APA Hotel Akihabara Ekihigashi

The staff made a great impression, from the front desk to the cleaning team. They were kind and welcoming at check-in and whenever I came back from Akihabara. The location worked well too, with the station, restaurants, and a 7-11 within walking distance. Taxis can pick up or drop off nearby. For the price, the room was a good place to unwind after a long day in Tokyo. It’s small compared with US rooms, but the raised bed leaves room underneath for luggage. There’s Wi-Fi and LAN internet, and you can borrow an Ethernet cable from the desk for free if one’s available. The wired internet was much faster than what I’ve had at US hotels. The room also had coffee, a mini-fridge, a laptop desk, and a hair dryer. There’s no laundry room in the hotel, but a laundromat is about five minutes away, and they’ll give you a map. The bathroom has a bidet toilet and a bathtub-shower, with items like a razor and toothbrush and paste provided. The mattress and blanket were comfortable, though I didn’t love the pillows. Room cleaning happens every three days, but they can empty the bins and bring fresh towels daily. The lobby has a microwave and a small spot for drinks and snacks. There’s also a 7-11 about two minutes away. They kept my bags for free before check-in. I had a fantastic 10-day stay and would recommend it to anyone staying in Akihabara. I’m checking out tomorrow to head home to the USA.

Akihabara station is close, and there are plenty of restaurants nearby. There’s a great ramen place next door and another good one at the end of the street in the other direction. Some local spots are tourist traps, though, so watch out for mediocre food at high prices. A 7-11 across the street to the left of the station sells alcohol, snacks, and big bottles of water. If you choose breakfast, I think you need to buy a ticket and walk to a restaurant less than five minutes away. The room has a bathtub-shower, and they leave a daily goody bag with supplies, including toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a razor. The rooms are small, though not dramatically so for the price, and the on-site staff are very nice and helpful. My one real gripe was mandatory room cleaning every four days on longer stays. I could request a later time, and it never clashed with my plans, but I think it still has to happen during business hours. It’s usually quiet early in the morning and in the evenings. I might have heard the upstairs neighbor moving around two or three times, but it wasn’t bothersome. Voices and doors carry in the hallway because the building’s center is open, though sleeping hours have been quiet. The TV only has a few English movies, so that may matter if you don’t understand Japanese and are staying longer.

The room is small, but really nice, and I could tuck my bags under the bed. Service was very attentive and experienced. Akihabara Station is an eight-minute walk, and the Light District is ten minutes away. There’s no chance of getting bored.

This hotel group has the best quality-to-price ratio in Japan, in that order. I truly recommend them. They’re all over the country, including Hiroshima, Kyoto, Tokyo, and Osaka, and their locations are great for tourists, often just a minute’s walk from major stations.