Sakura Hotel Hatagaya

I stayed for a week, and the fluffy comforter was my favorite part of the clean, tiny room. It made things really cozy and I slept great. Sakura Hotel is just two stops from Shinjuku, so it’s easy to get around. I also liked wandering the peaceful neighborhood, which gave me more of a local feel for Tokyo. I loved my stay and would come back.

For the price, the hotel was decent, and the rooms and service were what I expected. I appreciated having both indoor and outdoor seating for guests. It’s very close to a subway station, though trains toward Shinjuku and beyond can be crowded during the morning rush.

I came back for a second stay, this time on my own, and it was great. The place is low-key and no-frills, but has plenty of personality and is very affordable. I love this neighborhood and don’t need to spend much time in the room, so it suits me well. I’d recommend it to a budget traveler like me.

The hotel was okay, with a nice neighborhood and the station just around the corner. The rooms were very small and there wasn’t a kettle. Breakfast was very basic: bread, butter, jam, and a thin soup of the day, though that may be common in Japan. We asked the hotel to send our luggage to our next hotel in Kyoto. It cost 9,400 yen, which seemed very expensive. I don’t know if that’s the normal rate, but they didn’t give us a receipt for the shipping.