Juyoh Hotel — Hotel in Tokyo

All my life I wanted to come to Tokyo, Japan. It's always been a dream, experiencing the vast jungle of concrete, steel, lights and its close to 40 million people combining into possibly the most spectacular big city on the planet. And about 10 years ago I started planning a visit to Tokyo, although sadly real life came in the way of fulfilling my dream of coming to this city.||||But eventually in June 2019, I was finally able to come to Tokyo and see this incredible city with my own eyes rather than on a TV screen. And as for where I would stay during this trip, I went with the very same hotel I was planning to visit ten years ago: Juyoh Hotel. I was welcomed to the hotel by a incredibly nice and helpful Filipino receptionist, Nancy, who spoke fluent English and was thus able to help me settle into the hotel and even gave a few pointers on how to find nearby post offices and markets in the neighborhood.||||After getting the key to my room, I was very pleased to find both an AC unit to help with the hot and humid weather in Japan and a TV that was working well enough to access NHK's English-language audio track following a earthquake in Yamagata Prefecture later that night. I also tried out the Japanese-style bath tub where I only had to pay 300 yen/hour (about 3€) to get the key to the bath room on the 10th floor. It was a nice experience, almost a little too hot at times though (but the temperature can be adjusted).||||The Sanya neighborhood itself is very calm and quiet for being inside the 23 wards of Tokyo; for those who want to explore Tokyo, the Hibiya Line subway station Minami-Senju is only 10 minutes away by foot and goes to locations like tech-heaven Akihabara, the former fish market at Tsukiji or the transportation hub at Ueno and its connection to the JR Yamanote Line.||||It may be a small room you get if you like me ordered a single room, but that's also the point when traveling to places like Tokyo, Japan; going somewhere that is so different from normal every-day life, embracing the small details that separate life in Japan from back home. It takes some time to adjust, but the helpful staff and nice guests at the hotel made my one-week stay at Juyoh Hotel really comfortable and I took a lot of good memories with me from my stay there.||||I came to Tokyo not knowing what to expect when a lifetime of dreams turned into a week of "being there, with your eyes open, and lived to see it", as the late Anthony Bourdain put it. And now having had a couple of days to shake off the jet lag of two 12-hour flights between Paris and Tokyo in one week, I only take positive memories with me from Juyoh Hotel. It is supposed to be different, it is meant to be different than home and that was a big appeal to my decision to choose this hotel ten years ago and then finally getting the chance to set foot inside.||||With my stay at Juyoh Hotel and my rental of a pocket wi-fi from Japan Wireless (might aswell give them a plug since they worked really well for me) my visit to this massive metropolitan jungle became a one-week scenic route of the ultimate hybrid of modern and ancient society. I know I will return to Tokyo - and to the rest of Japan - one day, and I will certainly keep Juyoh Hotel in my mind with gratitude for making me feel like home for seven days...

For an inexpensive place to stay in Tokyo, I did not have my hopes up, but they were better than my expectations. There are both western and Japanese style rooms. Size is quite smallish but comfortable enough. Rooms each have AC, fridge, and desk light. One thing missing is a clock. Room cleaning was nonexistent of course, at this hotel rate. You have to go to the lobby to exchange your towel.||The whole place has an old 80's apartment building feel to it, and has some unsightly things like AC ducts running across the hallway ceilings, plus just one elevator for the whole place, but nothing intolerable. There is a lobby area, plus a kitchen, as well as a small outdoor patio for the nicotine addicts. There are a lot of budget European travelers staying at the hotel. The lobby has 2 PCs you can use, though one seems to run Linux and is so old and slow it's unusable. There is also a large TV and many Japan travel books/pamphlets you can read. The lobby and each floor has a microwave, plus free green tea & instant coffee.||The location has several good and not so good points. It's about a 10 minute walk south of Minami-Senju Station in the northwest part of Tokyo. Minami-Senju has both a subway line as well as JR, and there is both a McDonalds and Burger King there for some quick cheap food at the start or end of your day if you want. It's about 5-10 minutes by train or subway to Ueno Station. The walk down Rte 464 to the hotel also is crammed with other inexpensive hotels and hostels, so you really have a wide choice of places to stay (see google maps), but the Juyoh Hotel is the furthest away. It is next door to a convenience store though, and you pass 2 others on the way to the hotel from the station, so that is good. It is also across the street from a supermarket, so for the budget-conscious it is a major coup.||The showers and toilet room are very clean.||||Bottom Line: Yes I would stay there again.||||Some tips: Ask for a room on the back side of the hotel - those facing the main street can get a lot of traffic noise. Since their electric furnishings take up nearly all the electric outlets, bringing your own extension cord and multi-plug adapter would help you a lot. You don't need to buy detergent if you wash your clothes (they provide it). Boarding a train before 7:30 AM on weekdays will save your sanity - or wait til after 9 AM to avoid the rush...

I stayed for over two weeks and really liked my stay. The rooms are small (basically just a bed) but they give you storage space (shelves) and an extra blanket as well as a free yukata to use. You can get your room cleaned and towels replaced anytime and the front desk is open till late in the night, if you need something. There's a private bath you can rent for cheap (400 yen) for yourself and a partner (or alone) but it's quite popular, so reserve it a day in advance. Other than that there are only toilets and showers, but everything is clean and well looked after. The common area (lobby and kitchen) are quite nice and inviting, not gross at all like you see in some places, and you can cook and use the fridge there, the table to eat and the comfy couch to relax. There's free wifi and even a PC station (only one PC though). I'd avoid the in-house café, as it is quite overpriced and there's several supermarkets and konbini aroubd where you can get fresh food for cheap or ingredients to cook for yourself (one of the stores is only 3 minutes away and has a great selection of fruits and vegetables). Regarding access, the bus stop is practically in front of the door, but the next train station is about 12 min on foot (Hibiya line), so keep...