Tokyo: Accommodation

I turned to Airbnb again to find somewhere to stay in the ultimate megalopolis that is Tokyo :-) . For my first few days I found a place near Shimbashi station, which was the closest to the salsa district: Roppongi. That first place was special... I laugh writing these lines, but at the time I wasn't laughing every day :-D . It cost about €14 a night and really, I should have been suspicious at a price that low (yes, the average is quite high in this country). The thing is, the flat's owner is a professional masseuse, and so in her flat there were several massage tables, separated by curtains. Normal so far — except that she rented out the massage tables. At which point you say: "but Didier, you must have seen the photos and the reviews on Airbnb, surely????" :-D , and yes, indeed — one of the photos, with hindsight... I should have clicked...

but I'd genuinely pictured something like one table in a corner of the flat. I didn't think she'd be renting out 5 adjoining tables at the same time, separated by curtains :-D ... As for the Airbnb reviews, well, there were only two, one of them in Japanese (Google Translate is useless for Japanese to French), and the other not really negative but not very positive either... And I also realise that when I don't like a place, I don't leave a negative review — I don't leave any review at all, in fact... So from now on I'll check the listing's creation date on places with few reviews before committing :-) .

I found another place, 5 minutes from Minowa station (Hibiya line). That one was rather good. Even though I was still literally sleeping on the floor (no, it wasn't a futon), I found it very practical and I stayed there for pretty much the rest of my time in Tokyo. I'd happily go back (do make sure you have your own sheets if you go).

So in summary: accommodation in Tokyo is a pain, because it isn't easy to find "good" cheap places in the centre and in the fun districts like Roppongi, Shibuya or Shinjuku... You can of course find places further out, near a metro station, but you mustn't forget three things: first, that the metro in Japan charges by distance travelled; second, that at midnight the metro is finished :-D , so not ideal for enjoying the nightlife; and finally, that taxis aren't exactly cheap in this country.