Kyo-wa Hotel Kinshicho

Kyo-wa Hotel is actually an Airbnb, not a hotel like what one expects. There was no staff on standby. And despite being told that a cleaner will come to clean the room periodically, but no one came during our 5 nights stay which was a bit disappointing. However, the hotel is near the Kinshicho station and Kinshi park with some shops and cafes nearby. The hotel facilities are as follows: beds (not very comfortable but ok, stove, microwave, some kitchen utensils, washing machine and dryer, and the bathroom with bathub. The bathroom also has a feature to allow for clothes to be dried up for a few hours.

I spent around 14 or so days at this location recently, and the location is quiet and out of the way, within a 5-10 minute walk to a JR Station and subway line that would let you easily get wherever you needed to go around Tokyo. Cab prices home late at night after last train were a bit expensive because of how far east it is from the bigger tourist areas like Akihabara, Shinjuku, etc. The Hotel itself looks to be a repurposed Apartment building, which is fine, but be warned there is no elevator and you may find yourself with a heavy luggage going up a narrow stairway to the fourth floor. This made check-in and check-out an exercise to say the least. If you are backpacking or have a small carry-on you can easily lift, this is probably a much more practical stay. The room itself was fine. I never had an issue as a solo traveler with the hot water or shower, and the supply of appliances and such were great for bringing leftovers home or doing a quick wash of clothes and hanging them in the shower area to dry. Air conditioner worked great as well, and the internet was fine too. My only complaint is that the bed was fairly stiff and I woke up often. If the mattress pad were a little thicker it may have been better, but I'm a larger person at 200lb and this thinner pad did not work out for me in the long run. I greatly missed my bed at home. The staff were present every day and the option for service for the room is up to you, but they were usually around when I left every day, at work on some task or another, and the room was clean when I arrived with several fresh towels and no surprises waiting for me. If you want a quiet stay for cheap and don't have a lot to lug around, and its just you and a partner, you could do worse than a week or weekend here, granted the bed works out for you.

The hotel's biggest advantage is its excellent location. There are plenty of shops, convenience stores, and restaurants within walking distance, making it very convenient for travelers. However, there were several areas that could be improved. The room was quite small for three adults, so it may feel cramped if you're traveling in a group. The biggest challenge was that many of the room amenities, such as the water heater and the bathroom clothes dryer, only had instructions in Japanese. When the hot water suddenly stopped working, there were no English instructions available, so I had to use Google Images to figure out how to restart it. The same was true for operating the bathroom dryer. While these amenities were useful, they weren't very tourist-friendly. Check-in was also inconvenient. The hotel mentioned that they had sent the self-check-in instructions, but they were sent through Booking.com even though I booked via Agoda. Fortunately, they responded quickly to my email, which helped resolve the issue. They also only had a Singapore contact number, so calling them wasn't a practical option for us. One thing I would recommend is bringing your own shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Compared to other hotels we stayed at in Tokyo within the same price range, the toiletries provided here were of noticeably lower quality. Also, remember to bring a power adapter if your devices require one, as Japan uses 110V outlets. Overall, the location is excellent, but the lack of English instructions, the check-in issues, and the limited amenities made the experience less convenient for international travelers. I would rate this hotel 3 out of 5 stars.