Originally Posted by
krystle920
Thanks, would you say Roppongi is more like Midtown?
There's the newish Roppongi, with swish shopping and accommodations, and then there's the older Roppongi, which I could sum up as Broadway/6th Ave. in the high-20s/low-30s but with nightclubs. A bit dramatic, perhaps, but you're in Tokyo, so you have
plenty of other neighborhoods from which to choose.
Originally Posted by LapLap;21500745
To expound on [B
RichardInSF's[/B] comments on Tokyu Inn/Stay properties:
If you have no intention of hooking up with anyone in any shape or form (and I didn't on my first visit but still met my husband) then the Tokyu Stay could suit you. Otherwise, go somewhere else. The more stars, the more likely the hotel will be more 'relaxed' and tolerant to any unexpected change in circumstances and requirements. It is worth making enquiries about policies before deciding. Staff in cheaper hotels seem to have photographic memories about who is staying with them.
The smaller hotels tend to have smaller lobbies too...regardless I've never had an issue at Tokyu Inn. Not to mention, they offer free wi-fi, which I don't often come across in Japanese hotels.
Originally Posted by
AlwaysAisle
I would not get hang up too much with Shibuya vs. Shinjuku. Both are very close to each other, less than 10 minutes ride on JR or subway. Access to Roppongi is in terms of journey time from either Shibuya or Shinjuku is pretty much same. Using New York City reference, it is like deciding to stay near Grand Central Station or Penn Station. Many will say that both are close to each other by quick subway ride, and not to hang up too much about area around Grand Central Station vs. Penn Station.
I think it is difficult to use downtown/midtown/uptown concept of New York City into referencing Tokyo.
Manhattan basically only has two major train stations, so you could just as easily choose Shinagawa and Ikebukuro and the analogy still wouldn't work.
To the OP: However, what I've come to realize is that Shibuya is the teen and 20-something district, with plenty going on night and day, and Shinjuku can also be divided into two parts. There's Nishi (West) Shinjuku, which is a business district filled with skyscrapers, and then there's Higashi (East) Shinjuku (but you don't hear that phrase as much as just Shinjuku or Kabukicho, a red-light district/bar crawl area). Plenty of shopping, which you mentioned you don't need to do, and eating. Lots of eating. Busy for the whole 24-hours as well.
Indeed, these two major areas are relatively close, in addition to being well-connected to most likely anywhere else you'd like to go, but keep in mind that public transit doesn't run all night.