This is another one of my shorter reviews [the original review is on my website here]

In December 2013, I finally made the big decision to make my first trip to Japan and after carrying out a lot of research, I decided my first few days should be spent in Tokyo and near public transport.

Mitsui Garden Hotel is part of a chain and my experience of the Ueno branch was pretty favourable. The hotel is very well maintained and well located near Ueno JR station and even closer to the Metro entrance. Having said that, it is important to recognise that Tokyo is not what one would describe as a luggage friendly city (even on the metro network). So being this close to the station doesn’t guarantee an easy journey with your bags. There are lifts, but might take some locating.

Another thing I think that must be remembered is that this hotel is in central Tokyo, one of the most expensive cities in the world so don’t expect big rooms. Despite the size, the rooms were comfortable and reasonably quiet. They also come with the full gamut of toiletries and accessories, though I must say that even these throw away accessories are of pretty amazing quality (as was the case pretty much across Japan). I visited almost 2 years ago and some of the slippers are still going!
The quality of English among the staff was mixed – ranging from excellent to really poor. In most cases though they really made an effort to help.

One bonus is that there are a lot of little eateries nearby. If you like to explore local culture through food, there were lots of yakitori and ramen shops within 5 minutes walking distance.