Areas to stay on Tokyo and Kyoto

For my own trip this spring I have received a lot of good information as to such practical questions from YouTube videos. Especially those by Kensho Quest and Abby from Pictour. Also the websites Inside Tokyo and Inside Kyoto by Chris Rawthorne a former Lonely Planet guidebook writer. Enjoy the planning!

In Tokyo, we enjoyed our stay in the Hotel Sunroute Plaza in Shinjuku because it was near many attractions shopping and restaurants.

In Kyoto, we stayed at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma near Shijo Station, but anywhere close to Karasuma Street is good, imo. We also treated ourselves to one night in Onyado Nono Kyoto Shichijo Natural Hot Spring Hotel which is a short walk from Kyoto Station.

We stayed in hotels, but that was because we were 5 adults and we needed 3 rooms with our own private bathrooms. For a couple or family of 3, there were lots of affordable AirBnBs in these same areas.

I like staying near train stations in Japan. In Kyoto, The Thousand was great. I bet The Century also is good.

Note I don’t know about kitchen and laundry but did use nearby 7/11 for food.

Loved all the convenience store food! 7-Eleven, Lawsons, Family Mart.

I'm inclined to say that since both cities can't be seen entirely on foot, and are incredibly "safe", it's not that important. We stayed at:
Hotel Kanra Kyoto 190 Kitamachi, Karasumi-dori, Kyoto (walkable to main station, several sights, and for our Nara & Inari (short) rail trips.)
Hilton Tokyo 160-0023 Shinjuku-Ku (for the points.)

I used to live in Tokyo and I travel to Japan once a year for fun and to visit my host family from the ‘80s. We’re still tight! I’ve planned lots of Japanese itineraries for friends and family. Know Japan like the back of my hand. For Tokyo and it being your first time I highly recommend staying in either Asakusa or Ueno. Lots to see and do but not as crazy busy and overwhelming as uber popular Shinjuku and Shibuya. Plus both Asakusa and Ueno still have that old time traditional charm of Tokyo back in the Edo days, so it’s perfect for a first timer. Asakusa is the location of probably the #1 attraction in Tokyo, Sensoji temple and Nakamisedori shopping arcade. While they’re so packed with tourist during the day what’s nice is if you stay in Asakusa you can explore the sites almost all to yourself at night when everyone’s gone back to their hotels and the grounds of Sensoji are so beautiful and magical at night all lit up with strings of lights and lanterns. Similarly when you’re very jet legged and need something to do at 5am you can wander outside and explore Asakusa (or Ueno) all to yourself in the early morning hours before the tourists show up at 9am. Ueno has the beautiful Ueno Park and campus of museums and of course the old black markets called Ameyokocho with discounted goods left over from when the American GIs stayed on to trade goods after WWII. The statue of the Last Samurai is in Ueno park too and during Springtime, Ueno Park has one of the best Sakaru cherry blossom fields you’ve ever seen. Japanese locals flock to Ueno Park with their picnic baskets and bottles of sake to sit under the cherry trees of Ueno Park and sing cherry blossom songs! Bottomline for Tokyo, as long as you stay at a hotel or Airbnb that’s a 10 minute walk or less from one of the train stations on the main Yamanote line that literally loops around Tokyo proper, you’re golden. Trust me, you’re going to do a ton of walking each day, easily 20,000 steps, so staying at a hotel that’s less than a 10 min walk from a train station stop is key to a happy trip to Japan. And please no big suitcases. Not only will you get looks from locals for bringing large pieces of luggage on the trains, you will quickly grow to resent your large luggage as you have to lug it up and down many stairs of the train stations throughout Japan. Ok, so for Kyoto there’s 2 schools of thought for a 1st timer. If you plan on making any day trips from Kyoto, do yourself a big favor and pick accommodations very close to Kyoto station. Otherwise if you’re going to be camped out in only Kyoto for a number of days, try to stay in either the traditional Gion district or the nearby Higashiyama district. Both locations have all the traditional popular sites you’re going to want to see. Please be mindful that if you come across any geisha or maiko in Gion, please do not take their photos. It’s considered very rude as they are valued by Japanese society as cultural icons of Japan. It’s gotten so bad with tourists not behaving appropriately that the Japanese government has started posting Do not photograph the Geisha signs throughout the Gion district. A 3rd option would be to stay in the Kawaramachi area if you’re looking to be more in the center of Kyoto and you want to attend a Kabuki performance at the Minami-za theatre or have dinner in the very lively Pontocho area, which I highly recommend. Btw, in Pontocho, try to pick a restaurant in the middle of restaurant row on the east side of the street as those are the restaurants that have outside terraces where you can dine and watch the twinkling lights and strollers along the beautiful Kamogawa river. Also, make sure you Google your travel dates for both Tokyo and Kyoto festivals as Japan loves its festivals and there’s nothing more fun than to join the locals in celebrating an outside festival parade or dance. There will be lots of delicious street food stalls set up too. Have fun!! Jennyd

Forgot to mention that my fav hotel that has kitchen and washer/dryer is the “Section L Hotel” chain. Quite a few of them in Tokyo. Also, highly popular with families are Tokyu Stays and Mimaru hotels. They have kitchen and washer/dryers too. Locations in both Tokyo and Kyoto. Fantastic resource for tracking fun festival dates are: https://japancheapo.com/events/june/ and https://tokyocheapo.com
Hope this helps!
Jennyd from Chicago

Not a hotel recommendation, but an activity recommendation. Kyoto Family Kitchen: https://kyotofamilykitchen.com/. Cook dinner with an American husband and Japanese wife in their home in a Kyoto neighborhood and then eat with them and their children. It's a great opportunity to learn about life in Kyoto. Food and conversation are great. Go for the optional gyoza option if offered... one of the children was very eager to teach us how to make it.