Typical Japanese style room in a budget inn (©Sawanoya Ryokan)
| When backpack-toting travelers arrive at Narita Airport
and inquire about low-priced lodgings, the people at the information
counter will invariably recommend the several budget inns located
in Shitamachi, Tokyo's old downtown area in the eastern part of the
city. The room rates at these inns are very cheap - some as low as
¥2,500 for a single - and facilities like the bath and toilet
are typically communal. Every part of the world is represented in
their guest rosters, from the Americas, Europe, and Africa to Oceania
and Asia. Many of the guests are repeat or long-term visitors.
One common feature of the low-priced inns around the Shitamachi district is family-style hospitality. Some have communal lounges that serve as the locus for interaction among the guests, and one inn puts on Japanese tea ceremonies and lion dance performances for the benefit of its foreign guests. Another rents out bicycles for ¥500 yen per day to guests who want to have a look around the old downtown districts. The location of these inns in Tokyo's old downtown allows guests to steep themselves in the ambience of traditional Japan. |
| index | previous | next |