This inexpensive Japanese-style inn has long been on the international radar as one of the best in Tokyo for its traditional details and up-to-date conveniences. Flower arrangements (created by English-speaking owner Minato Kisaburo), shoji screens, scrolls of calligraphy and other artwork, a public bath made of cypress, and polished wood-floor corridors where traditional Japanese music plays faintly in the background are complemented by a lounge with cable TV (a good place to meet fellow travelers, who are mostly in their twenties), a kitchen, a Japanese cypress bath you can lock for privacy, an inviting rooftop terrace, and a bulletin board and newsletter providing information on rental apartments and jobs, mostly as English teachers. Guest rooms are all Japanese style and rather small, with the cheapest room (for one or two persons) measuring four-and-a-half tatami mats, and the larger rooms (for two or three guests) six mats or eight mats (sleeping up to five persons); bathrooms are shared. Be sure to download the area map on Kimi's website—this place is a bit difficult to find, and note that there's a 2am curfew.
Tokyo› Hotel
Kimi Ryokan
2-36-8 Ikebukuro
Our Rating
Neighborhood
Northwest of Ikebukuro Station
Transportation
Station: Ikebukuro (west exit; 7 min.)
Phone
03/3971-3766
Prices
¥5,400 single; ¥8,100–¥9,180 double; ¥12,150–¥14,580 triple.
Units
38 (none with private bathroom)
Amenities
Free Wi-Fi
URL
http://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/kimi-ryokan.html?aid=1254987&label=frommers-hotelpage-deeplink
Web site
Kimi Ryokan
Map
2-36-8 Ikebukuro TokyoNote: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.