Lost In Translation: Our Two Hectic Nights in Tokyo with Kids

1. Back from Japan: a life-changing experience
2. JAL business class vs. Delta premium select (review of our flights to/from Japan)
3. Japan sightseeing and transportation logistics for the lazy and/or mobility-challenged 
4. Why you should consider renting a machiya during your family vacation in Japan 
5. If you can only stay in one city in Japan, make it Kyoto
6. Hiroshima: looking beyond the atomic bomb legacy 
7. Lost in translation: our two hectic nights in Tokyo with kids (this post)

First things first. No, we did not stay at Park Hyatt Tokyo, often associated with the movie “Lost in Translation.”  I wasn’t about to drop 60k Hyatt points on two rooms/per night. In fact, I didn’t even watch the film, but even if I did, there is no way I could justify this kind of a splurge. Instead, we stayed in Comfort Inn Roppongi. I’ve heard it’s cheaper and just as good. I’m kidding. Literally no-one said that. Ever.

How we ended up staying in Comfort Inn Roppongi hotel

Originally, I used Hyatt points to book an Atrium suite+room at Hyatt Regency Tokyo. IMO this particular suite is a relative bargain (24k points per night), especially if you are traveling with two young kids. Lounge access is included for everyone, not  just Globalists.

A reminder that  you can accumulate Hyatt points via transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards with the help of cards like Chase Ink Business Preferred card (our affiliate link)

I’ve reached out to the hotel, and was told that as long as your children are 12 and under, there would be no extra charge for a rollaway. The second kid could sleep on a sofa. My daughter was supposed to stay with her grandma in a separate room, so this setup was ideal for my situation.

However, as it got closer to our trip, it became clear that the location of this Hyatt was not ideal in regards to our sightseeing plans. If there is one thing I want to stress with this post is the importance of picking the right location for your particular situation. Tokyo is huge, and you don’t want to spend hours in commute each day. This is especially important if your time in Tokyo is short. I also really wanted a hotel with a laundry room, for obvious reasons.

To begin with, I planned to spend four nights in Tokyo, but cut it down to two. It was for the most part the right decision, as we loved our last two nights in Hakone (more on that in my next post). But needless to say,  it made our Tokyo stay quite hectic. This is why I researched various locations, and settled on Roppongi.

I’ve read that it’s mostly an entertainment district where it can get loud at night, but we didn’t encounter any issues. It’s also a place where Tokyo Tower is located.

After tons of research, I chose Comfort Inn Roppongi. Why? Two reasons: reasonable price and large rooms. I actually didn’t have any spare Choice points, and ended up paying cash. It cost us $95 per night/per room. They did charge me an extra $15 per night  for my son to use a sofa bed, but it’s not a deal breaker by any means.

If you redeem Choice currency, it will cost you 16k points per night, which is a pretty good deal. Find Choice credit card non-affiliate application link here.

Make sure to select a room that  fits 5. It doesn’t really, they just assume that each parent will be sharing a bed with a child. They only have two or three of these rooms in the hotel, and they make only one available via points. So, these tend to go fast, especially during high season. The room is 350 square feet, which is huge by Tokyo standards, trust me. Other rooms in the hotel are 170  square feet, and only a little bit cheaper.

The decor was spartan, but the room was clean and the A/C cold. It definitely had enough space for two or three people. The  mattresses were very hard, but that seems to be the case at most hotels in Japan, even fancy ones.

The room faced the road, so there was some traffic noise, but it did subside by 10 pm or so. We brought a noise machine, which mostly drowned outside sounds.The bathroom was basic, but clean.

There were hooks to hang your coats or Australian hats:

The hotel didn’t have a lobby, but there was a place to sit while waiting for Uber.

I appreciated the fact that they had free drinks available to all guests at certain times of the day.

The room rate does not include free breakfast, but you can buy vouchers for $8 per person to use in a Thai restaurant adjacent to the hotel.
I’ve never had Thai breakfast, so was curious. It was a decent small buffet, and the coffee was good. For $8 it would be silly to complain.

There was a laundry room with one washer, but the dryer was extremely old and took forever to dry a load of clothes. This is probably my one big complaint about the hotel. Still, it was nice not to go looking for a laundromat, especially with our limited time in the city. Plus, I ended up hanging some items to air dry in the room. It wasn’t a perfect setup, but we managed. All in all, this hotel was decent, and the biggest selling point was its central location.

Is the room as nice as the Atrium Suite at Hyatt Regency? I’m 100% certain that it’s not. But Comfort Inn Roppongi served its purpose, and we all got decent sleep here. I got an excellent deal for $95 per night and would not hesitate to use points here in the future, as long as I could get the same type of room.

I did look at apartments, but the biggest issue was  having to share one bathroom with five people. Our situation was unique since my MIL was traveling with us, so we could put her and the kids in a separate room. And we did.

What we did in Tokyo

Most of our activities were planned with kids in mind. Also, since we have already had a “taste” of old Japan in Kyoto, I wanted to focus on things that are modern and weird during our short stay in Tokyo. Basically, the weirder the better.

1) Seeing the giant Godzilla head statue in Shinjuku

This is the first place we went to after flying to Tokyo from Hiroshima and checking into our hotel.

It’s located in Gracery hotel in Shinjuku, and technically only guests are supposed to access the area from the inside. Alternatively, you can have desserts in the cafe (a bit on expensive side), which is what we did.

I did see a lot of “squatters” (no judgement), but wanted to play by the rules. They also sell a lot of Godzilla souvenirs, and there are various movie posters on the walls.

And this area brought out a child in my middle-aged husband:

But the star attraction is the Godzilla head itself, which lets out steam and roars  at certain times of the day :

Note the airplane on the photo

Bottom line: if you have kids or are a big kid at heart, you should come here while in Tokyo.

2) Wandering the streets of Harajuku 

We came here via Uber after looking at Godzilla statue, since Harajuku is relatively close to Shinjuku area. Takeshita is a very colorful street popular with teenagers, and my kids had a blast here.

There are all kinds of shops with hipster clothes:

Stores that sell crepes filled with ice cream and fruit:

 

And my son’s favorite, giant cotton candy:

If you have kids, this is something I highly recommend you do while in Tokyo. Otherwise, Harajuku is skippable IMO.

3) TeamLab Planets

TeamLab Planets is an interactive art muséum, located in Odaiba section of Tokyo. This was recommended on Reddit, TripAdvisor and by Robert from Milenomics blog.

Most folks seem to love it…but I didn’t. Maybe I’m jaded, but it just didn’t do it for me. My husband felt the same way. It seemed gimmicky, and I didn’t like walking through exhibits with my bare feet.

I was bored, to be honest, though the section with fresh flowers was quite stunning.  

That said, my kids and MIL loved it, so I have no regrets booking it. And at $25 per person, the cost is fairly reasonable. So, my advice is to book it ahead (the slots are limited and do sell out) if you plan to be in Odaiba area anyway. But I would not go out of my way for it.

Verdict: Overrated and skippable for adults, but likely worth it if you have kids. Again, my opinion.

4) Gundam statue at Diver City mall in Odaiba

This stop fulfilled three goals: lunch, shopping and looking at the giant Unicorn Gundam statue that goes into “destroy” mode every hour.

My son loved looking at the statue (free!), and my daughter enjoyed shopping at “Hello Kitty” store. The mall is only ten minutes from TeamLab exhibit via Uber, so it was our logical next stop. Thumbs up!

5) Science museum in Odaiba

Miraikan museum is worth a visit, since it has some interesting exhibits, but it’s not a must if you are limited on time.

My son and husband enjoyed it, but my MIL and daughter decided to skip it and go back to the hotel. It’s cheap ($5 per person), so you won’t lose much either way. And it’s very close to Diver City mall, so might as well add it if you have extra time.

6) Exploring Akihabara district

This is something we did in the evening with the kids, after first going back to the hotel, so my husband could take a nap. Akihabara is known for anime/computer shops and Maid Cafes. The latter is a weird concept, with scantily-clad “maids” basically standing at every corner trying to lure you into their establishments. I found it bizarre, but to each his own.

Before the trip, my husband asked me if we could go to “Hard On” store in Akihabara. Say what? I looked it up, and it’s actually called “Hard Off.” My husband laughed and said he figured it’s one of those “lost in translation” moments. See, there is a reason I included this reference in the title of the post.

Anyway, “Hard Off” in Akihabara district is the original second-hand store for electronics and such. My family had a blast here and left with gently used Nintendo consoles, which we had a hard time fitting into our suitcases.

I even saw an old Soviet movie with Japanese subtitles. Talk about a weird find?! It’s basically a Soviet version of “Pretty woman”, but without a happy ending. Just a heads up in case  you want to watch it (and you know you do).  

Another thing we did in Akihabara is visit a cat cafe, something my kids demanded.

The cats were jerks here, but a fish treat would get them to come out and grace you with their presence. Hey, most cats are jerks, right? But I still love them.

Final thoughts 

Tokyo was my least favorite city in Japan. It was hectic, and there were people everywhere. Honestly, I was happy to leave for peaceful area of Hakone. Still, it was an exciting two days, for sure, especially for my kids.

Tokyo is an overload on all of your senses, a city full of energy and sometimes chaos. But it’s a place that you definitely should visit while you are in Japan. There is truly something for everyone here in terms of hotels, restaurants and attractions. If you are looking for weird, exciting and quintessentially Japanese, this is the city to go to.