Page 129 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Tokyo

Practical Information ❮❮ 127

somewhere you When going to and from DIRECTORY
particularly want to stay. the bath, put on the
Reservations can be yukata (cotton robe) SHOPPING
especially hard to come provided. At the finest of Disk Union
by during the three big ryokan, elaborate multi- MAP B4 • Shimogiku
vacations at New Year course meals (both for Bldg 4F/5F, 3-34-12
(Dec 25–Jan 4), Golden dinner and breakfast) are Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Week (Apr 29–May 5), and included in the rates and
O-Bon (mid-Aug). Rooms often served by staff HMV
can also get booked up in dressed in kimono, either MAP R5 • 36-2
February, when students in your room or a private Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku
take their university booth of the restaurant. JNTO (Tax-Free
entrance exams. Unique Japanese places Shopping)
There has been a boom to stay include capsule ∑ tax-freeshop.jnto.
in no-frills business-style hotels and love hotels. go.jp
hotels, such as those Neither are designed for Kinokuniya
offered by the chain long stays but can be fun MAP B4 • 3-17-7
Toyoko Inn. These are to experience for a night. Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
often found close to major Capsule hotels offer
train and metro stations. beds enclosed in oblong Maruzen
The rooms are compact cabins that are stacked on MAP M3 • OaZO Shops &
but very functional and top of each other in two Restaurants 1–4F, 1-6-4
the rates often include a tiers. They cater mainly to Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
basic buffet breakfast. “salarymen” who have Recofan
While the city sports all missed their last trains MAP R5 • Shibuya
the usual international home, so are usually Beam 4F, Udagawacho
hotel chains, it’s well located around major 31-2, Shibuya-ku
worth opting to spend at train stations. Most are Tower Records
least a night or two in a for men only, but at a few MAP R5 • 1-22-14
more traditional Japanese you’ll find women-only Jinnan, Shibuya-ku
hotel. The main difference floors. All the bathing
between a ryokan and a facilities are communal. WHERE TO EAT
minshuku is like that Love hotels, on the other Gurunavi
between a hotel and a hand, are for couples ∑ gnavi.co.jp/en
B&B, with minshuku seeking some privacy. Tokyo Food Page
tending to be more at the They can be rented for ∑ bento.com
budget end of the price an hour “rest” or an
range and with the family overnight “stay”. Payment WHERE TO STAY
who run it living on-site. is then via a machine Japan Hotel
The etiquette for staying or made to a cashier Association
at a ryokan or minshuku is who sits hidden behind ∑ j-hotel.or.jp/english
universal. Shoes must be a screen, the basic
removed before entering theme of all love JAPANiCAN
the inn and exchanged for hotels being privacy. ∑ japanican.com/en
house slippers. Slippers All hotels charge an Japan Ryokan &
should be taken off before 8-percent tax, which most Hotel Association
stepping on the tatami budget and some mid- ∑ ryokan.or.jp/english
mats in your room. There range places include in the Japan Youth Hostels,
will also be a separate rate. An extra ¥100 tax is Inc
pair of slippers to be worn charged for rooms over ∑ jyh.or.jp/e/index.php
in the toilet only. As well ¥10,000 and ¥200 for those
as an en suite bathroom over ¥15,000. High-end Japanese Inn Group
(or instead of), there hotels include a service ∑ japaneseinn
may be a communal charge of 10 to 15 percent. group.com
bathroom: if there’s just Useful hotel booking Toyoko Inn
one communal bath, there websites include Japan ∑ toyoko-inn.com/eng
will be fixed times for Hotel Association
male and female bathing. and JAPANiCAN.

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