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Super budget-friendly retro Tokyo hotel feels like having your own 1960s Asakusa apartment

Casey Baseel Sep 18, 2024
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Staying here is like a cozy time trip.

Hotel prices in Japan have been getting higher and higher since the pandemic, especially in parts of the country with a high concentration of tourist attractions. In Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood, for example, which offers easy access to Sensoji Temple and is just a very quick subway ride away from Ueno Park and the Skytree, sometimes even a stay in a capsule hotel, where you just get a tiny sleeping compartment to yourself, can run you close to 5,000 yen.

But there are still great bargains in Asakusa if you know where to look, and we found one at Toukaisou, where you can get a private room all to yourself, with your own bathroom, shower, and even bathtub, for just 4,300 yen (US$29.65).

Toukaisou is just a three-minute walk from the Tsukuba Express Asakusa Station. You’ll want to keep an eye out for the signage, though, since at first glance the old-school brick exterior makes it look like the building might be a bar or classic coffee shop.

The retro vibes continue on the inside. After checking in at the front desk, underneath a large wooden sign saying “Welcome home,” we took the stairs up to the second floor, but it also felt like we were stepping back into the 1960s.

The carpeting and other interior decorations give off a very mid-Showa period (1926-1989) vibe, though there’s a modern twist in the motion-sensor activated hallway lighting that shuts off when no one’s around to conserve electricity.

Arriving at our room, 206, we opened up the door…

…and that “welcome home” sign at the front desk felt even more appropriate, since the room has the energy of a simple tidy apartment from a generation or two ago.

There’s a nicely spacious entryway to take off your shoes in, and the room itself has tatami reed flooring but a bed instead of futon sleeping mats, for a cozy mixed Japanese/Western format.

In addition to zabuton floor cushions, there’s a chabudai (low tea table), TV, air conditioner, and tea kettle and cups.

Toukaiso also provides yukata (lightweight kimono) to relax in, folded neatly and placed in a basket on the shelf along with towels.

The bathroom has a retro feel too, with its diagonally installed toilet tank and square bathtub both the sort of thing you’d find in a modest Showa-era apartment. It’s nothing fancy, and has an authentic aura of age, but everything was clean and freshly scrubbed. Again, considering that at this price point you’re often going to be in a capsule hotel or dormitory-style guest house where the bathroom is down the hall and shared with all the other guests on your floor, having our own private facilities was a very nice perk of staying at Toukaisou.

And after we were all cleaned up and crawled into bed, we were happy to find that the mattress and pillow were supremely soft and gave us a great night’s sleep.

At just 4,300 yen, our plan didn’t include any meals, but being in a traveler-oriented part of downtown Tokyo, it’s extremely easy to find all sorts of restaurants, takeout places, and convenience stores within conveniently close walking distance.

So yeah, Toukaisou may not be luxurious, but if you’re looking for a place that’s both budget-friendly and gives you the feel of having your own retro apartment in Tokyo, it’s a great place to spend the night.

Hotel information
Toukaisou / 東海荘
Address:ishi Asakusa 2-16-12
東京都台東区西浅草2-16-12
Website

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