Where to Stay - Tokyo - page 119

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(especially at night). All beds are dormitory style, with two, four, or five bunk beds to a
room. Rooms are very pleasant, with big windows, and each bed has its own curtain for
privacy. If there are vacancies, you can stay longer than the normal 6-day maximum. In
summer, it's a good idea to reserve about 2 months in advance (reservations can be made
up to 3 months in advance). The hostel is closed from 10am to 3pm and locked at 11pm
(lights out also at 11pm).
1-1 Kagura-kashi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0823. & 03/3235-1107. Fax [phone]. www.tokyo-ih.jp.
158 beds. ¥3,860 adult, ¥2,000 child. Breakfast ¥450; dinner ¥900. No youth-hostel card required; no age
limit. AE, MC, V. Closed Dec 29-Jan 3. Station: Iidabashi (take the west exit from the JR station or the B2b
subway exit, 2 min.). Reception is on the 18th floor of the Central Plaza Building. Amenities: Coin-op
computer w/Internet access; communal kitchen. In room: A/C, no phone.

AKASAKA & ROPPONGI
Arca Torre This smart-looking, 10-story property looks expensive from the
outside but is actually a business hotel. It has a great location on Roppongi Dori, between
Roppongi Crossing and Roppongi Hills, making it popular with both business types and
tourists on a budget. Its (mostly single) rooms are small but cheerful, with flatscreen TVs
and complimentary bottled water in the otherwise empty fridge. Rooms facing the back
are quiet but face another building with glazed windows and are rather dark. If you opt
for a room facing the front, spring for the more expensive rooms on higher floors above
the freeway; otherwise, from the cheaper rooms on lower floors your view will be of cars
and, at certain times of the day, traffic jams.
6-1-23 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032. & 03/3404-5111. Fax [phone]. www.arktower.
co.jp/arcatorre. 77 units. ¥11,550-¥13,650 single; ¥14,700-¥22,050 double. AE, DC, MC, V. Station: Rop-
pongi (1 min.). Amenities: Restaurant. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, hair dryer, high-speed Internet.
Asia Center of Japan (Asia Kaikan) Great rates make this a top choice
if you're looking for inexpensive Western-style accommodations in the center of town (it's
wise to reserve months in advance). Everyone—from businessmen to students to travelers
to foreigners teaching English—stays here; I know one teacher who lived here for years.
Resembling a college dormitory, the Asia Center is popular with area office workers for
its inexpensive cafeteria with outdoor seating. Accommodations are basic, with few frills,
and in the singles you can almost reach out and touch all four walls. The cheapest dou-
bles are actually single rooms with small, semi-double-size beds (not quite full size but
larger than single/twin size). Avoid rooms on the ground floor—windows can open, and
in Japan there are no screens. Tucked on a side street off Gaien-Higashi Dori not far from
Aoyama Dori, the center is a 15-minute walk to the nightlife of Roppongi or Akasaka,
one station away by subway.
8-10-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052. & 03/3402-6111. Fax [phone]. www.asiacenter.
or.jp. 173 units. ¥8,610-¥10,290 single; ¥12,390-¥18,690 double. AE, MC, V. Station: Aoyama-Itchome
(exit 4, 5 min.) or Nogizaka (exit 3, 5 min.). Amenities: Restaurant; coin-op computer w/Internet access.
In room: A/C, TV, fridge, hair dryer, Internet.
SHINAGAWA
Toyoko Inn Shinagawa-Eki Takanawaguchi I like this hotel chain for
its clean functional rooms, complimentary breakfast of coffee and pastries served in the
lobby, free in-room Internet connections and free wireless access in the lobby (and for
those who don't have their own laptops, free use of computers in the lobby), and com-
plimentary movies (only occasionally in English). Rooms are all very small singles and
doubles. Other convenient Tokyo locations of this popular chain include Toyoko Inn

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