Soho Asakusa Hotel

“Tough To Find; Nothing Special, But Good Value for Tokyo”

The hotel is located in a largely residential neighborhood in Asakusa. Like most of Tokyo, the area is safe and clean. If you know EXACTLY where you're going, the location is not all that bad. It's about a 15-minute walk to Sensoji Temple, lots of stores and the Metro but you need a treasure m... more

The hotel is located in a largely residential neighborhood in Asakusa. Like most of Tokyo, the area is safe and clean. If you know EXACTLY where you're going, the location is not all that bad. It's about a 15-minute walk to Sensoji Temple, lots of stores and the Metro but you need a treasure map to find it. I walked there many times during my stay and even using a smartphone GPS app, it's difficult to find without making at least one or two wrong turns. There were two chain convenience stores within a few blocks. Most everything else was a decent walk. The lobby is up one level and the desk is not staffed 24 hours though I believe staff can be reached at any time. They were friendly and spoke some English. There is an elevator. Room had a bed, desk, window with somewhat of a view, old fridge, old microwave (that was malfunctioning) and a TV with few channels, all Japanese. Bed was fairly comfy though bedding was only an undersized comforter. A/C worked OK. WiFi was OK. Furnishings were old but room was fairly clean. Bathroom had a small but deep shower/tub. Could have been a little cleaner. Toiletries included a toothbrush and razor. Lights worked. You had to lock the door with a key when you left which was not convenient or very safe as I suspect many people think hotel doors lock behind them, even if they aren't deadbolted. For a city short on space and where many businessmen sleep in capsules, this definitely was a good deal. I would always sacrifice location for space.

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“Inconvenient and small.”

I wouldn't call this a hotel in the strictest sense of the word. More like an apartment or a mid-range condominium. The location is far from Minowa station and it took us a kilometer of walking just to reach the place. And that is just what we did everytime we took to the streets of Tokyo. Altho... more

I wouldn't call this a hotel in the strictest sense of the word. More like an apartment or a mid-range condominium. The location is far from Minowa station and it took us a kilometer of walking just to reach the place. And that is just what we did everytime we took to the streets of Tokyo. Although at the tail end of our trip we discovered that it was more convenient but expensive to get off at Asakusa Station and take a taxi to the hotel. The lobby is at the second floor and can be accessed through the stairs so you need to lug your luggage up. The elevator starts at the second floor. The staff can speak English fairly well and very accommodating. The downside is the front desk is closed from 11:00pm to 8:30am. It would be a pity if you would want something from them at that time. The hotel has no restaurant but has a vending machine in the lobby that sells various drinks. A do-it-yourself laundry room is located at the back. A Lawson convenience store is just around the corner. The hotel is far from the busy section of Tokyo and quiet at all times. The room is small compared to normal hotel standards. It has a double bed which is small for two people. A dresser, a small table for a flat TV, a microwave, small refrigerator, hair dryer, kettle, two glasses and a chair are also in the hotel. A wardrobe is placed beside the toilet but can used only by one person. You put your luggage in one corner of the room where you take your clothes directly from it. As we were three in the room, we used the comforters of the two other rooms where our companions were staying as an extra bed. The microwave does not work. The aircon remote is in Japanese, you have to guess the right button, thus controlling the temperature is impossible. The TV was all Japanese shows making the devise useless for us. Our room was on the fourth floor, with balcony and had a fairly good view of the area. The small bathroom has cold and hot water with the usual complimentary toiletries. The bathtub takes up most of the space in the bathroom so you have to take a shower in it. After flushing the toilet, you can hear the refilling of the tank and can be disturbing if used at night. Cleaning of the room and changing of the sheets is done only if requested. The entire room was clean and the toilet does not smell even after use. Wifi is fast and can connect fairly quick. Overall, it was a pleasant stay, although I would not personally want to recommend to others.

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“Bland....”

We got this room via hotwire. As we were on a rather tight budget, we opted for a 3* hotel. I had a good experience with hotwire previously and was rather 'disappointed' with this 'hotel'. To be fair, it was not terrible. The room was large (by Japanese standards) and had a polite receptionist (l... more

We got this room via hotwire. As we were on a rather tight budget, we opted for a 3* hotel. I had a good experience with hotwire previously and was rather 'disappointed' with this 'hotel'. To be fair, it was not terrible. The room was large (by Japanese standards) and had a polite receptionist (late check in). But, it is in a very quiet housing area, a long walk to the metro, hard to locate, very basic amenities,, no breakfast/cafe etc.. Like a bland dish, it is tasteless and lacking. Just some place to rest for a night.

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