Our stay at a great hotel in the heart of Tokyo with a big Japanese-style bath, sauna, and great breakfasts.

Masanuki Sunakoma, our Japanese-language reporter and office prankster extraordinaire, recently stayed at a hotel in Tokyo that’s been receiving extremely positive reviews on Japanese travel reservation site Jalan for the past few years. That reputation checks out, and he was so satisfied with his experience that he wanted to share a bit about his stay for any readers that are currently looking for a good hotel in the area.

Ochanomizu Hotel Shoryukan is only a 5-minute walk from JR Ochanomizu Station, close to the center of downtown Tokyo and perfect for both business travel and personal sightseeing purposes. It seems that many people who stay at the hotel are attending events at the nearby Nippon Budokan indoor arena or Tokyo Dome. Masanuki had booked the Simple Stay Plan, which included access to the large Japanese-style shared bath, sauna, and breakfast, through Rakuten Travel. The cost was 8,800 yen (US$59) per night for one adult, which he thought was quite reasonable for a hotel located so conveniently close to a station in the city.

▼ The entrance of Ochanomizu Hotel Shoryukan

Besides JR Ochanomizu Station, the hotel is also easily accessible from any of the following subway stations:
● 3-minute walk from Ogawamachi Station
● 3-minute walk from Shin-Ochanomizu Station
● 5-minute walk from Awajicho Station
● 6-minute walk from Jimbocho Station

To illustrate the convenience of its location, on the day of Masanuki’s reservation, he had an errand to run in the Akasaka district of Tokyo after work. Once he was done with it, he hopped on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line at Akasaka Station and exited at Shin-Ochanomizu Station for the hotel. Then, the following day, he hopped on the Toei Shinjuku Line at Jimbocho Station and got off at Shinjuku-Sanchome Station, near the SoraNews24 office.

Masanuki arrived a little after 11:50 p.m. on the night of his stay. He received his room key and breakfast voucher while checking in and then took the elevator up to his room on the fourth floor, admiring some of the decor on the way.

What would be waiting inside for him?

It was a simple but elegant washitsu (Japanese-style room). He was excited to sleep in a futon on tatami mats for the first time in a while. With the futon already laid out, there wasn’t all that much empty floor space, but somehow this created a cozy, comforting atmosphere for him.

He also appreciated the yukata folded neatly on the futon. He would wear that while walking to the bath facilities and relaxing in his room. The provision of a yukata also made him feel a little bit like he was in a luxurious onsen ryokan (traditional Japanese inn with hot springs).

Despite the traditional touches, there was also a TV, fridge, private shower/bathtub, and free Wi-Fi. What more could he ask for?

Without wasting any time, Masanuki quickly changed and prepared to head over to the large shared bath facility, which is open from 3 p.m. until 9 a.m. the following morning. There’s also a sauna that’s available from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Of course, Masanuki couldn’t take any photos while inside, but despite not being a natural hot spring bath, the space could comfortably fit about 4-5 adults. The changing room also had plenty of free amenities such as two kinds of hair conditioner and disposable razors.

▼ Women’s bath entrance on the left, men’s bath entrance on the right

After enjoying a good, long soak, Masanuki took some time to relax in a room near the bath entrance that had free massage chairs, shelves of manga, and traditional board games like go and shogi.

The same floor also houses vending machines and coin-operated washing machines.

A little after 1 a.m., he decided that it was finally time to hit the futon. He sunk into a deep and restful sleep.

Masanuki woke up around 7 a.m. and took a quick dip in the bath again to revitalize himself before the highlight of the morning– a Japanese-style breakfast. The breakfast room had small bowls and plates of pre-served side dishes that he grabbed before placing his request for a made-to-order egg dish The options were fried eggs, an omelet, or scrambled eggs, and he went with an omelet.

Staff also carried rice (the Koshihikari variety from Ibaraki Prefecture) and miso soup to his seat. Refills of rice were free, but he was content with the original amount he received. Everything was delicious, including the freshly prepared omelet. It was a healthy, hearty way to start his day.

Checkout was at 10 a.m. Each guest could receive one four-leaf clover commemorative souvenir, which was a very inspired idea indeed.

With his new clover in hand, Masanuki felt like his day was off to a promising start as he headed to work. Actually, it seemed like a great day to orchestrate some new office shenanigans while his luck was boosted.

Hotel information
Ochanomizu Hotel Shoryukan / お茶の水ホテル　昇龍館
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kanda Ogawamachi 3-24-9
東京都千代田区神田小川町 3-24-9
Website

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