In my last entry, i described how tired and hungry i was coming out of the Tsukiji Subway Station.
Ginza Capital Hotel turned out to be just the right antidote. Small yet well-furnished. Centrally-located yet away from the bustle of downtown Ginza. This little hotel was just the place to launch our forays into Tokyo.
Location
Although it’s called the Ginza Capital Hotel, the hotel’s actually located some distance away from the main Ginza shopping district. A brisk walk of about 15-20min would take you there but i’d advise taking the subway instead. Ginza station is just 2 stops away from Tsukiji station (JPY160 per person) down the Hibiya Line.
Take note: this hotel is far away from Shibuya and Shinjuku both of which should be in your itinerary. To go to either district, you’ll need to change trains at the Ginza station – to Maronouchi Line for Shinjuku and Fukutoshin Line for Shibuya.
Facilities
Our rates didn’t include meals and we didn’t eat at either in-house restaurants as we were busy sampling food elsewhere.
If you’re lazy to venture out, there are 2 restaurants in the hotel. Flora, located at the ground floor, was more of a drinking place. It served breakfast sets at JPY 1470 & limited ala-carte dinners ranging between JPY 1200 and 1700.
Irifune at the 2nd floor is a Japanese restaurant serving sushi and other dishes for prices similar to that of Flora‘s.
There is a 24-hour convenience store 50m away from the hotel which is good for stocking up on drinks and snacks.
One big disappointment we had was that the main hotel building doesn’t provide any internet access. You have to walk about 150m to the newer building (i.e. Annex) and pay to use their internet PC.
Room and amenities
In trip advisor, someone had written about how small the room was. Well it certainly wasn’t big.
As you can see, there is barely enough walking space in front of the bed. However, the room, toilet and specifically the carpet were clean.
Frankly, the room’s size was not a deal breaker for us.
There was a 14 inch TV, mini-fridge, a small electric heater for boiling water for tea and adjustable air-conditioning.
The electric heater was meant for brewing tea but we used it for making hot beverages such as instant 3-in-1 coffee in the morning. And i’d imagine it useful for making that occasional supper of instant oriental “cup” noodles.
The toilet
Yes the toilet which came with a bath tub was small – there was just enough standing room for one person in front of the wash basin. I’m of medium build and it wasn’t a problem for me but i could imagine heftier people having problems manoeuvring inside it.
There was a wall-mounted dispenser of shower cream, shampoo and hair conditioner so you need not bring your own.
The toilet had a “washlet” for cleaning up your bottom end. If you’ve not used something like this before, i urge that you try it. Once you get over the initial queasiness, you won’t want to use paper again.
Oh and the instructions were printed on the wall.
In summary: a comfortable, clean hotel
We wanted a clean and comfortable place to rest in after a long day out and the Ginza Capital Hotel was able to meet our needs.
Do not expect 5-stars rooms, furnishings and facilities though. You get what you pay for. The room and its furnishings while clean are old. The toilet while clean (again) and adequately furnished, was small.
Our biggest gripe was that there was no internet access and it could be inconvenient if you need to do last-minute research on your itinerary.
Its location was acceptable to us as we wanted to stay away from the hustle-and-bustle. Most if not all of the major tourist districts are easily accessible via the Tsukiji station located 10 mins away on foot.
Directions from Narita and to Haneda Airports
1. Getting there from Narita Airport: Take the Keisei Express Train to Ueno (60-80 mins ride costing 1920 and 2800 JPY for unreserved and reserved seats respectively) and buy a subway ticket for the Tsukiji Station (15 mins ride costing 160 JPY) along the (grey) Hibiya Line. Make sure you get on the train going in the right direction – look for the word “Ginza” and you’re on the right platform. Once you come out of the train, walk along the platform until you reach the gates for Exit 4. Once out of Exit 4, walk straight on until you see a 24-hour convenience store on your left at the corner of the block. Turn left here and you should be able to see the sign for the Ginza Capital Hotel (Main building) about a 100m down the side street. Look right and across the street and you’ll see the newer Annex building.
2. Going to Haneda Airport: It’s not adviseable to go to Haneda via train/subway on weekday mornings if you’re carrying heavy, bulky luggages. The trains are likely to be very crowded and the Airport Limousine is a good alternative. Take a cab (10-15 mins ride costing about 800 JPY without traffic jams) to Tokyo Station’s Yaesu South Exit. Ask to be dropped in front of a food mall called the “Hokkaido Foodist”. It’s a good idea to ask the hotel reception to write you the directions in Japanese for showing the cab driver. The small, nondescript bus stop for the Airport Limousine is located right in front of the food mall. There are scheduled buses to Haneda (900 JPY) every hour and you purchase your tickets on the spot from the bus driver. Be there at least 15 mins before the scheduled time. Buses leave on the dot and they don’t take reservations.
Tags: Ginza Capital Hotel, Review
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog.
Tim Ramsey
Hello Tim,
I’m glad that you enjoy my ramblings. As you can probably tell, i’m having a hard time keeping up with my posts. I’m going to write some short articles and reviews of my recent holiday in Japan. Keeping my fingers crossed for now