Tokyo, Summer '12.

[ThinasLWD]

Thanks for the information.. I think I'll refrain myself from buying a JR pass now haha. Just too expensive man. And yes ! I'm not unwilling to reside somewhere near Shibuya, as long as I can reach it by train pretty easily it's fine. Somewhat around 30-45 minutes to Shibuya 109 and you won't hear me whine at all haha. Thanks for everything !

[godwine]

Originally Posted by ThinasLWD

Thanks again for the reply, uhm where should I start.. I've taken a look at the hotel you recommended however it turned out to be one I've already checked out myself. It didn't really catch my eye, I'd rather find something else (no offense). What I'm actually looking for is just a normal room, as long as it includes a twin bed/two singles, a tv, wi-fi/guest computers (Either one) a bath and a normal toilet en suite, so not a public sanitary space hehe. If you can't find anything below €60 ($70-$75) it's fine, it's always worth considering just staying a little less longer and just have a 'normal' hotel. I'm sorry if I seem like a spoiled brat, I'm just used to having certain things in whereever I'm residing, hence why I have those 'must's' for in the hotel room. If it's something that's close to Shibuya it's fine as well ! I appreciate your effort like crazy, couldn't be more happier to find someone willing to put in that much effort just to help a stranger haha. Thanks man..

About Odaiba, it looks magnificent ! I've just taken a quick look at everything and I'll be sure to go there. I'll look at Harajuku later this evening .

Thats fair, I mean Fukuday ais a ryokan, not everyone's thing....

This is probably your best bet: Oak Hotel (Taito, Japan) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor its cheap and it offers everything that you wanted, I didn't like it myself at all, but to many high school and college student, its the best thing

Thakns John for correcting the calculation, I was too lazy to look up exchave rate and continue to use my 1:100 figure from a few years back , I should have done a better job if I wanted to give advice, my apologies

I will have to agree with John, Shibuya and Shinjuku pretty much spell "Expensive", unless you are really willing to go with lower grade places. The only other 2 hotel's I've stayed at are the Nikko at Odaiba and Tokyo Prince, but those may be a bit over your budget... Prince can be cheaper depending on the time, it can be as cheap as 7000 yen per person per night, and its right beside the tokyo tower....

[godwine]

Originally Posted by godwine

Thats fair, I mean Fukuday ais a ryokan, not everyone's thing....

This is probably your best bet: Oak Hotel (Taito, Japan) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor its cheap and it offers everything that you wanted, I didn't like it myself at all, but to many high school and college student, its the best thing

Thakns John for correcting the calculation, I was too lazy to look up exchave rate and continue to use my 1:100 figure from a few years back , I should have done a better job if I wanted to give advice, my apologies

I will have to agree with John, Shibuya and Shinjuku pretty much spell "Expensive", unless you are really willing to go with lower grade places. The only other 2 hotel's I've stayed at are the Nikko at Odaiba and Tokyo Prince, but those may be a bit over your budget... Prince can be cheaper depending on the time, it can be as cheap as 7000 yen per person per night, and its right beside the tokyo tower....

Go to the link I sent you, it list all the train station accessible by the Yamanote train, which is likely going to be your best friend when you are in Tokyo, just find a hotel that is close to one of these stations....

[JohnBraden]

Originally Posted by godwine

Thakns John for correcting the calculation, I was too lazy to look up exchave rate and continue to use my 1:100 figure from a few years back , I should have done a better job if I wanted to give advice, my apologies

Now those are the rates I remember fondly in '05!!!! I was staying at the Keio Plaza back then.... Last year was more like 1:82 and I was at the Shinagawa Prince.... I am going back to that hotel in March because of the convenience of the station across the street. All my Shinkansen rides from Tokyo can be taken there or a short stint on the Yamanote-sen to Tokyo Station....

[godwine]

Originally Posted by JohnBraden

Now those are the rates I remember fondly in '05!!!! I was staying at the Keio Plaza back then.... Last year was more like 1:82 and I was at the Shinagawa Prince.... I am going back to that hotel in March because of the convenience of the station across the street. All my Shinkansen rides from Tokyo can be taken there or a short stint on the Yamanote-sen to Tokyo Station....

1:100 never was the figure, its just close enough that i got lazy (Yes i need to correct that)...

How much is Shinagawa prince these days?

I usually stay at the Royal Park when I am in Yokohama.. i really like that place... one of my favourite base on location:

Yokohama - Royal Park, Super Hotel Shin Yokohama

Tokyo - Fukudaya, Prince, Hotel Nikko

Kyoto - Granvia

[JohnBraden]

Originally Posted by godwine

How much is Shinagawa prince these days?

Let's say it's pricey and leave it at that. I messed up a bit when reserving it, but my room came to about $140/night.... My hotel in Osaka, on the other hand was $60/night and it's 3 minutes from Shin-Osaka station: Shin-Osaka Station Hotel.... small but it has good reviews and a washer/drier!

[Sangetsu]

The best way to get to and from the airport is the limousine bus. The ticket cou ter for the bus is just outside the customs door at the terminal, and the bus stop is just outside. The bus will take you to the larger hotels, and save you the trouble of navigating Tokyo train stations after a long flight.

The Shinagawa Prince hotel should still be under $100 per night, and as Shinagawa is located on the Yamanote loop, it is a good place to base your stay in the city. The Tokaido line also stops at Shinagawa, so you can access Yokohama and other places easily enough.

I don't really know of any genuine traditional villages in Japan, but you can find many old neighborhoods throughout the city. Out in the countryside in Chiba or Saitama you'll find more traditional homes and buildings, but you can find examples of these buildings in the heart of Tokyo in places like Kanda, Asakusa, or Tsukishima. I find the most interesting places if I just walk around with no destination in mind.

Getting around Tokyo is not hard, you can rent a bicycle at Oryx, or by a couple cheap bikes on Craigslist Tokyo, and just leave them at the station when you leave.

For skyscrapers, they are everywhere. I am sitting in Marunouchi as I write, and I am surrounded by skyscrapers. There are more in Shinagawa, Shinjuku, Akasaka, and Roppongi.

[ThinasLWD]

@Godwine thank you for all the wonderful work you've done so far.. Unfortunately the Oak hotel (Which looks perfect as for what I'm looking for) is full ! Darn it haha. Thanks for the effort anyway, I'll just continue to search via Booking.com since it gives a list of hotels that are available on the selected date NEAR Oak.. So thanks a bunch !

@Sangetsu thanks man ! I've taken a look at the hotel and it looks amazing.. I hope it's not full, I'll check it out soon. Also the info about the skycrapers and the bike, perfect !

Thanks all for most of these replies, I'm sure I have enough sites and places to do research on now.. If I come up with anymore questions I'll just ask. Domo arigato !!