I’d decided I would stay around the Ueno area for this trip as it where the Keisei Skyline from Narita Airport terminates and where I could jump on the Shinkansen for my train north.
I chose an APA hotel called APA Hotel Ueno Ekimae which is about a 10 minute walk from both the Keisei station and JR Ueno station.
APA Hotel Ueno Ekimae, Ueno, Tokyo, Japan
The room was compact but functional. There was a double bed with room for luggage underneath. There was a huge TV on the wall at the end of the bed, and a decent sized desk area with a mini fridge underneath.
The bed was comfortable but the pillow was one of the worst I’ve ever had and I had to resort to doubling it over to get some support.
There was a window behind the curtains that ran the length of the bed but it was covered by an opaque film so while you can get light you can’t see outside.
The bathroom was cramped with a half bath and a toilet.
The air conditioning was a little finicky but did the job of keeping the room nicely chilled in the blistering summer heat.
Despite the rooms being cramped onto the floor I didn’t hear any noise from the adjoining rooms or corridor.
The hotel doesn’t service your room everyday, which I was to find out was now quite common in Japan, rather they give you new towels and water each day but only do a full service of the room every 3 days.
Checkout time is 10am but you can stay for an extra hour or two at ¥2000 per hour, or the hotel can hold your luggage but you have to pay extra. Since my train wasn’t until 2pm I chose to extend my checkout until midday before heading to the JR station for my shinkansen.
Overall, it was a decent compact room for the price in a lively and well connected area.