As we have only four days to travel, time become the first consideration. Therefore, we tended to choose the hotel with the most convenient location. The biggest advantage of Ueno is that there are direct train connections whether you go to NRT airport or Karuizawa.
Another option is Tokyo, which also has direct trains to these two places. But their hotel prices seem to be relatively high. And I think Tokyo Station is always crowded (I have never lived near Tokyo Station, so my opinions may not be accurate. )
The hotel we stayed - APA Hotel Ueno Ekimae
The fastest way to get to APA Hotel from Keisei Ueno Station is through Ameyoko. We dragged our heavy luggage past a group of diners. two seemed a bit out of place.
One of the reasons for choosing APA is that it has public Onsen on the top floor. This can satisfy my wife's wish of experiencing hot spring even though our schedule was tight. There are not many hotels with this kind of hot spring facilities in Tokyo. Another hotel with this facility is Domry Inn in Ueno, but the price is relatively high.
There are several APA hotel in Ueno. They are not very far from each other, but it is definitely not a good thing to go to the wrong one with huge luggages.
According to hotel booking platform, there are 5 APA in Ueno.
When I check the address via Google map, I compared the detailed address on Google with the hotel voucher. I don't know how to read Japanese addresses, so just check against the number "2-18-7".
This is not 5-star but the outlook was better than expected.
The receptionist checked our passport and we have to check in via the machine.
There are washing machines and Japanese yen exchange equipment in hotel, and the top floor, the 13th floor, has Onsen area which is separated by gender.
Many hotels in Ueno are very small, with rooms of 10-15 square meters. The space of APA room is small, but it is well organized.
Room walkthrough - MOVIE
It’s quite good that there is a desk in such a small room. But you can't expect to have a wardrobe.
There are many hooks installed by the door, which gave us a big help!
All hang all your belongings, overview is much better.
There is 2 Japanese electricity plug switch and a USB next to the bed. The charging devices can be placed in the small space above. This is a good design.
Actually there is an international universal plug on the desk (The plug used in Hong Kong and the UK). I plugged in and found that it was out of order, but I didn't want to change rooms for such a small matter. Anyway, the plug at the bedside is enough, and I brought an ADAPTER so it was still be alright.
There is storage space under the bed.
I have tried - it was work!
I wanted to call receptionist and ask for the Wi-Fi password in room, but I found that there didn't seem to be a service desk button on the phone. (I'm sorry I don't understand Japanese very well, I only know the first one means "shoot")
This hotel encourage guests to solve their own problems. All the information, including the Wi-Fi password, is available on the homepage when you turn on the TV. CHECK OUT The time was quite early - it was 10:00 AM.
The TV in room is quite informative.
Since this is a hotel with hot spring facilities, in addition to white paper slippers, the hotel provides each guest with a pair of plastic slippers. So tourists may consider not bringing their own slippers when staying at this hotel.
The most troublesome part of staying in this hotel is to open the luggage. A large suitcase can only be opened in the area near the door.
There are two sets of bathrobes which you can wear when walking around the hotel, and we wore mainly for Onsen.
The Onsen facilities on the 13th floor are separated by gender. Taking photos or mobile phone usage is not allowed inside. My dear said the bathing area in the room was too small so we took shower on the 13th floor every day. The hot spring is opened until 2:00 AM. It is convenient for guests who are out during the day time. However, guests going to the hot spring must bring their own bath towels from room.
(For those towels after use, we have to put this into assigned bag and hang them outside the door. Then the hotel staff will replace them with new ones.)
Two hot spring facilities set up are similar. There are two pools - outdoor and indoor. The outdoor one is also fully enclosed with curtains. So there is just a little more cool breeze outdoors, but no view.
Next Chapter: Tokyo Again 2025 (4) - The first Night in Ueno (BBQ meat and pork all you can eat / Donki Shopping Experience)
Tokyo Again 2025
Tokyo Again 2025(1) - 72 hours of traveling in Tokyo (3 -days Itinerary plan, plus 7-days in 2024)
Tokyo Again 2025 (2) - Tokyo Transportation - Simplified Package for Dummies
Tokyo Again 2025 (3) -APA Hotel Ueno Ekimae - with Movie
Tokyo 2024
Tokyo 2024 - 7 days itinerary (Family of 4 - Attractions and Shopping Experience)
Disney Sea Tokyo 1 - Basic Information and Tips for your journey
Dinery Sea Tokyo 3 - Busy Second Half Having fun (Peter Pan / Toy Story Mania)
The Making of Harry Potter (Tokyo)
Hotel in Ikebukuro (Hotel Hisoca Ikebukuro)
USJ Osaka 2023
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) 1 - Basic Information and Some Tips for your journey
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) 2 - Preparation with Kids
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) Part 6 - Harry Porter and His Magic Wand
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) Part 7 - Our Forbidden Journey
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) 8 - Universal Wonderland and Others
Those below are articles about Japan Visit, written in Chinese. Please feel free to leave your comments or questions. I am glad to reply and give advice according to my limited experience.
2024 Tokyo
七年無事又東京（二）新宿事變（六歌仙新店 + 歌舞伎町Tower)
七年無事又東京（四）進擊的上野 （上野Yamashiroya + 阿美橫丁）
七年無事又東京（五）迪士尼海洋Disneysea1 - 簡單易明基本概念及小提議
七年無事又東京（六）迪士尼海洋Disneysea2 忙於操作的上半場（驚魂古塔 / 地心探險記 / 樂佩公主天燈盛會）
七年無事又東京（七）迪士尼海洋Disneysea3 總動員的下半場
七年無事又東京（十）天旋地轉與膽量挑戰 (台場Joypolis1F）
七年同事有東京（十一）動感（台場Joypolis 2F - VR, House of the Dead, Transformer）
七年無事又東京（十二）獻出心臟"爸"！（台場Joypolis 3F - 進擊的巨人 + 全日通結算 + 輕鬆推介）
七年無事又東京（十三）雨中的陽光（池袋Sunshine City）
七年無事又東京（十四）池袋的超強CP值酒店（Hotel Hisoca 池袋 - 有片）
七年無事又東京（十五）與機場進餐（Marroad Hotel International)
七年無事又東京（十六）最後分組活動（酒酒井OUTLET / 成田機場T2)
七年無事又東京（十七）東京遊2024 總結 + 後記 （各景點評分）
2023 Osaka
2019 Kyushu Self-Driving Tour
九州日誌（二）互動（九州野生動物園 / Hello Kitty Harmony Land )
九州日誌(四) - 雨天（湯布院大街 / 福崗OUTLET)
九州日誌(七) - 天地（天神地下街 / MARK IS......)
2018 - Okinawa Self-Driving Tour
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(二） Day1,2,3 沒有浪花的季節 (谷茶灣Rizzan海洋公園酒店)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(三） Day 2 「魚」出驚人 (沖繩美麗海水族館 + 大家 + 水果樂園 + 萬座毛)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(四） Day 3 在水中央 (海中展望塔 + 伊波公園 )
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(五） Day 4 雨程 (琉球之牛，Aeon Mall Okinawa Rycom)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(六）- Day 5-1 與小象的約會 (沖繩動物王國)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(七）- Day 5-2 沖繩最強「浦」點 （浦添大公園 - 有片 + 美國村）
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(八）- Day 6-1 人人彈起（中城公園)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(九）- Day 6-2 Round 1 Fight!!（Round 1 Stadium)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(十）- Day 7-1 最後的公園（國際通 + 第一牧志市場 + 奧武山公園）
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(十一）- Day 7-2 「瀨」住唔走 （瀨長島溫泉酒店）
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(十二）- Day 8 來去沖沖 (ASHIBINAA OUTLET + 給自駕者的話)
2017 - Yokohama and Tokyo
「橫東」直撞七天遊二 (Day 2-1) - 全包宴 (橫濱麵包超人館)
