Ryokan Asakusa Mikawaya Honten — Hotel in Tokyo

We booked Mikawaya Hotel for a tradition Ryokan experience. While you get to sleep on the ground, and that was part of experience, the room was quite small. There is a little table where I imagine you would eat, or have tea or something, but it was so small you could not use it. Nor do you get the hospitality as English ability is very low and the lady out front made no special effort to smile to make us feel welcome. Sometimes a relative would be doing homework/work on the table at the front and it felt a bit awkward asking him for help.||||Other than the size (which is about the same as other Japanese hotels, just small for the experience) the stay was fine. WiFi worked and the room was clean. The wells are made of some material that doesn't block moisture though. The room was freezing at night if it rained as the moisture would come inside. If you touch the walls they were wet. No smoking related issues that other posters commented on.||||I didn't find the hotel hard to find, but try to print out a map and memorize how the hotel looks from the outside. If the curtain is drawn up there is no English signage and you have to recognize it by design (the stone pillars are distinctive as one potential thing to remember). By subway, follow the tourists and you will go under a massive gate leading to the very popular Sensoji Temple. Don't walk in the middle but walk along the sides where it is less busy. After a minute or two you will see a popular shopping street (Shin-Nakamise) where the roof is covered. Walk past that street and the hotel is on the left hand side at the next intersection.||||Overall a decent stay, but I would recommend something a bit more traditional if you want a Ryokan experience. The Mikawaya Honten just seemed like a little family run hostel where you sleep on the ground. Nothing that traditional, quaint or...

We spent 2 nights here in a tatami room. It's close to the very busy Nakamise-dori but it gets very quiet at night, which usually is when we get back anyway so I don't know if noise level is manageable during daytime. Our room was pretty spacious, compared to typical hotel rooms in Tokyo, maybe because it can take up to 3 people. The hallway to our room was pretty narrow though, so when maneuvering with luggages, one of us always has to step out of the hallway for the other to get out of the room.||||First time trying out tatami, which is pretty comfy but don't go barefooted during winter as it gets cold easily. Be careful when moving your luggage because you might scratch the mats.||||The staff at the front desk were nice and helpful, no complains there. Do take note that you have to leave your room key with them when you leave for the day, and if you're staying out past 10/11pm (can't remember which), the front door will be locked and you'll have to tap a keycard to get in. There's a deposit of 1000 yen to get the keycard and it will be fully returned when you return it. Wifi is free and no password is needed.||||Only negative points were that there weren't enough power sockets in the room so we had to disconnect the tv to charge both our mobile phones at the same time, and that it's a little pricey for something that's more of a small family-run hotel.||||Sumida River and the park is nearby, which is nice for a quiet morning stroll. Beware of the seagulls though, if you're thinking of eating by the river. There are lots of other shopping streets in the area, so it's good for exploring and...

This is a ryokan, Japanese style inn, where you sleep on the floor. It is a small room, but if you are only here to sleep, it is adequate. What bothered me the most was that we were on the 4th floor (Room 403) next to a "smoking room". We were given a "non-smoking room" but you could still smell the smoke. Get a room farthest away from the smoking center. They do have a washer and dryer if you are desperate, but give yourself adequate time for drying and save your 100 yen coins. It cost 200 yen to wash and takes about 40 minutes. They do have soap if you need it. It costs 100 yen to dry but it doesn't dry with one load for 30 mins. You have to do it about 3 more times. To find the place is another challenge. In Asakusa, go to the main gate at the Shrine. You will see a huge lantern called the Kaminarimon. Stand in front facing it, and walk to the left side. If you use the alley, it's easier to manuever your suitcase because there are so many people. Keep going straight until one street before the end of the block. Do not go to the end of the block....you have gone too far. You will see a beautiful bonsai arrangement on the corner of a restaurant and turn left on that street and the ryokan is 2 doors down on the left. The area is great to see this shrine and all the shopping around it. I would not stay...