Tokyo Hotel - Ryokan Shigetsu Asakusa

While in Tokyo I spent five nights at the Ryokan Shigetsu Asakusa, in Asakusa. It is a six storey ryokan in a fantastic location just off of Nakamise-dori and Senso-ji, the two main attractions in Asakusa. I stayed in a western-style room as all the Japanese-style rooms were booked - 7700¥ a night, taxes in. Western-style of Japanese breakfasts are available in the mornings if you wish. I did have a Japanese breakfast my first morning which cost me 1300¥ - a little steep for my liking. Other mornings I ate in local restaurants and had toast-sets there. My room on the fourth floor was number 407. It was small but had all the required amenities including my own private shower/toilet and internet access with a LAN cable borrowed from the front desk. I did however use the Japanese bath on the sixth floor almost every evening. The bath provides you with a lot more space to shower. Hot steaming water. Very nice. My room had two windows which allowed for good air circulation and was very quiet. I did not hear my neighbours at all. In the spirit of honesty I must say that on the first two nights I did see a few bugs - a roach and two or three smaller bugs that really looked like “bedbugs”. Normally this would freak me out but the kind man at the desk was extremely apologetic, came up and sprayed and for the rest of my stay there were none. I have to say that the staff at the ryokan were amazing especially the older gentleman that worked the desk my first three nights. He helped me out with restaurant suggestions and we carried out a few brief conversations in broken English. Overall I would have recommended the hotel for its location and staff. The rooms are a bit small and dark and the bugs were a turn off but it is quiet and seemingly well run. The bath on the sixth floor is a nice addition. Value for money = Two stars. (Four had it not been for the critters). Unfortunately I can’t recommend it.

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