Where to Stay - Tokyo - page 113

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39-story Main Tower features renovated rooms (mostly twins) with the ubiquitous brown
color scheme, Internet access in most rooms, and duvet-covered beds (those on the high-
est floors have views of Tokyo Bay); the upscale Annex, with only doubles, has smart-
looking rooms, Internet connections, and correspondingly high prices. Assuming you
can find it, be sure to have a drink or meal at the 39th-floor Top of Shinagawa (p. 264);
its views of Tokyo Bay and the city are among the best in town. With its many diversions,
this hotel is like a resort getaway, but is too big and busy for my taste.
4-10-30 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8611. & 800/542-8686 in the U.S. or Canada, or 03/3440-
1111. Fax [phone]. www.princehotelsjapan.com. 3,679 units. ¥9,300-¥20,500 single; ¥16,300-
¥36,000 double. Rates exclude hotel tax. AE, DC, MC, V. Station: Shinagawa (2 min.). Amenities: 13
restaurants, including a 24-hr. Internet cafe; bar; sports center (various fees charged: ¥1,050 for indoor
pool, ¥1,100 for outdoor pool); children's day-care center; (fee: ¥2,000-¥2,500 for 1 hr.); cinema complex;
aquarium. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, hair dryer, high-speed Internet (some rooms; fee: ¥1,050 for 24 hr.).
OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS
Hilltop Hotel (Yama-no-Ue Hotel) This is a delightfully old-fashioned,
unpretentious (some might say dowdy) hotel with character. Built in 1937 and boasting
an Art Deco facade, it was once the favorite haunt of writers, including novelist Mishima
Yukio. Avoid the cheaper, more boring rooms in the 1954 annex, unless you spring for
the higher-priced Art Septo rooms with their flower boxes outside the windows, black
leather furnishings, LCD TV with CD player, and fancier bathrooms. Otherwise, rooms
in the main building have such endearing, homey touches as fringed lampshades, doilies,
cherrywood furniture (and mahogany desks), velvet curtains, vanity tables, and old-
fashioned heaters with intricate grillwork. Some twins even combine a tatami area and
shoji with beds; the most expensive twin overlooks its own Japanese garden. Don't be
surprised if the reception desk remembers you by name. Although the Hilltop is not as
centrally located or up-to-date as other hotels, nearby Meiji University brings lots of
young people and liveliness to the area.
1-1 Surugadai, Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062. & 03/3293-2311. Fax [phone]. www.yamanoue-
hotel.co.jp. 74 units. ¥12,600-¥21,000 single; ¥23,100-¥33,600 double. Rates exclude service charge and
hotel tax. AE, DC, MC, V. Station: Ochanomizu or Shin-Ochanomizu (8 min.) or Jimbocho (5 min.). Ameni-
ties: 7 restaurants; 3 bars; room service. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, high-speed Internet, minibar.

5

7 INEXPENSIVE

Hotels in this section charge less than ¥16,000. In addition to the recommendations
here, Tokyu Stay Higashi-Ginza, which, despite its name, is actually near the Tsukiji
Fish Market at 4-11-5 Tsukiji ( & 03/5551-0109; station: Tsukijijo), offers single rooms
starting at ¥9,400 and twins at ¥14,700, all with TVs with DVD/video players, micro-
waves, combination washers/dryers, and free Internet; all but the cheapest rooms also
have kitchenettes. See p. 110 for a review of this hotel chain.

SHIODOME
Hotel Villa Fontaine Shiodome If you're looking for a business hotel in a
good location with comfortable rooms but absolutely no facilities or services (except a
business center with computers you can use free of charge), this is a good choice. Situated
in Shiodome, with direct access to the station and about a 5-minute walk from the Ginza,
it is located in a marbled office building, its lobby separated from the ground-floor