MegatopLover

There's a small park nearby 24 Kaikan with public loos that you might expect would be cruisy, but I haven't seen any cruising going on. Then again, the two times I've been to Tokyo were in December. I can't think of any place else that I've heard is cruisy by reputation, except maybe some corner of a large park-- maybe Ueno or wherever the 1964 Olympics were staged.

tokioblue: Your map is very cool. Is it not upside-down, in the sense that north is on the bottom of the map and south is at the top? Maybe I'm just cornfused.

tokioblue

Thanks MegatopLover. I made it for my friend from Spain as it's very easy to get lost in that area if you are not familiar. I've seen so many tourists getting lost there with their guide books in hands. The simpler, the better.

It is not upside-down though. North is at the top there.

BlissWorld

I wish I had read about this thread earlier. The area we found in NRT was pretty lame.

hotpot1

A couple months ago, I was in Tokyo at the same time as a friend from home (NYC). His work paid for a room at the Park Hyatt, so he said I could stay there since it was a 2-bed room and I was staying at the hostel.... So I'm Korean-American and he's a regular ole white dude, who dresses in suits and looks a bit older and far more serious even though he's younger (im 28, he's 26). I swear, none of the staff would address me or even acknowledge my presence when I was with him! I know it probably totally looked a bit suspicious though, especially since he walks fast so I was always like three paces behind him. Oh, and I was always carrying massive shopping bags.....

Anyways, not saying that the hotel is homophobic or anything. Thought it was kind of funny actually, and a bit flattered that they thought I was "hired help" or something.

djjaguar64

From the sounds of it, looks like you were the maid, always with bags and scurrying behind the MASTER!
And that is why the hotel ignored you.

izzik

Sounds like it.

holtju2

Anyway I would say that it is quite typical that if you are Caucasian you get better service/attention in Asia compared to other races.

CPwingwalker

I have stayed at the Park Hyatt numerous times and can assure you from the GM on down they are perfectly fine with gay couples. My boyfriend (who is Japanese) is handed his own copy of the key (old fashioned kind on a Tiffany key ring) by the Assist Mgr who checks us in at our suite (using GP upgrade cert naturally). They even sent us a bottle of Louis Roederer champagne for our anniversary last November.

Other posts (on the Hyatt forum) have referred to the PHT as an upscale "love hotel" as it occasionally runs at over 100% occupancy ... discrete assignations (no doubt of all varieties as I have seen in the lifts) are known to take place there. Great way to make revenue targets for the month! hehe All done in perfect discretion of course.

kevinsac

Any luck? Not many of us knew this was your "taste."

Animgif

So, I'm making a trip to Tokyo in June and wanted to see if anyone had any updated suggestions. I'll be there over a weekend so want to go out and have some fun. I'll likely stay at the ANA Intercontinental w/ the F&F rate, unless there's a consensus that's an awful idea. Thanks for any tips! First trip to Tokyo.

tokioblue

Well, the gay district is pretty much the same last time I went there which was like a week ago So my map from the previous page is valid still.

I wouldn't say ANA Intercontinental is an awful idea but I would say it's not a great idea. Although you can probably ride the Marunouchi line from the closest station to the hotel (Tameike Sanno) to Shinjuku Gyoen Mae station to the gay district, it's kinda far and the transit system is shut down around midnight. So if I were you, I would suggest you to stay in the Shinjuku area as it's convenient. Some suggested Park Hyatt but that's also far unless you take a cab. So my suggestion would be Century Souther Tower. It's not a crappy hotel yet reasonable and close to the homo district and all the Shinjuku stuff and close to the station for Narita Express.
http://www.southerntower.co.jp/english/index.html

I hope you will have a good time here!

aeo

I second tokioblue's take on the hotel situation (not that the ANA isn't decent - I lived there for six weeks for work a while back). But Century Southern Tower is nice and convenient to just about everything. Even better is the Sunroute Plaza, literally just behind the Century. It's not quite as nice, but it's a very solid hotel nonetheless, and the prices, in my experience, are often quite competitive. Plus the hotel sits atop a subway station that leads straight to Tsukiji, convenient for a super early morning trip.

I love Tokyo - have fun!

djjaguar64

Ok guys & gals, we are heading to Tokyo again and are debating between the ANA Intercontinental hotel/ the Best Western in Shinjuku or the Keio Plaza. The last time we stayed at the Hyatt but it was quite a walk to everything. Any suggestions and recommendations between BW and the ANA IC, oh and I have a free night at the IC.

tokioblue

I did not know there was a BW in Shinjuku even though I grew up in Shinjuku haha.

I am not really sure about your schedule but if you are coming here by the mid of July, it's Rainy Season and it rains a lot (not crazy bucket pouring but a lot) and if you have luggage, it might be inconvenient to go to BW from the station. And the area is always busy with those people to get you inside of the expensive rip-off bars and stuff. If you know how to get around, you can probably get out from the underground exit which is 3 min walk from the hotel. But the underground is crazy in Shinjuku for people who are not familiar..

On the other hand, ANA IC has a direct shuttle service from the airport. So it's easy and don't have to get sweaty when you drag luggage. And if taxi fares aren't problematic (2500 Yen one way from the hotel to the Shinjuku area), that hotel may be a great place to stay.

Keio Plaza is a tired looking hotel with easier access than BW but if you thought Hyatt (I am referring to Hyatt Regency) was far, Keio Plaza is just like one-two block closer to the station. So it is in the same area. But out of three, I would personally choose Keio Plaza.

However, I still recommend Souther Tower or Sunroute Plaza like mentioned previously on this thread. BW would be my least favorite choice even if it's in Shinjuku. Hope this helps.

guy44134

I'm staying at the Conrad Tokyo at Shiodome in November. I take it it's a bit far from the gay neighborhood. But are there any gay-friendly places to visit in that general area? It looks like I could take the Oedo metro line to Shinjuku, correct? Which exact station and which exit heads to the gay area from Shinjuku?