If you are Platinum or higher at the Prince Sakura, you can use any lounges at the Prince Sakura, The Grand Prince or The Grand Prince New Takanawa. There is a very nice little Japanese garden between the hotels. It is a quick walk to Shinagawa Station, and they also have a shuttle if you have luggage. At Shinagawa Station you can catch the Shinkasen, bullet train to Kyoto/Osaka without any connections. You can also take the Narita Express from NRT to Shinagawa.

I will be staying at the Westin Ebisu in April. An exec with Marriott said I would like it there as the rooms are spacious. The Westin Ebisu allows you to apply SNA’s to your reservations.


In Osaka, the Marriott Miyako Osaka is right next to the Tennoji Station. It is in the tallest building in Japan and you get free tickets to the observation deck. There is also a department store in the building with restaurants and a food store on the lower level. About an hour before closing, the store marks down the price of the freshly prepared foods. We have gotten fresh king crab for a great price. The club lounge always had a Japanese single malt available. The elevators in the main building is a shortfall. They can be crowded, and confusing to navigate, but overall I liked the hotel.

At the Tennoji Station, you can catch the Haruka Express to KIX, they even have luggage storage by the doors. Oh, if you are going to use the bullet train to go from Tokyo to Osaka/Kyoto, and you have anything bigger than a carryon, you will be better off shipping your luggage to your next hotel. After May 2020, if you have large luggage that cannot fit in the overhead racks, you must have a reservation for the luggage seat which is the last row in each car.

The Courtyard Shin Osaka is right by the station where the Shrinkasen and Haruka Express stops. This is the only Shinkansen stop in Osaka. They do have a lounge but breakfast is served in the restaurant.

In Kyoto the Westin Miyako is once again accepting reservations. It is very near to the Keage Station. You may find a good award rate. This April during the Sakura season, I booked 3 nights at 35,000 a night. Use a couple of certifactes so only have to pay for one night.

Based on my experience, for my first visit, I would spend more time in the Osaka/Kyoto area than Tokyo. In Kansai region you can visit Nara, Nagoya, , Kobe and a little farther away, Kanazawa and Hiroshima.