Flexstay Inn Shinagawa

The receptionist’s rude and unfair treatment is what I’ll remember most. I was told over the phone that checkout could be at 10:15, and I closed the door at exactly that time. But there’s no elevator, so carrying two large suitcases upstairs took me five minutes. The receptionist insisted on charging a late checkout fee. I asked him to check the cameras and explained I’d left before 10:15, but he refused to accept that and made me pay. I’ll file complaints about it everywhere. The room was also too small for two people, definitely not clean, and smelled of smoke despite being a non-smoking room.

The room was clean and had all the basics, plus a little kitchen. Staff were kind and spoke English very well. There’s no elevator, but they offered to help with my luggage, and I happened to get a first-floor room. The nearest station is a five-minute walk away. For the price, it’s a very good place and I’d recommend it.

I stayed three nights and would come back. The location is fantastic, close to Shinagawa station and lots of places to eat. Kita-Shinagawa is quiet, and the residents want it to stay that way. There’s no elevator or extra in-house stuff, but staff carried my suitcase up one flight, and Family Mart is two doors away for food and drinks. The room is bijou, with a kitchen-sized sink and a single induction hotplate. The bathroom’s a bit worn, but clean, with strong pressure and plenty of hot water, and I could do everything I needed with minimal hassle. Maybe not ideal with children unless they’re well behaved.

We had a ground-floor room, so we didn’t have to haul our luggage up the stairs. Check-in was easy, and there are free extras like facial creams and shavers in the lobby. The room is small but had what we needed, from phone chargers to a hotplate, and the bathtub was a welcome way to soak after a long walk. We stayed one night after landing at Narita before heading to Osaka. Shinagawa station, where the Narita Express stops, is a ten-minute walk away, and Kitashinagawa station is under two minutes on foot. If you have heavy bags, you can take a train from Shinagawa to Kitashinagawa. The local train there seemed to start at Shinagawa and was empty when it did. It’s just outside Shinagawa itself, so the area isn’t too busy. We managed to visit Shibuya and Shinjuku in one night. A good pick if you like walking around and exploring away from the big tourist crowds.