Oak Hotel, Tokyo

When I first entered the lobby, I felt reashured at seeing a foreigner behind the counter who spoke fluent English. No, communication problems at this hotel. Also the lobby had many friendly poloroid pictures displayed of guests who had stayed from many countries around the world. There was a computer in the lobby and an information board with maps and fliers about Tokyo in English. I had the distinct impression that this hotel was made for the budget foreign tourist in mind. Then I steped in the tiny, dirty elevator and assended to my room. Stepping in the room I was met with a fowl, musty odor. I tried opening the windows, then realized there was no screen on them so mosquitos would get in if I opened the window. So, I turned on the air conditioner. Atleast that worked. The room looked rather dingy and dark and well lived in. I took a walk around the neighbourhood and it was like a ghost town. All the shops were borded up early and the only thing to do was to walk to a convience store. Rather disapointing neighbourhood. Back in the room, I tried to sleep on the bed. I was tossing and turning with back pains because of the UNBELIEVABLY HARD bed. All in all in was an uncomfortable experience. Although it is easy for foreigers to access, I was left with an impression that there are MUCH better options available in a HUGE city like Tokyo at a similar price range. Go elsewhere.

i stayed there only one night for a stopover. The amenities were very basic but i found everything i needed. There were free broadband connecton in the room but also PCs available in the lobby, w/ Skype phones for international calls. I thought that was an especially nice touch. I liked the hostel vibe, and The location is great, although it's still a bit of a distance from the Ueno station. I was able to walk to the Asakusa Temple in about 20 - 25 minutes and enjoy a pleasant afternoon before i hop on my flight to New York.

the oak hotel perfectly fitted our demands. it was clean, we had a boiler, a fridge & a flatscreen-tv and at the reception we could find lots of helpful suggestions for our 1-week-trip, such as the ghibli-museum in mitaka, mount fuji tours or other sightseeing possibilities. in the end they took a picture of us and pinned it to their wall which had already atleast 100 photos on it... very nice & friendly people there, check it out ! :)