Where to stay in Tokyo: the best areas compared by trip and traveller

The verdict: Shinjuku, or Tokyo Station and Ginza

For most first trips, stay in Shinjuku. GO TOKYO, the city's official tourism site, calls it Tokyo's neon nightlife capital, and its station is served by JR's Yamanote, Chuo and other lines, the Keio and Odakyu railways and three subway lines, so almost any day starts with a direct train. It is also where trips out of the city begin: the Odakyu Romancecar leaves for Hakone, highway buses leave for Mount Fuji, and the Narita Express calls here. The price is the station itself, which GO TOKYO describes as bursting at the seams, and streets east of it that stay loud late.

Choose the Tokyo Station and Ginza area instead if you will take the shinkansen to Kyoto or the north, or would rather end the day somewhere calmer. Tokyo Station is the shinkansen hub, airport buses leave from its Yaesu side, and the Marunouchi subway line runs from the station to Ginza in three minutes and on to Shinjuku. Shinjuku is also 14 minutes away on the JR Chuo Line Rapid when you want a big night out. What you give up is nightlife on the doorstep: GO TOKYO notes that Ginza and neighbouring Shinbashi are quieter at weekends.

Whichever area you choose, two rules matter more than the neighbourhood's name. Book a hotel a few minutes' walk from a station on the JR Yamanote Line, the loop that links Tokyo Station, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Shinagawa, or from a subway station on a line that serves your plans. And keep one hotel for the whole stay: day trips to Nikko, Kamakura or Mount Fuji are easier from a fixed base than with your bags, while Hakone deserves a night of its own. The six areas in the box below are the ones to start with: decide on the area first, then the hotel.

Shinjuku and Shibuya: the west side

Shinjuku divides by exit. West of the station, Nishi-Shinjuku is a district of skyscrapers around the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, with the yakitori stalls of Omoide Yokocho just outside the station. The east side holds the department stores, restaurants and the neon of Kabukicho, which GO TOKYO describes as a maze of hotels and spots for night-time revelry, with Golden Gai's tiny bars close by. The south exit leads to the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, known as Busta Shinjuku. If you want Shinjuku's trains with quieter nights, look west of the station; if you want to walk home from Golden Gai, look east.

On the Yamanote loop, Shinjuku is 7 minutes from Shibuya and 8 from Ikebukuro, and the Toei Oedo Line reaches Roppongi in 9 minutes. GO TOKYO gives 55 minutes from Haneda by limousine bus or train and about 90 minutes from Narita on the Narita Express.

Shibuya suits travellers who want nightlife, fashion and the west's sights on the doorstep. Besides JR, its station has the Tokyo Metro Ginza, Hanzomon and Fukutoshin lines and the Keio Inokashira and Tokyu lines, Harajuku and Omotesando are about 20 minutes' walk away, and the Narita Express calls here too. GO TOKYO points to Udagawacho and Maruyamacho for live music and clubbing, and its nightlife guide lists Shibuya's clubs and music lounges among those that stay open late. The trade-offs are crowds at all hours and distance from the old east: Tokyo Station is 23 minutes away on the Yamanote Line, and Narita about 1 hour 40 minutes by train.

Tokyo Station, Marunouchi, Nihonbashi and Ginza: the centre

GO TOKYO calls Tokyo Station Japan's busiest by number of trains, with shinkansen running as far as Hokkaido and Kyushu and regular departures for Kyoto. Leave by the Marunouchi exits and you are a stone's throw from the Imperial Palace, in an office district of glass towers and tree-lined shopping streets; leave by the Yaesu side and Ginza and Nihonbashi are a few minutes' walk away. The Yaesu side is also where the airport buses stop: GO TOKYO gives about 1 hour 20 minutes to Narita by coach and 30–55 minutes to Haneda.

Nihonbashi, an easy walk from the station, was Edo's commercial centre and the starting point of Japan's five great roads; its Mitsukoshi store, founded as a kimono shop in 1673, became Japan's first department store. GO TOKYO notes that many of Tokyo's luxury hotels are concentrated around the Imperial Palace and Nihonbashi. Nihombashi Station is on the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Tozai lines and the Toei Asakusa Line, which runs through to both airports.

Ginza is for travellers who want department stores, galleries and good restaurants close by and a calm walk home. It has the Ginza, Marunouchi and Hibiya subway lines, JR Yurakucho Station is five minutes' walk away and Tokyo Station about 15, and Shinjuku is 16 minutes on the Marunouchi Line. From Narita, the TYO-NRT bus reaches Ginza Station in about 81 minutes. The drawback of the whole centre is the west: a late night in Shinjuku or Shibuya ends with a train ride back.

Asakusa and Ueno: the old east

Asakusa is the most atmospheric base: Senso-ji, Nakamise and the Sumida River are at the door, so you can walk to the temple before the day's crowds and come back after dark. The trains suit two kinds of trip. The Toei Asakusa Line runs through to Haneda, about 50 minutes away, and to Narita, and Tobu's limited expresses to Nikko start at Asakusa Station. The trade-offs are distance and early nights. Asakusa has no Yamanote station, so Tokyo Station is 20 minutes away and Shinjuku 35, both with a change at Kanda, and GO TOKYO warns that Asakusa does not necessarily offer food and drink late into the night.

Ueno is the practical choice for the east. It is on the Yamanote Line, 8 minutes from Tokyo Station and 24 from Shinjuku, with the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Hibiya lines. Keisei Ueno Station is the terminus of the Skyliner, as little as 41 minutes from Narita, and shinkansen to Utsunomiya call at Ueno, which matters if you use a Japan Rail Pass to reach Nikko. Ueno Park, with its museums and Japan's oldest zoo, is next to the station, and Ameyoko's food stalls and casual izakaya keep going late. The streets around the station are a busy transport hub rather than a quiet retreat.

One stop short of Ueno for Skyliner passengers, Nippori is another option: the Skyliner reaches it in as little as 36 minutes from Narita, it is 12 minutes from Tokyo Station on the Yamanote Line, and the old streets of Yanaka are on its doorstep.

Shinagawa, Ikebukuro, Roppongi and Akasaka: when they beat the obvious choices

Shinagawa is the best base for anyone flying in and out of Haneda or heading west by shinkansen. Keikyu trains run from Haneda's Terminal 3 to Shinagawa in 11 minutes by Rapid Express, the Tokaido shinkansen calls here on its way to Kyoto and Osaka, and the Narita Express stops here too. GO TOKYO describes Shinagawa Station as one of the world's busiest, with around a million people a day, yet less busy than Tokyo Station and so a better place to board the shinkansen. It lists hotels at every price point, from luxury hotels to budget chains close to the station. The cost is position: you are at the southern end of the loop, about 13 minutes from Tokyo Station, 19 from Shinjuku and 21 from Ueno.

Ikebukuro is Shinjuku's northern neighbour, 8 minutes away on the Yamanote Line, with the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi line to Tokyo Station in 17 minutes and the Tobu Tojo and Seibu lines heading out of the city. GO TOKYO calls it down-to-earth and high-energy, with Sunshine City's aquarium, planetarium and observation deck and a cluster of anime and manga shops. It works for families and for fans; the trade-off is a longer trip to the east and the centre, and about an hour from Haneda by train.

Roppongi and Akasaka sit in the middle of the city but on the subway only. Roppongi has the Hibiya and Toei Oedo lines, 9 minutes from Shinjuku, and GO TOKYO describes two sides to it: world-class art museums and luxury shopping, and one of Tokyo's most raucous party districts. Akasaka is the grown-up version, with many of Tokyo's premier hotels and a large share of its Michelin-starred restaurants, served by the Chiyoda Line and, ten minutes' walk away, the Ginza Line at Akasaka-mitsuke. Choose either for a luxury hotel or Roppongi's nightlife, accepting a change of train for Tokyo Station, which is 25–26 minutes away.

Match the area to your next trip

Hakone and Mount Fuji: Shinjuku. The Odakyu Romancecar reaches Hakone-Yumoto in about 80 minutes. For Fuji, the Fuji Excursion limited express runs direct from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko, in as little as 1 hour 53 minutes when we checked Fujikyu Railway's page on 2026-10-10, with four round trips a day and a fifth in some seasons. Keio's highway buses from Busta Shinjuku take about 1 hour 45 minutes to Kawaguchiko Station, and Shibuya has its own buses from the Shibuya Expressway Bus Terminal on the fifth floor of Shibuya Mark City, which take about 2 hours 30 minutes.

Kyoto and Osaka: Tokyo Station or Shinagawa. Kyoto's official guide puts Tokyo Station to Kyoto at about 130 minutes on the Nozomi shinkansen. The same trains call at Shinagawa, which GO TOKYO calls a better place to board because it is less busy, so if you arrive at Haneda and leave Tokyo for Kyoto, Shinagawa covers both journeys.

Nikko: Asakusa or Ueno. Tobu's limited expresses run direct from Asakusa to Tobu-Nikko in about 1 hour 50 minutes. With a Japan Rail Pass, take the shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno to Utsunomiya and change to the JR Nikko Line. Shinjuku and Ikebukuro also have through limited expresses to Tobu-Nikko, in about two hours, so a west-side base does not rule Nikko out.

The airports. For Haneda, choose Shinagawa or the Tokyo Station area: besides Keikyu to Shinagawa, the Tokyo Monorail reaches Hamamatsucho in 13 minutes, seven minutes from Tokyo Station on the Yamanote Line. For Narita, Ueno and Nippori have the Skyliner; the Narita Express serves Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku, with seats on both reserved; and Keisei's Access Express runs through to Nihonbashi and Shinagawa, and to Asakusa in about 50 minutes, without a change.

Families, nightlife, budget and quiet nights

Families do best in Ueno, Ikebukuro or Shinagawa. Ueno has the zoo, which GO TOKYO says takes a good half-day, and the National Museum of Nature and Science with its dinosaurs; Ikebukuro has Sunshine City's aquarium, planetarium and the indoor food and play 'towns' of NAMJATOWN; Shinagawa has two aquariums, one inside the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. With children, send big suitcases from the airport to the hotel (see below) so the first train ride is easy.

For nightlife, sleep where you will drink. GO TOKYO's nightlife guide points to Shinjuku, from Golden Gai to Kabukicho, Shibuya's clubs and music lounges, and Roppongi's English-speaking clubs and bars as the best bets for late weekend nights.

On a budget, GO TOKYO points to Tokyo's hostels and guest houses and to capsule hotels, some of them for women only. JNTO, Japan's national tourism organisation, says capsule hotels are usually cheaper than a regular hotel and tend to be near stations, but large suitcases normally have to be left at reception. If you book a private rental (minpaku), check that it is legal: GO TOKYO advises looking for a Tokyo registration number beginning with M13 or a permit number, and warns that illegal lodgings risk sudden cancellation and poor fire safety.

For quiet nights, choose Marunouchi or Nihonbashi, whose office streets and department stores surround Tokyo Station, or Akasaka, which GO TOKYO calls a grown-up destination of luxury hotels and fine restaurants. GO TOKYO also describes Shinagawa as a business hub known for its high level of public safety.

Before you book, and the 30-second choice

Budget for Tokyo's accommodation tax, which hotels collect from guests. When we checked on 2026-10-10, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government listed ¥100 per person per night for room charges of ¥10,000 to under ¥15,000 and ¥200 from ¥15,000. For stays from 1 April 2027, the tax becomes 3% of the room charge, and stays under ¥13,000 per person per night are exempt; from the same date it also covers hostels, guest houses and private rentals, not only hotels and ryokan.

Expect check-in in the afternoon: the large hotels we looked up on GO TOKYO's listings gave check-in at 14:00 or 15:00 and check-out at 11:00 or 12:00. JNTO notes that visitors from abroad must write their passport number on the registration form at check-in and show the passport to be photocopied. If you land early, station coin lockers take bags for the day, though GO TOKYO warns they fill quickly at the big stations.

The airport luggage counters at Haneda and Narita will send your bags to the hotel, generally arriving a day later, so keep what you need for the first night; hotel front desks can send them on again when you leave. If you land at Haneda Terminal 3, Keikyu's same-day counter on the second floor of the station is faster: when we checked on 2026-10-10, it accepted bags from 07:00 to 16:00 for hotels in Tokyo's 23 wards, at ¥1,600 per bag up to 120 cm and ¥2,100 up to 160 cm.

• First trip, no strong plan: Shinjuku, on the west side of the station for quieter nights.
• Kyoto or the north by shinkansen, calm evenings: Tokyo Station, Marunouchi, Nihonbashi or Ginza.
• Flying into Haneda, then Kyoto: Shinagawa.
• Flying into Narita, or Nikko next: Ueno or Asakusa.
• Hakone or Mount Fuji next: Shinjuku.
• Nightlife first: Shinjuku, Shibuya or Roppongi.
• Children in tow: Ueno, Ikebukuro or Shinagawa.
• Tight budget: a capsule hotel or hostel near a Yamanote Line station.
• Luxury and quiet: Marunouchi, Nihonbashi or Akasaka.