RafKa

Family of 3 (8 year old). Arriving in Tokyo (Shinagawa) from Osaka in the afternoon midweek in July, flying out at 9:40AM HND-FRA on NH. Most bulky luggage previously stored at HND T3.

Any suggestions for places to stay around Shinagawa? Or should we head to Shinjuku? It'll be our son's first time in Tokyo so would be cool to get a bit of the city feel (Tokyo Tower) but happy enough if Shinagawa is interesting (never been there). Potentially could travel the day before.

Budget is $200-250/night tops. International chain would be nice for status but happy to stay with cheaper Japanese chains as long as the room is not a box. Marriott etc seem out of reach.

Any ideas? Thanks!

LapLap

I’d avoid Tokyo Tower, it’s been revamped comparatively recently but it’s not in an area anyone, let alone an 8 year old, might have illusions about as “city feel” destination.

Since you’re looking for a cross generational experience of modern Tokyo, and you want a handy, reasonably priced but decent hotel, my suggestion would be Shibuya. You can get the “Tokyo Tower” experience at Shibuya Sky and there are all kinds of shops and malls and modern centres with some “downtown” areas and hipster cafes that are easily accessible if you decide to wander away from the main developments.
For a change of pace, Daikanyama and the Meguro river area are just a short stop away.

If you just punch in your dates in a Hotel site you’ll see loads of attractive options. The Granbell is an example of somewhere with a good cost performance ratio.

Shinagawa is where I generally stay when using hotels in Tokyo, but I don’t think It’s a good fit at all for your visit.

Seyan

I suggest Odaiba. There is Small Worlds Tokyo, you have Fuji TV, you have the big Gundam at Zepp DiverCity, you have Madame Tussauds, the Tokyo Trick Art Museum and many more...
And you can reach Odaiba very easy with the Rinkai Line.

LapLap

if RafKa’s family are leaving at 9:40am then they won’t be arriving Shinagawa before 3:30pm which means they’re unlikely to get to Odaiba before 4pm. That’s not much time at all for the suggestions given.

The main problem with Odaiba, and especially for this visit, is that it doesn’t have much going on in the evenings. Except for a few restaurants, most of the attractions are closed or winding down come 6pm to 8pm. There really isn’t much of a local atmosphere outside of the shopping and entertainment centres. Particularly midweek.
It’s one of the main reasons I’ve personally never considered staying there.

RafKa

Thanks both, for the very good suggestions. Am now swaying towards 2 nights in Tokyo prior to morning flight out.

I considered (Hilton) Odaiba for Tokyo Disneyland, but wife vetoed the Disney idea. The main drawback is the fact that neither of these hotels has a complimentary airport shuttle and getting into town and from Shinagawa is a bit awkward.

LapLap did you mean Granbell Shibuya or the one in Shinjuku? The Shibuya one is very expensive on my dates, unfortunately.

How about (either one of) the Ibis Styles in Ginza? I understand the area might be a bit boring at night, but the rate is very compelling, it's walking distance to Tsukiji Market and convenient for an early morning trip to HND.
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jib71

I think Ginza is a good location - While the nightlife scene there may seem rather impenetrable to a casual visitor, the area is certainly not boring. I would prefer to stay there over a sterile skyscraper district like Shinagawa. Here's a list of things to do there:
https://jw-webmagazine.com/things-to-do-in-ginza/

Is there more than one Ibis Styles in Ginza? I only see the one in 7 Chome. If you look a couple of blocks to the north of the Ibis, there are a few hotels clustered around Higashi Ginza station - Millennium Mitsui Garden Hotel / Mitsui Garden Hotel / Quintessa Hotel Tokyo Ginza / Tokyu Stay Ginza / Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Ginza etc.

You can get there from Shinagawa on the Keikyu line - although you'll walk a bit. (Shinkansen platforms and Keikyu line station are at opposite sides of Shinagawa station). From Higashi Ginza you have a direct connection to HND (you need to catch an Airport Express train from the Asakusa subway line platform).

LapLap

And if you did decide to go to one of the Tokyo Disney Parks, they are extremely accessible from Higashi Ginza station (involves a short two stop hop on the Hibiya line towards Hatchōbori station and then a transfer onto the Keiyō line for the 15 minutes to Maihama Station. About 25 minutes in all.)

RafKa

There's an Ibis Styles Ginza East opening in June on 1-2-13 Shintomi, Chuo. The location seems slightly less convenient, but the rooms have a more traditional Japanese feel.

Thanks again for all the suggestions: I'm definitely leaning more towards a 36h stay now and it looks like Ginza (and the Ibis Styles) might be a good pick in my situation.

rogngo

I wouldn't recommend Ginza or Odaiba, as Ginza is just expensive designer stuff and Odaiba doesn't really feel like "Tokyo". Shinjuku is a nice place to be.

jib71

Hmm. That's a somewhat less interesting locale, as you can tell from Google street view. It's to the East of Ginza rather than on the East side of Ginza. A real estate agent might hesitate before describing that address as "Ginza Borders."

LapLap

My own kid was born in 2009 so the way I experience Tokyo has changed quite a bit since I first started visiting in 2002, but Ginza is kind of like a rock pool. At first glance it seems to be one thing, and then the more you look and dig, and particularly so during unconventional office hours, the more details and activity you see.
As a lunch destination for cash limited foodies it is absolutely world class and it is better represented than anywhere else by regional Satellite stores (promotional centres with shops/restaurants that showcase highlights from the different Japanese prefectures). As well as the unobtainium peddled by Hermes and the like, shops such as Uniqlo have their flagship stores there but there are also affordable treasures at unique shops with long histories for those who might want an extraordinary kind of paper or an exquisite wagashi or a gift box of furikake or children’s toys.

Here’s my own defence of Ginza written not long after I’d spent a week or so working in the area.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/11972222-post9.html

And this is the Ginza edition of a long running NHK series of neighbourhood walks

I’d still recommend Shibuya, or Shinjuku, for a first time visiting family but Ginza is a genuinely fascinating neighbourhood for anyone ready to scratch past the surface sheen.

jib71

"Ah ... The side streets promise to be delightful." (Said nobody ever when walking past a wall of construction site barriers). NHK is using a style guide for voice-overs that they purloined from the offices of Pathé Newsreels in the mid-1930s.

RafKa

I tend to agree with you, but as this is sort of a transit stay, ease of access to HND early in the morning (with kid, luggage) is a bigger priority for me. Higashi-Ginza wins due to no connections, and probably more manageable than Shinjuku at 7am.

I would love a couple of recommendations, please! Especially "child friendly" ones (not meaning chicken nuggets and playgrounds, but rather a less overwhelming experience where we might not be wrestling with throngs of hurried office workers on their lunch break). Thanks!

LapLap

I’m rather partial to a stylised formula, oddly comforting to see Ginza delivered in the same way as Glasgow, Barcelona, Incheon, and, recently, Islington. It’s irresistibly hokey in every language
I was surprised to see how modernised the traditional ice delivery had become, I remember a much, much older gent using a hack saw and metre long tongs to get blocks delivered from the back of a more seasoned vehicle. Found myself sobbing at the ending in the Tailor’s salon, I can be very sentimental.

LapLap

So many of the places I’ve enjoyed have closed down in the past year. These seem to still be in business

This one isn’t a lunch recommendation as the dinner price isn’t that much more expensive: Tonkatsu Tonki, Japan, 〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo City, Ginza, 6 Chome−5−15 銀座能樂堂ビル

Another place where you can go outside of the busy lunch and dinner hours is Taimeian 泰明庵 which serves soba noodle dishes - 6 Chome-3-14 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061

If you want stunning views but are happy for a break from Japanese food
Restaurant LUKE with SKY LOUNGE レストラン ルーク ウィズ スカイラウンジ (lunch sets from ¥1,500, rather more at dinner time)

Since you won’t have much time but you’ll want to try many more things than it’s feasible to manage then consider lunch at
Ginza Choshoku Lab 銀座朝食ラボ

Toyama Sushi Ginza 廻転とやま鮨 銀座 is a sort of kaitenzushi hybrid, you order the sushi and it is then arrives with the delivery system. They have lunch specials but is affordable outside of lunch. Best when sticking to Toyama specialities. This might be more jostly than what you’re after though.

For a splurge there’s https://www.ginza-uchiyama.co.jp/dishes.html Lunch here is about a quarter of the price of a dinner reservation.

As mentioned, things have changed a lot in the past few years. I’d highly recommend making reservations wherever possible particularly for lunch seatings.