On my last trip here (November 2003), I stayed at the New Koyo in Taito-Ku. It’s a bit out of the way, then nearest JR station being Minami-Senju. That’s several stops outside the Yamanote but you can’t beat the price.
This trip, I decided to stay somewhere different, albeit a tad pricer. The Annex Katsutaro is in Yanaka, a little bit closer than the New Koyo is. The nearest subway stop is Sendagi on the Chiyoda Line. It’s a one block walk (as opposed to the 6 block death march from Minami-Senju to the New Koyo). If you’re on JR or jumping off the Skyliner, you get off the train at Nippori Station and walk for about 10 minutes.
There’s a big pedestrianized street after you walk past the Yanaka Cemetary with all kinds of markets and shops. That’s called the Yanaka Ginza.
Walk to the end and make a left. Walk another block and you’ll see the Annex.
It’s new and it’s modern and it has three times the space that a room at the New Koyo has. And it has free internet via CAT 5 jacks in the walls. Wah!
The room was roomy, clean an it had a microfridge. And its own bathroom. Next time me and the fellas come to Japan, we stay here. No more friggin’ business hotels for me!
Best of all, if you dun bring yr Powerbook w/you, there’s FREE internet in the hall, a pee cee and a slot loading iMac. An iMac! Cool!
Thumbs up, and this is why I stayed here as opposed to the New Koyo this time, April. =P
Hi,
I’m going to Tokyo this summer (I know it’s hot and humid) and I’m thinking about staying at this same ryokan, and I have some questions I would like you to answer (if possible):
1- When you were there, did it have curfew?
2- The room of the photos was small or large (as they have two types of single rooms)?
3- Is the ryokan well communicated?
4- Did you enjoy your stay?
Once I read you reply I may get a better impression of the place and decide to stay there.
Many thanks in advance.
EEeeeeek! Tokyo in the summer? Wow, brave man!
I know that the monsoon moves from north to south sometime in May/June that has torrential rains. Then the heat and humidity kick in immediately after that. Thankfully, Annex Katsutaro has Air-Con.
To answer your questions:
1. No curfew when I went. They did close the desk down at 2200 and lock the door. If you plan to stay out late, ask them for the day’s door code.
2. Hey, they redid their website! Looking at the pics they have up, I think I got the big “rooms with bath (1-2 persons)”. It was a roomy room, comparable to room size in the US. That’s big.
3. When I made reservations and inquiries, they responded quickly. Also the rooms had ethernet jacks and free broadband when I was there.
4. I enjoyed my stay there. A lot! The location (1 block from Sendagi station, Chiyoda line) was great and having Yanaka Ginza right there was fun. Annex Katsutaro is at one end of Yanaka Ginza; the other end is near a staircase. At the top (I think), there’s a pet store and a fenced off outdoor area where the doggies get some air. There are a lot of stray cats that hang out near the stairs. One of the obaasan brings out milk for the cats in the afternoon. It’s a very local neighbourhood, as opposed to being brash, slick and touristy. You should also take a stroll through the Yanaka Cemetery. Very peaceful.
Thanks a lot for the fast reply Rodney 😉 I think that I’m definitely staying there. Anyhow, I have some more questions, so I hope you can answer them too:
5. Do you know if they have any kind of long stay discount rates? I plan to stay in Tokyo for 3 weeks and I would like to be at this ryokan all that time. I have already asked them about this in the reservation form they have on the website, but I have not received any reply yet. Did you maybe get in touch with them by email? Was it this one: info-annex@katsutaro.com? I’d rather send them an email than filling a reservation form, but they don’t specify any email at their website.
6. Could you by any chance send me or upload somewhere any photos where anything related to the facilities of the ryokan and its surroundings appear besides the ones you already posted in this blog entry? I would like to see as much as I can of the ryokan just to be sure where I’m going (althoug I’m almost sure I’m staying there).
Well mate, many thanks again and thanks also for the suggestions about where to go; I’ll sure visit the Yanaka Cemetery 🙂
Kind regards,
Jon Huertas.