Stayed with a friend for three nights in Tokyo. Centrally located and a short walk to the subway and key attractions such as Imperial palace. we loved it so much my friend stayed back there at the end of our trip once I had flown out.

This is our first trip to tokyo and we spent 6 nights in this hotel. We have a toddler and we booked ourself in a traditional japanese room. Three of us enjoy our stay there. The Japanese style room is bigger than western room. The staffs are helpful. If you want to experience the japanese life, you shouldn't miss the japanese style room. The hotel provides all the basic you need and we have no complaint about it. Well, possibly the hotel should prepare more teas. We love the experience to fold and unfold our futon everyday when wake up and go to sleep. I thought we will not get use of sleeping on futon, amazingly, it's very comfortable.

The hotel is close to everything. We took only the Tokyo Metro Hibiya line (Ningyocho station) to most of the attractions. You can buy the daily Tokyo Metro to travel around the tokyo city, cheaper than getting JR pass if you are not travel other areas in japan. In addition, there are heaps of foods nearby and it's cheaper than other places like Ginza or Shinjuku. If you need anything, staffs are very friendly to help. And, don't miss your trip to the Mitsukoshi shopping complex especially the food court. Those desserts and pre-packed foods are so fabulous and pretty. You would lost control and have difficult to make the decision which one to buy. It is so easy to stroll around the neighbourhood. There are 'treasures' and 'hidden jewel' in those alley. Dont miss it.

Arriving after dark alone at the Tokyo JR station was all I imagined. The throngs of commuters increased to a crush as I neared the street level after ascending the 5 or so escalators rising from deep underground. Knowing no Japanese was a concern, but Japanese and English were both on many signs and maps in the station and on the streets. After a long look at the station map to orient myself to adjacent streets, I finally ventured out into what appeared to be a Times Square like cityscape. My goal was to find my lodgings for the night, a ryokan, less than ten blocks from the station. Walking in Tokyo was pleasant even at night. I felt perfectly comfortable. I found the Sumisho Hotel without much difficulty. It is a lovely Japanese-style, small hotel, although it has some small Western-style rooms too. I wanted a Japanese-style room, and I stayed only in ryokans throughout my 2-weeks in Japan, expect when I enjoyed homestays in Nagoya, Aomori and on Hokkaido. I returned to the Sumisho at the end of my trip for a final night and half day in the city. While I had little time at the start and end of my trip I enjoyed many of the most beautiful places in Tokyo. Every aspect of this visit was rewarding. Here is a sampling of the places I visited. Tokyo destinations: Ueno Park and its museums, the Ginza shopping area, the Imperial Hotel and its shops and restaurants (the Viking celebrated its 50th year), Emperor's Palace, Asakusa Temples and Meyoko market. All of these destinations were reached by foot or subways.

I felt compelled to visit Japan and Tokyo. My great-aunt traveled alone around the world in 1959 and she spent 2-weeks in Japan, so I wanted to retrace her trip 50 years later, hence the need to go in 2009. I also wanted to climb to the top of Mt. Fuji, and the closer offer to go, was to head north once there to help a friend build a strawbale guesthouse on Hokkaido near Ahasikawa. All of my goals were reached, and every destination was more beautiful and rewarding that the last. Even though this was my first trip to Japan and Tokyo, it will not be my last.

We stayed 2 nights at the Sumisho Hotel and found it a very friendly place. The level of English at the Hotel was quite sufficient for our requirements. They staff made every effort to understand and accomodate us. We opted for the Japanese Style accommodation, just for the experience. This entailed rolling out your Futon mattress each night - this can be somewhat hard on the hips unless you have ample padding. The rates were quite reasonable. We didn't get to use their Japanese Baths, nor did we use the restaurant, so can't comment on these aspects.

Getting there from Tokyo Airport was not as difficult as I had imagined. We caught a Limousine Coach to the Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT) and a Taxi from there.

We had a very enjoyable stay and would recommend it.