Narita Airport , Terminal 1 I stayed in Smile Asagaya Hotel during my Spring Tokyo trip and had a very good experience there.
I stayed alone in their single room for 4 nights. As that was the only room type I had access to, my review will solely focus on that.
The rooms are really small and only absolutely necessary walking space is allocated. However, being in space constrained Tokyo, that is something to be expected. I am a petite Asian girl and I find the space comfortable enough for a single adult. However friends of heavier volume might find it difficult to manoeuvre around.
The room includes the basic amenities such as
In front of level 2's lift is a metal rack with pillows that hotel guests can freely take to their room. Staying in level 2 itself meant I quickly grabbed a buckwheat pillow for myself the first day I checked in :D .
The bed was a simple mattress with pillow and thick blanket but man, it was SO COMFORTABLE!
The mattress was soft but not too soft and was at the right density for both comfort and good spinal support. The buckwheat pillow also gave the sleeping experience additional points as not only does it smell heavenly, it also felt very good on my neck.
I tend to feel anaemia easily so I always have to sleep with a high enough pillow. If I don't, I wake up with massive headache. I might have to say the bed and pillow is probably the best of all hotels/hostels I've tried, beating even 5 star hotels.
There is additional comforter in the top cabinet.
The toilet is tiny and feels a little cramped even for someone as small as me. However the basic amenities are in place.
There are hot and cold water for shower and at the wash basin. Complimentary vanity items such as toothbrush, tooth paste, shower sponge and comb are provided.
Much like most of Tokyo, the hotel also provides automated toilet bowls.
Everything looks clean and new. Nothing to jump about ;)
Absolutely in love with the location! The nearest JR station is JR Asagaya Station. And any hotels near a JR station is good for tourists!
On first look, Asagaya looked like an unfamiliar place for a tourist to stay in. But it is actually only 5 JR Train stations away from Shinjuku.
The hotel is a comfortable walking distance (5 minutes walk) from JR Asagaya train station and the area is a bustling little suburb by itself. Being an area where local Japanese reside in, the area is filled with restaurants, cafes, super markets, grocery shops and drug stores. Things there are generally more affordable too.
I bought most of my souvenirs from budget stores or candy stores around Asagaya (Alert: cheapskate! LOL) . I bought a lot of Japanese chocolates back as souvenirs for my family and friends xD
The counter service is available 24hours a day, which is good of course. The hotel requires all guest to leave their room keys at the counter before going out. When they return, the Hotel guests will pick up their room key by telling the staff their room number.
To be honest I find this arrangement highly insecure. No form of identification was required to pick up the keys. What if some stalker decides to try something funny?
The hotel staffs I came in contact with were all very helpful and friendly. Deep conversations in English would be difficult but simple directions and usual travelling questions would not be a problem there.
One of the staffs even kindly printed out a train map and wrote down travel instructions for me! Highly impressed and touched ;)
Overall, I must say I am very pleasantly surprised by the hotel. Other than the ‘key pickup’ part which made me felt a little insecure, I really enjoyed my stay with them.
The hotel has relatively new furniture, is clean, well maintained , reasonably priced and well located. I honestly cannot ask for more!
I was invited to Japan last October as one of CoFesta's overseas Influencer Ambassador due to my continuous work on the Social Media in promoting Japanese related content. I extended my trip for 9 more days and it totalled to 13 days and 12 nights trip in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
Decided to brew myself a cup of Japanese coffee!
