This article is based on a visit made on 1 April 2014.
Goodness, I've gone all about what I did on my Spring 2014 holiday in Japan, and I never said anything about the hotels I stayed at? Well, let me remedy that now. You see, there are many types of accommodations to be found in Tokyo, covering a wide economic spectrum from basic capsule-hotel bunks to spacious luxury-hotel rooms that approach US$1,000 a night. And in certain parts of the city, you can also find more traditional lodgings. You know, tatami mats, futon beds, the whole nine yards. I got my first taste of this on the later half of my trip, when I checked in to the Ryokan Kamogawa (旅館加茂川) in Asakusa.
The Ryokan Kamogawa is nestled among the back-alleys of Asakusa, but is in fact not far from the major sights of the area, including
Kaminari-mon, Senso-ji temple, and
Tokyo Skytree. In fact, on a clear day or night, you can see the Skytree if you step out and look to the right!
This is what the hallways look like, specifically on the 4th-floor, where I stayed. I find it odd that hotels in Japan may have rooms on the 4th floor. For those unaware, in Japanese the numbers 4 ("shi") and 7 ("shichi") are considered unlucky, since they include the word for death (also "shi"). The same convention exists in Chinese, Korean, and other such languages, and indeed this whole concept is similar to the fear of 13 in Western countries. But when you don't have all that many floors to work with, I suppose it can't be helped. Besides, I stayed on the 4th floor and nothing bad happened to me!
Each room has a tiny entrance hall. Because the floor is made of tatami (straw mats), visitors should take off their shoes before entering. The box on the right is a mini-refrigerator.
My room was a standard-type room, which measures at about 17m² (183ft²). Despite its size, the relative lack of furniture compared to other hotel rooms of similar size gives this a more open feel. The closet in the back is used to store additional bedding and pillows.
Being a solo traveller with limited luggage (what you see in the bottom-right corner is it), I did attempt to book a smaller (7.5m² / 80ft²) economy-type room, but there are apparently so few of them that they were booked out. Of course, who am I to complain about that kind of upgrade? I still only paid around US$120 a night for my stay, but this rate has changed since then. Be sure to confirm the official rates from their website, linked at the bottom of this article.
All rooms here have attached bathrooms, including a Washlet toilet and a shower-tub. You may also notice another pair of slippers here; in Japan it is customary to use a separate set of slippers in the bathroom, so as not to track any floor-based germs out of it.
My room had a bit of a view outside. It isn't much, but you can see a tower ride from the Hanayashiki amusement park nearby.
Traditional lodgings like these are often decorated with paintings, scrolls, and other objects d'art, and Ryokan Kamogawa was no exception. Paintings of various old-time scenes are depicted here including, on the far right,
the famous (and nearby) Kaminari-mon.
Ryokans, and even other kinds of hotels in Japan, provide yukata robes for their guests to wear around their rooms and/or the hotel grounds. I put one on and took a mirror-selfie with it. Please pardon the sunburn;
I had spent the day at Tokyo DisneySea and had under-estimated the intensity of the sunshine that day. But sunburns aside, I had a nice stay at the Ryokan Kamogawa, and would recommend it for anyone's first try at these kinds of accommodations. It provides authentically traditional and comfortable facilities, while not far from the modern conveniences of shopping and public transportation. I also recommend you experience the hot-spring bath on the first floor, but remember to bring your own towel. Also, the water temperature can get very hot (over 40° Celsius / 104° Fahrenheit), but this is normal for onsen-style bathing.
Address: 1-30-10 Asakusa, Taitō-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒111-0032
Directions: Start from Asakusa Station (Tokyo Metro Ginza
(G), Toei Asakusa
(A), and Tobu Skytree
(TS) lines) and take the exit closest to Kaminari-mon. If you’re using the Ginza line, search for exits 1 or 3; for the Asakusa, find exit A4. Upon reaching Kaminari-mon, turn right, go under the gate, and continue down the Nakamise shopping avenue. Take the third left into the alley. The hotel will be on the left side, before the next intersection.
Other tips: The owner and most of the other family staff can speak in good English. They do accept certain foreign credit cards; for best results, use MasterCard or Visa. Free Wi-Fi is available for guests; login information is provided on check-in. This hotel has a late-night curfew, but the owner will give you a keypad code to get in the back door with.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
