In November 2024 my wife and I will be in Japan for 15 days, third time, but this time we’ll have our son (M1 1/2). On the first trip, the honeymoon, we stayed in various places (shinjuku, kyoto, hakone) and did the “classic” itinerary; in the second one my 17 year old sister and a friend of mine traveled with us, we stayed in Ikebukuro and visited Tokyo and its surroundings more calmly compared to the frenzy of the first trip.
Now being with our son, who in any case will limit our things to do, we would like to fully enjoy Tokyo and its facets, without rushing or deadlines. I’ve already found a few places on Airbnb, the Ueno area or near Hatsudai station, a house with a bit of extra space for around €78 a night, but I wanted to know your opinion on whether it’s worth moving a few kilometers away from Tokyo, saving on the cost accommodation and enjoy the neighborhood where you are staying, but still be 10/15 minutes by train from Tokyo.
Btw i loved the house in Shinjuku and Ikebukuro but they were rooms of about 8 square meters that we only used for sleeping and washing, with the child we would like a little more space.
5 comments
If you can find a place in some of the outer areas of Tokyo, you can have a cheaper and more quiet experience – obviously with the downside that it takes a while to get to the popular places.
You could also consider staying in Yokohama, which we found to be rather nice and cheaper than Tokyo.
For me, being on a direct train line to the places I’ll spend most of my time is more important than the length of time on the train. Like a 30 min train ride beats 2 x 10 mins. I think that would be the case with a young kid too.
I really like the Mitaka area. Quiet and has a huge park.
If want a spacious room in the suburbs of Tokyo, consider the Sheraton Miyako near Meguro Station. Hotel shuttle to two stations and large rooms.
Within Shinjuku, the Tokyu Stay is spacious.
Follow the Chuo-Sobu Line away from the Yamanote (i.e. east as well as west of central Tokyo, i.e. beyond Akihabara and Shinjuku respectively) and the sqm/$ (often as well as living standard) should improve quickly. For example Ryogoku is usually quite a steal outside of the sumo tournaments.
Neighborhoods where the Chuo Line stops as well are usually a bit more expensive but also quicker to get to the Yamanote line.
Another idea is to look at a subway map of Tokyo, cross out all stations that are interesting to tourists. That should give you some central neighborhoods that are surprisingly quiet (and cheap), but finding something spacious might be tricky.