APA Hotel Shinagawa Sengakuji Ekimae

The breakfast buffet was delicious, especially if you like fish and sushi. There’s a bit of something for everyone, and it was the best one I’ve had on my travels. The public bath on the 21st floor has a no-swimsuit rule, so you go in without clothes. Tattoos aren’t allowed there, as the signs explain, and you need to shower before entering. The rooms have bath slippers and robes to wear between your room and the bath. We used free Google Translate when we ran into language barriers. Hope this helps, and enjoy Tokyo!

The room was larger than a standard Japanese hotel room, and the staff helped when I needed them. The bathroom was cramped, though, and the shower soaked the whole floor because it doesn’t slope toward the tub. At least there’s a floor drain. The TV can only cast from your device, which is annoying, and the remote worked about half the time. There’s a small metro entrance next door, easy to miss. The conbini around the corner was just okay, and food options there ran out quickly. There aren’t many nearby places open late, either. Most are at least 1 km away, about a 25-minute walk. For a 20-floor hotel with roughly 15-20 rooms per floor, having only TWO washers and dryers seems ridiculous. The dryers still didn’t dry my clothes after 60 minutes. The lint catchers badly need changing, but guests can’t do it themselves. I had less than 5kg to dry, within the stated 5kg limit. I’d chosen a hotel spa hoping to relax, since the onsens near where I was during my two weeks in Japan didn’t allow tattoos, which was understandable because they were open to the public. But despite being close to the airport, this hotel doesn’t allow tattoos in its spa either. I hadn’t seen that rule listed online. The hotel spa isn’t open to walk-ins, so I thought I’d be able to use it, but that was a letdown. Breakfast wasn’t worth the money, either.

The rooms are small, especially for two people, but just about right for one. Everyone was welcoming and made the stay enjoyable, and the staff were very helpful, always greeting us with a smile. Getting here from Haneda Airport was easy, with two major train lines right nearby. The neighborhood doesn’t have much nightlife, though there’s a mall with bowling close by and some good food options. I’d definitely stay here again and try other APA locations.

From Narita Airport, take the local train to Sengakuji Station, use exit A2, then turn around and the hotel is there. The rooms are small but functional. Check-in is self-service: scan your passport, and the machine prints your breakfast receipts and dispenses the key card. You can borrow a cordless iron and board on request, for three hours.