Hotel New Ueno

The room was small and a bit worn, though it was clean. The location is great, and both the cleaner and the desk staff were really sweet. I thought it was odd that we had to hand in the room key whenever we went out. The main problem for us was that our phone internet was terrible once we got into the room.

There are restaurants and convenience stores an easy walk away, and I’d stay here again. My single room on the east side of Ueno Station was compact but had what I needed: a bed, desk, TV, and bathroom. Both the room and restroom were clean, and they had plenty of useful supplies.

We liked the tatami rooms, and felt safe and comfortable there. Yukatas and slippers were a nice touch. The rooms are small, though, and our family of five had to split between two rooms on different floors. There was no view, and the bathroom was tiny, but it was fine for a short stay. We picked Hotel New Ueno for the transit access, especially being right across from Ueno Station and close to the Keisei Skyliner to Narita. That made our last few days in Tokyo much less stressful. The area has lots of shops and cafés, and Ueno Park is an easy walk. We rented swan boats and visited some shrines and temples, which was worth making time for. I hadn’t realized there were a few homeless people, mostly older men, near the station. They seemed harmless and kept quietly to themselves, but it caught me off guard and I felt bad for them. The hotel itself is basic, but it does the job if you want a simple ryokan-style stay with convenient transport.

You can leave your bags there for the rest of the day after checkout, which is at 10. With the thin walls, though, we could hear the next room getting noisy around 8 or 9 in the morning. Housekeeping will leave a bag of fresh towels if you skip service and just want a towel change. Female guests also get a complimentary pack with a sheet mask, hair care, and a bath capsule. It’s a quick minute to the JR and metro station, and about five minutes to Ueno Park, handy after a long day walking around. That park is lovely for sakura season, but I ended up paying a high price for what’s meant to be a budget hotel. The rooms are dated, but still feel kind of homey. There’s an electric blanket, though I’m not sure the cord works, lol.