Jim Goes to Japan

For my trip to Tokyo, I booked my stay at Azabu Court Residential Hotel. It’s mainly for extended stays and can be booked for discounted rates in weekly and monthly blocks (which is actually very rare in Japan — volume discounts are almost unheard of here). They provide well-kept rooms of a great size with all the amenities at some killer rates for the part of Tokyo it is located in. I’ve been very happy with my stay here.

The Room

Their smallest single room is bigger than the rooms in somewhere like nearby Nishi-Azabu APA Hotel (and costs nearly a third less). It is well furnished, has high-speed LAN based Internet, basic cable (that includes a few English channels such as Discovery and CNN), a DVD/VHS player, and even a small modestly equipped kitchen. Remote controlled air-conditioning is nice (and practically necessary in the summer). It’s a good room.

The Service

The service is minimal. Unlike proper hotels like Nishi-Azabu APA Hotel, Azabu Court does not provide complimentary sundries, daily maid service, concierge services, and so forth. They do provide a coin-operated laundry room, cleaning services (for a fee), and weekly towel changes and maid cleanings. The do provide a few sundries for a small price at the front-desk and the will post your mail for you. You also get a personal direct-line phone number in your room so friends and family can get a hold of you.

This means you have to take care of yourself. It’s more like renting a short-term apartment rather than staying in a hotel. It helps with the budget as well since you can do a little grocery shopping and save on eating out so much (which I found very handy for meals like breakfast). It’s quite minimal and I happen to like it that way.

The Location

Azabu Court is a little tricky to find (if you remember, I got lost my first night in Tokyo looking for it). It’s tucked away off the side in a residential area which is where it gets its namesake from. The location is perfect and really gives you that “at home” vibe. You get to feel like you’re living in Tokyo while you stay here. It’s based at Hiro-o Station on the Hibiya line on the same side as Hiro-o Gardens (opposite Hiro-o Plaza). You’ll hit a Segafredo on the left — take the right and keep walking. Eventually you’ll see signs on the right that will point you in the right direction (my problem was I didn’t go far enough down the street before deciding it wasn’t in that direction). It will probably help a lot of you print out their map (which I thought of AFTER getting lost) before hand as well as writing down the address.

It’s location at Hiro-o station is very convenient. The area around the station is known as the very affluent Azabu district: upscale boutique stores and restaurants line the main streets. However, it’s a pretty chilled out area and has a small expat community nestled somewhere within. The station is also only 2 stops away from Shibuya, 3 from Harajuku, and 4 from Shinjuku; which are all very popular areas of Tokyo (certainly my favorites). The Hibiya line intersects the downtown Tokyo and connects all the major lines within a few stops of Hiro-o, making Azabu Court an ideal home base for your own Tokyo adventure.

The Conclusion

If I come for another visit to Tokyo, I’m staying at Azabu Court Residential Hotel for sure. It’s the best bang for the buck. It’s conveniently located. It’s well equipped for foreigners.

I highly recommend it to anyone looking to vacation in Tokyo.