The Edo Sakura

“The Edo Sakura feels like home and the breakfasts are delicious”

This is my third time at the Edo Sakura. I stayed here first with my daughter and we fell in love with the delicious breakfasts and the kindness and friendliness of the staff. I returned with my husband last year and with friends this year. We were fortunate to find availability for 3 rooms as the … more

This is my third time at the Edo Sakura. I stayed here first with my daughter and we fell in love with the delicious breakfasts and the kindness and friendliness of the staff. I returned with my husband last year and with friends this year. We were fortunate to find availability for 3 rooms as the word seems to be out about this place and they are very busy, even in a slow month for tourism. As we came back to the ryokan last night, one of my friends said "I feel like I'm coming home" and we all have the same feeling. It's reallly a wonderful place. It's not fancy but clean and simple, with all the amenities one needs including individual heater/air conditioners in each room to be as toasty or cool as one wants. There's a small fee for laundry--but they do the laundry for you and you return to it nicely folded in a basket in your room. The public baths (small fee to use) are small, really more individual baths though I did share one with my 6' 5" husband but fine and clean. Really the only thing that was not perfect for me was that there is no plug in the bathroom in the Western style room that I took so my friends could experience the Japanese style ones. I had to use the blow dryer in the main room that has no mirror. Iriya Station is a ten minute walk maximum and Ueno Station about a 20 minute walk. This station is near the gorgeous Ueno Park with many museums and temples, a zoo, cafe and Starbucks. There's a great little bar with tasty food a block away as well as a "combini" market that is open 24/7 with lots of prepared foods, drinks, etc. The neighborhood is super quiet and safe. It's a residential neighborhood with shops and restaurants on main streets just several blocks away. Breakfasts are so good here--small choice of either Japanese or Western foods. The Japanese "sets" are an omelet with rice, miso and tasty little side dishes of vegetables and pickles made with lovely sauces or with salmon instead of the egg. Western choices are sausage, egg, frest fruit and the most delicious wedge of toast or granola and fruit with milk or yoghurt. The coffee is exceptionally good. We go to Kyoto next and are looking forward to it, but we will miss our home and the staff here at the Edo Sakura!

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“A lovely Japanese-style hotel that's friendly to foreigners. ”

This appears to be a Japanese-style hotel that caters to non-Japanese. At least, i saw very few guests who looked like they might be Japanese. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Mine was six tatami mats, plus a section in the back with a wooden floor for luggage, and a small private bathroom. It… more

This appears to be a Japanese-style hotel that caters to non-Japanese. At least, i saw very few guests who looked like they might be Japanese. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Mine was six tatami mats, plus a section in the back with a wooden floor for luggage, and a small private bathroom. It smelled lovely, like other rooms with tatami mats. The staff was friendly and helpful, and all the customer-facing staff speak English. The neighborhood is quiet, but only about 6 minutes from the Iriya subway station, or 15-20 minutes from the Ueno station, where you can catch both the subway and JR trains. It's also an easy walk to Ueno Park, and the museums, zoo, and many restaurants around it. The breakfast was very nice, especially the "Japanese" breakfast, which was a slice of cooked salmon, rice, miso soup, and a collection of little dishes that varied a bit from day to day. When one of them was eggplant, and i commented that I'm allergic to eggplant, they took it away and gave me a very nice dish of a few fat beans, instead, which was delicious. The shower in the room was very nice. The Japanese bath was just a one-person bathtub. It's a huge soaking tub in the Japanese style, in a room with a shower and a place to leave your robe. But it's pricey for a bath. I stayed in other places with a (smaller, but just as deep) private bath in the room, one with a shared bathtub that was included in the base rate, and a couple with public baths. I thought the public baths were the nicest, and the smaller private bath in my room was the most convenient. My only complaint is that there was no place to put stuff in the bathroom. Stuff like my hairbrush, medications, etc. There was a tiny shelf next to the sink for a toothbrush, and a similar, slightly large shelf over the toilet would have been a big upgrade. (I'll attach a photo.)

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“Great Experience!”

My partner and I stayed one night at Edo Sakura to experience traditional Japanese accommodation—and it was a great decision. It’s a bit of a walk from the station, but not too far. The staff were very helpful and even offered to assist us with setting up the futon, though we managed just fine wit… more

My partner and I stayed one night at Edo Sakura to experience traditional Japanese accommodation—and it was a great decision. It’s a bit of a walk from the station, but not too far. The staff were very helpful and even offered to assist us with setting up the futon, though we managed just fine with the instructions. The bed wasn’t super comfortable by European standards, but that’s part of the authentic Japanese experience—and we really enjoyed it! I’d definitely recommend staying here, even just for one night, if you want a genuine taste of traditional Japan.

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“Solid but not Ideal”

I booked here primarily because it was among the cheapest options in Tokyo with pretty much any decent hotel going for over $200 per night. I actually realised later that this hotel is owned by the same company as the Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura in Kyoto but this did not factor into the decision makin… more

I booked here primarily because it was among the cheapest options in Tokyo with pretty much any decent hotel going for over $200 per night. I actually realised later that this hotel is owned by the same company as the Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura in Kyoto but this did not factor into the decision making. The location is a bit to the North of the main attractions in Tokyo but the Iriya Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line is relatively close and makes things fairly convenient. The rooms were a better fare than what I experienced in Kyoto with the room being larger and there actually being a viable seating area for three alongside the small table. The futons felt more comfortable as well as the blankets being thicker and softer though the pillows were a bit flat. The rooms still had some issues with general upkeep as there were a number of black marks and stains on the walls and cabinet paneling. Also the door here locks automatically after closing. The bathroom here was a bit wider than the previous ryokan but still fairly compact in size and critically, there was still an issue of the wall being too close to the toilet and the vanity area not having sufficient space. The shower was fine in terms of water pressure and size. I didn't try the breakfast either morning I was there but I assume it was similar to what I experienced in Kyoto. The internet here was also noticeably better. My rating here is largely based on the pricing of the hotel which while cheaper than the alternatives, is still fairly high. I just don't think it's quite up to ryokan quality but I would say it's better than the one I stayed at in Kyoto although the price drags down the ranking.

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