for one adult.
But are they priced for one adult?
The few really small rooms I’ve stayed in had a double bed and a set price for the room. Two people could technically sleep there, but as a solo occupant I still felt pretty claustrophobic.
Thanks, traveling around the US I’ve found it incredibly rare for any room to be marketed to just one person and have a lower price for just one person
Hostels?
Well yes, hostels are obviously designed for one person, that’s not what I’m talking about though! I’m talking about a hotel room designed for a solo occupant.
Thanks. My leading contender is a place in Oku Kagurazaka. Seems close to Shinjuku. Any thoughts on that location?
APA hotels are famously tiny, and even advertise themselves as “small but smartly laid out.” Not really ideal for a family of four, but so centrally located in Yokohama where I frequently go and so many nice amenities like a pool, gym, and bath that it’s become my go-to place to stay.
The Hyatt Park Tokyo, where LiT was filmed, is one of the most expensive hotels in the city. If you pay enough, you can get a spacious room.
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Kagurazaka is a very cool area with lots of traditional flavor. Can’t really go wrong there. Everything in Tokyo is so well connected you won’t have trouble getting to where you want to go wherever you choose to stay.
Meh, I think if you’re renting a room for one with a bathroom in it, I don’t think it much matters whether the place calls itself a hotel or hostel.
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It’s not a hostel if all you have are private rooms.
Well, they have non-private rooms also. But when I’m in my own room, the characteristics of the other rooms makes no difference to me.