Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu — Hotel in Tokyo

Our time in this Ryokan turned out to be an extremely terrible affair, owing primarily to the heinous behavior of the hotel owner. Not only was he extremely unpleasant and abrasive, but his opinions appeared to be contaminated with bigotry, particularly against anyone of non-Caucasian or Japanese origin. After reading some of the reviews, It became clear that evaluations from persons belonging to these certain groups had favorable things to say, whilst others did not.||||Our problems began with a Booking.com reservation for two rooms that could accommodate six people. However, when we arrived, the owner flatly refused to honor our reservation. As a result, we were forced to pay an expensive Y10,000 for a tiny and subpar room for my son. To make matters worse, when we attempted to return the room keys in the evening, the hotel employees flatly refused. These keys are unusually fastened to a long wooden pole, making them difficult to carry in a standard pocket. Not unexpectedly, we misplaced one of the keys. When we notified the owner of the tragic situation, he went on a rant in a language we didn't understand, punishing us for a remarkable fifteen minutes. In addition, he asked Y5,000 for the replacement of a cheaply produced and badly designed key.||||||To make matters worse, the room for which we had to pay an extra Y10,000, Room 306, was labelled as a "western-style" accommodation. However, it quickly became clear that the establishment's conception of what constitutes appropriate accommodation for non-Japanese persons was fundamentally incorrect. They appeared to feel that, while foreigners may be able to fit into capsule-style cabins, which seems to be popular here, they do not deserve the same degree of cleanliness and sanitary standards for which this country is recognized across the world.||||The atmosphere in the room was oppressive, and it was far from clean or odor-free. It was just 8-10 square metres in size, 1.5 metres broad, and 3 metres long. It was difficult for me to believe my own eyes. The filthy and worn-out carpet further added to the dismal atmosphere, while the two tiny windows provided a glimpse of a concrete wall less than a metre away.||||In conclusion, our stay at this institution was an utterly horrible experience, marred by the proprietor's impolite and dismissive demeanor, as well as an unsettling display of discriminating tendencies. It's upsetting to witness such views in a country known for its generous welcome. We really hope that our testimony serves as an illuminating warning tale for individuals seeking accommodations within this...

Our time in this Ryokan turned out to be an extremely terrible affair, owing primarily to the heinous behavior of the hotel owner. Not only was he extremely unpleasant and abrasive, but his opinions appeared to be contaminated with bigotry, particularly against anyone of non-Caucasian or Japanese origin. After reading some of the reviews, It became clear that evaluations from persons belonging to these certain groups had favorable things to say, whilst others did not.||||Our problems began with a Booking.com reservation for two rooms that could accommodate six people. However, when we arrived, the owner flatly refused to honor our reservation. As a result, we were forced to pay an expensive Y10,000 for a tiny and subpar room for my son. To make matters worse, when we attempted to return the room keys in the evening, the hotel employees flatly refused. These keys are unusually fastened to a long wooden pole, making them difficult to carry in a standard pocket. Not unexpectedly, we misplaced one of the keys. When we notified the owner of the tragic situation, he went on a rant in a language we didn't understand, punishing us for a remarkable fifteen minutes. In addition, he asked Y5,000 for the replacement of a cheaply produced and badly designed key.||||||To make matters worse, the room for which we had to pay an extra Y10,000, Room 306, was labelled as a "western-style" accommodation. However, it quickly became clear that the establishment's conception of what constitutes appropriate accommodation for non-Japanese persons was fundamentally incorrect. They appeared to feel that, while foreigners may be able to fit into capsule-style cabins, which seems to be popular here, they do not deserve the same degree of cleanliness and sanitary standards for which this country is recognized across the world.||||The atmosphere in the room was oppressive, and it was far from clean or odor-free. It was just 8-10 square metres in size, 1.5 metres broad, and 3 metres long. It was difficult for me to believe my own eyes. The filthy and worn-out carpet further added to the dismal atmosphere, while the two tiny windows provided a glimpse of a concrete wall less than a metre away.||||In conclusion, our stay at this institution was an utterly horrible experience, marred by the proprietor's impolite and dismissive demeanor, as well as an unsettling display of discriminating tendencies. It's upsetting to witness such views in a country known for its generous welcome. We really hope that our testimony serves as an illuminating warning tale for individuals seeking accommodations within this...

My family and I recently spent three nights here. As this was our first time in Japan, I came in without much expectations of what a hotel in Japan could be. The hotel had signs to help foreigners appreciate different aspects of Japanese culture such as the public baths, a unique experience for an American like me and yukatas, a type of robe that people were encouraged to wear around the hotel.

I could go on about other aspects about the hotel but the main reason I wanted to write this review is to share an experience that was one of the most memorable of our trip.

Our son wanted to go to the Pokémon Cafe, my wife and I tried to get a reservation a month before, we would wake up at 5AM each morning and try to get a slot. We didn't care if we were to have breakfast, lunch or a late dinner there. All three days we couldn't get a reservation, we prepared our son that it wasn't going to happen. I figured that the Pokémon Cafe was an attractive tourist spot so without much hope, I went down to the front desk on our first night and asked the concierge if he had any experience with getting a reservation at the Pokémon Cafe. He said he didn't but immediately looked it up and then called them for us. He then told us how there might be a chance if you try and reserve it the night before as people may have cancelled their reservation.

We tried every hour until our jetlag put us all to sleep around 8PM and then we had gotten a call from the front desk at 9PM saying there was an opening! He had been checking the website every 15 minutes or so! I got the reservation and went down to tell him in person. The sincere response of joy from him stays with me.

We had a great time and brought him a small souvenir but I think the best thing I can do for him and his hotel is to tell you...