Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu

Nice and cozy traditional Japanese hotel close to the busy shopping street. The communal bath on the 6/F has a nice view of the tower. Only one is available and the other is out of service so wziting time could be an issue. Despite clearly printed on the voucher that breakfast is included, the hotel refused to provide saying not possible at that price. Not being honest.

Placed barely a stone's throw from some of the most attractive tourist destinations in Tokyo, the Ryoan Asakusa Shigetsu is a comfortable and atmospheric place that will serve as an ideal home base for Tokyo tourists. The place offers both western-style and futon-equipped rooms, and boasts of an indoor sento-style soaking tub. The tubs and rooms have a great view of the pagoda tower near Sensoji temple, and are highly accessible to the food and shopping areas of Nakamise-dori and Asakusa proper. There are, however, just two wrinkles to the current arrangement. First is that the soaking tubs are shared between all guests and rather small, with the smaller of the two barely accommodating two people at a time. There's no reservation system nor rules on usage, so your experience may well be affected by the courtesy of fellow guests. During our stay, another guest was rather rude and forced us to cut our soaking session to a mere few minutes. Perhaps more guidance from staff on proper allocation of this signature facility would help everyone get along. Otherwise, if you'd like a leisurely soak, I suggest a short walk to the nearby ROX mall and hitting up the Matsuri-yu bathing center on the 7th floor. Additionally, the hotel does not serve food of any kind, apparently due to the renovation of their restaurant. The front desk will happily provide a map to nearby places for breakfast, but expect to go out to eat more often than at a larger hotel. There's plenty of good food around, though, so it's not like you'll go hungry.

If you want lovely, authentic accommodation, I highly recommend! The ryokan is in an ideal location, right by Senso-ji Temple and all the outdoor stalls, yet the rooms are quiet and dark so we slept very well after our long flight. The staff are very courteous and helpful, and the traditional floor mattresses comfortable. Everything was very clean and a highlight is the baths up on the 6th floor. A great little place to stay with a really traditional and cozy atmosphere.

We booked two traditional rooms. The couples room was a little smaller than expected for comfort and the bathroom was tiny. However the location was fabulous - so central yet peaceful. I unfortunately got food poisoning in Tokyo (nothing to do with this ryokan) and I was violently ill with diarrhoea and vomiting. I couldn’t manage the clean up of linen etc myself so had to call the front desk for help. They were so kind and efficient. I was terribly embarrassed and upset but everything was managed calmly and efficiently. I remain very grateful.

Our time in this Ryokan turned out to be an extremely terrible affair, owing primarily to the heinous behavior of the hotel owner. Not only was he extremely unpleasant and abrasive, but his opinions appeared to be contaminated with bigotry, particularly against anyone of non-Caucasian or Japanese origin. After reading some of the reviews, It became clear that evaluations from persons belonging to these certain groups had favorable things to say, whilst others did not. Our problems began with a *********** reservation for two rooms that could accommodate six people. However, when we arrived, the owner flatly refused to honor our reservation. As a result, we were forced to pay an expensive Y10,000 for a tiny and subpar room for my son. To make matters worse, when we attempted to return the room keys in the evening, the hotel employees flatly refused. These keys are unusually fastened to a long wooden pole, making them difficult to carry in a standard pocket. Not unexpectedly, we misplaced one of the keys. When we notified the owner of the tragic situation, he went on a rant in a language we didn't understand, punishing us for a remarkable fifteen minutes. In addition, he asked Y5,000 for the replacement of a cheaply produced and badly designed key. To make matters worse, the room for which we had to pay an extra Y10,000, Room 306, was labelled as a "western-style" accommodation. However, it quickly became clear that the establishment's conception of what constitutes appropriate accommodation for non-Japanese persons was fundamentally incorrect. They appeared to feel that, while foreigners may be able to fit into capsule-style cabins, which seems to be popular here, they do not deserve the same degree of cleanliness and sanitary standards for which this country is recognized across the world. The atmosphere in the room was oppressive, and it was far from clean or odor-free. It was just 8-10 square metres in size, 1.5 metres broad, and 3 metres long. It was difficult for me to believe my own eyes. The filthy and worn-out carpet further added to the dismal atmosphere, while the two tiny windows provided a glimpse of a concrete wall less than a metre away. In conclusion, our stay at this institution was an utterly horrible experience, marred by the proprietor's impolite and dismissive demeanor, as well as an unsettling display of discriminating tendencies. It's upsetting to witness such views in a country known for its generous welcome. We really hope that our testimony serves as an illuminating warning tale for individuals seeking accommodations within this jurisdiction.