I've walked from Mejiro Station to the 4S Chinzan-so. It takes a while! In addition to taxi, there is bus service. I have run into people who claimed they had a deal whereby the hotel paid for their first taxi ride in the morning. This 4S is often heavily discounted, I hear.

The public spaces, all I've ever seen, in this hotel are lovely but it sure is in the middle of nowhere. In a city of 1,000 rail/subway stops, this 4S is near none of them! And that walk to the subway -- it may be 10 minutes FROM the hotel, but TO the hotel it's uphill!

JR East has a fairly new hotel right across the street from Shibuya station. I forget the name, but I looked at some rooms. They were small (surprise!), not great value, not luxury, still OK, and might be awfully convenient. Off the lobby, the hotel has the most amazing robotic selector vending machine that I have ever seen anywhere!

I don't know where Ichikawa-Shijetzu is, but Ichikawa station can be reached on the Sobu line (yellow) or Sobu express (deep down in Tokyo station among other places). Needless to say, not at all convenient to the 4S Chinzan-so.

How about the Westin Ebisu, one notch down from luxury -- 15 minute walk plus 3 minute train ride to Shibuya?

(Edited for a bunch of minor fixups)


[This message has been edited by RichardInSF (edited 10-17-2003).]