The B Akasaka

“Two weeks volunteering”

Currently on my flight home after spending 15 nights at the hotel and I can say that the stay has been quite pleasurable.I was looking for a base for my activities for the World Athletics Championships for which I was volunteering at. Having read the previous reviews I came prepared to overcome the… more

Currently on my flight home after spending 15 nights at the hotel and I can say that the stay has been quite pleasurable.I was looking for a base for my activities for the World Athletics Championships for which I was volunteering at. Having read the previous reviews I came prepared to overcome the “issues” that previous visitors had experienced. First the hotel is on top of a hill so unless you choose the metro line station Akasaka you will have to walk up inclines which isn’t ideal. Thankfully within a 5 minute walk is an elevator that takes you up to the level for access to the hotel. From the station follow the signs for exit 3b following signs for TBS studios and take escalator up onto a plaza. (If your a big Harry Potter fan the station has a HP theme even playing HP music and you can eat at a HP Cafe) After exiting the escalator either follow the covered pathway or walk diagonally across the plaza towards the big building ahead of you which is the Tokyo Broadcasting Service studios and when you get to the road area there is a footpath that follows the road upto the right. Follow the path and on the bend which is only about 50m along this path which is on a slight incline is a small opening which is where the lift is. Floor 4 is the exit for the hotel. (There is only one stop at floor 4) Come up the small incline on the path and turn left .The TBS building will be on your left now. There is likely a TBS security guard ahead of you on the left footpath with a red light wand. Cross over the road and the hotel is about 150 m ahead of you. The hotel lobby is small and compact and staff spoke excellent English . Checkin was only after 3pm and they were prepared to hold my bags but i just waited as i got to the hotel at 2pm There is a free coffee machine available 24 hours a day and options of tea as well. There are some amenity items available free as well and it was regularly topped up. From 3pm to 10pm every day the hotel lays on some small sweet snacks which were either donuts or macaroons and another item I’m not sure what they were called. Just off the lobby is the entrance to the lounge which is open till 10pm and has a large TV and seating area and they had cold drinking water on tap and tea and coffee making facilities as well. The lounge doubles as the breakfast area which is open from 7am to 9.30am with last orders at 9am. When I checked in Reception gave me the breakfast voucher for every days breakfast in one go and just hand into the staff as you enter . Breakfast was a combination of both hot and cold selections including ceraels,natural yougurt,banana and either orange pieces or kiwi fruit,fruit juice. Small Pastries and white bread. They have scramble egg,sausages,bacon ,potatoes (they call them french fries but are potato wedges) and also spicy wedges,Chicken rice ,spicy vegables and a soup (which was on a rotating basis Onion or Corn) There is a toasting machine to either warm or toast your bread . Tea and Coffee making facilities and water and Apple Juice and a Vegatable juice . Not huge selections but was more than adequate for my purposes . At the end of your breakfast there is an understanding that you clear your plates away to an area on the upper section of the breakfast area, I was a solo traveller and was allocated room 321 a twin room .I had read that the rooms were small and came prepared .I would imagine with two people the logistics of the room would create problems especially with luggage but I was able to utilise the second bed .There isn’t much storage with only two small shelves to put things on There are only 4 hangers on a small rack so I brought some S hooks and some foldaway coat hangers to give me more hanging space . I also brought some easy remove stick on hangers to give me more hanging space utilising the glass wall separating the bathroom from the bed area. There were slippers and dressing gowns in the room as well as a hairdryer and in the bathroom some amenities (toothbrush and buds) and hand wash dispenser and in the walkin shower shower gel,shampoo and conditioner and a kettle. I am 6 feet 2 tall (188 cm) and could not fit under the rainforest shower head but it was able to be rotated and tilted so could get a good shower.The shower also has a hand nozzle and mid body water jet nozzles which you can control. Towels are not beach size towels but worked well in being able to dry. The toilet is actually a bidet with a heated seat and probably did spend more time on the bidet than i should have done. It has an automatic flush too but there is a control on the wall behind you that controls the bidet features .This control actually comes off the wall and can be handheld. The one issue I can foresee for two people sharing is the partition wall separating the bed area and the bathroom is a frosted glass wall.So although you cant see in or out through this wall turning on the bathroom lights illuminated the bedroom a bit . The room has aircon but I found I needed to open the window slightly to allow a flow of air.The window does not fully open thou . The bed was long enough for me and despite having a mattress topper on was very very firm. Knowing this before hand I brought with me a camping travel blowup mattress which aided my sleep considerably.The room servicing staff even left it in situ under the sheet when they did a full room clean and sheet exchange .The room was serviced every day with clean towels and every 2 days with new sheets and bedding .There is even a handheld room refresher spray your able to use to keep room smelling better. There are plenty of sockets for electrical equipment but no usb sockets and there is even a European/uk plug socket on the work table area. Beside the bed is an easy to use light control control panel for all the lights . Downstairs near the lobby and the lifts is a small room with a glass door and this is where the laundry facilities are. Two washing machines with automatic detergent dispensing and two tumble dryers. They are coin operated 300 yen for a wash cycle and 100 yen for 30 minute tumble dry. There are warning notices that people may remove the washing and be mindful of people utilising your payment .I came back to find some ladies underwear and her socks with my drying .I used a washing bag so all my washing was together but the other washing could quite of easily got mixed up with mine had i not used the bag. There is also vending machines for drinks and some snacks and there is also a microwave there. Would I stay here again- yes but for this trip as I was going to the same venue every day the connections on the trains were easier from an another station Akasaka Mitsuke which was a a 10 minute walk downhill and. there is another The b Hotel nearby this station. I tended to go in the morning to Akasaka Mitsuke and return in the evening to Akasaka. Tips Bring extra camping coat hangers and S hooks. Bring some easy remove wall hangers for additional hanging A travel air bed mattress Download the Suica Mobile app to pay for public transport and can use it to pay for items in some shops and especially good for getting drinks from automatic machines .It is easy to top up on line and you can utilise the express mode on your phone as you enter and exit stations just by taping the phone on the sensor pad. There aren’t many water refill stations around Tokyo so the use of the vending machines becomes vital. There vending machines literally on almost every street corner. Prices are very cheap for the drinks and in fact with a weak yen the prices are very cheap compared to the west. Be aware the are not many public waste bins anywhere so the Japenese trend to take their waste home.In stations attached to many of the vending machines are disposal points for the cans and bottles. Be wary of travelling at rush hours. The trains become extremely busy and the Japenese take no prisoners in wanting to get in and off the trains. Packed like sardines comes to mind. If you do travel at rush hour would recommend if carrying a back back to wear it in front of your body . Use a travel app like Google maps to get yourself around the Tokyo train and metro system .The signage in the stations is in Japanese and English and announcements on the platform and in the trains are in both languages. If you can see the digital displays above the train doors they give indication of what the next station is,how long before it is reached,where the stairs,lifts and escalators are allowing easier transfer. On Googlemaps it gives you indications of which platform to catch the train and coach numbers for easier transfer .On the platform floor are the corresponding coach numbers so join the orderly line to get on to the train and will make any transfer easier. Some transfers you have to scan out from one train line then in again at another trains platform. Tokyo public transport system can be complicated to look at but once you get your head around the system it’s easier. All the signage for particular lines are colour coordinated and have often have sign tracks to follow on the floor for particular lines. Public toilets. There are some but not many and I found that many if not all train stations have toilet facilities . Scan your suica card to gain entry to the station and scan to get back out of the same you wont be charged and there are accessible toilets there too and it’s free. Utaslise the coin lockers at the stations to leave luggage . Saves having to lug around your luggage if you cant check into your hotel as was my case as landed at 7am but couldnt check in till 3pm

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“Good location for access to Tokyo Metro Lines”

This hotel has a typical Japanese room meaning that it can be quite cramped by Western standards. The available breakfast is good with attendants working efficiently to make sure the available food is topped up and the area kept clean. The location of the hotel is great as the nearby Akasaka Biz To… more

This hotel has a typical Japanese room meaning that it can be quite cramped by Western standards. The available breakfast is good with attendants working efficiently to make sure the available food is topped up and the area kept clean. The location of the hotel is great as the nearby Akasaka Biz Tower is within walking distance (and is easily accessible via an elevator just down the street.) It is in a hilly area which may pose a level of difficulty for those with mobility issues.

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