Continuing on from my previous post, we had just been dropped off at our hotel by our hired driver as mentioned previously!(:
You can read all my previous posts on my Japan trip here:
8D7N Japan (7 – 15 June 2014)
- Day 1 (Part 1): The Trip Preparation / Haneda Airport / Transportation
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 1 (Part 1) - Day 1 (Part 2): Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku / Exploring Shinjuku
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 1 (Part 2)
- Day 1 (Part 3): Shinjuku Station / Sunshine 60 Dori / Tokyu Hands Ikebukuro / Cat Cafe Nekorobi
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 1 (Part 3) - Day 1 (Part 4): Coco Ichibanya / Sunshine City / Namja Town / Sunshine Dori 60
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 1 (Part 4) - Day 2 (Part 1): Breakfast @ Villazza / Harajuku Station / Kiyomasa-Ido Well / Meiji Shrine
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 2 (Part 1) - Day 2 (Part 2): Harajuku / Shopping at Takeshita Dori Street
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 2 (Part 2) - Day 2 (Part 3): Hachikō & Shibuya Crossing / Shibuya 109 / Uobei Sushi / Club Sega Shinjuku
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 2 (Part 3) - Day 3 (Part 1): Studio Ghibli Museum
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 3 (Part 1) - Day 3 (Part 2): Akihabara
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 3 (Part 2)
- Day 3 (Part 3): First Avenue Tokyo Station (Tokyo Character Street / Omiyage Plaza / Tokyo Ramen Street / Tokyo Okashi Land) / Niyu-Maru
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 3 (Part 3) - Day 4 (Part 1): Shinjuku Washington Hotel / Mt Fuji 5th Station / Misaka Farm
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 4 (Part 1) - Day 4 (Part 2): Cherry Picking / Chateraise Belle-foret Winery / Shinjuku (KEIO & LUMINE EST) / Dinner at (る)ハレノヒ / Club Sega
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 4 (Part 2) - Day 5 (Part 1): TripleLights / Imperial Palace East Gardens / Tokyo Tower
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 5 (Part 1)
*Day 5 partially sponsored by TripleLights Japan - Day 5 (Part 2): TripleLights: Ryogoku / Asakusa
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 5 (Part 2)
*Day 5 partially sponsored by TripleLights Japan - Day 5 (Part 3): Odaiba
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 5 (Part 3) - Day 6 (Part 1): Good Bye Shinjuku / Hello Sunroute Plaza Tokyo!
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 6 (Part 1) - Day 6 (Part 2): Tokyo Disneyland
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 6 (Part 2) - Day 7: Tokyo DisneySea
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 7 - Day 8: Kasai Rinkai Park / Tokyo Sea Life Park / Diamond and Flowers Ferris Wheel / Ikspiari Shopping Mall / Haneda Airport / Home & Japan Loots
mitsueki Travels | 8D7N Japan June 2014 – Day 8
Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku
Shinjuku is one of the most popular and highly recommended location to stay in Tokyo but I have to say that the prices of all the hotels are pretty expensive especially if you want a hotel that is located close to Shinjuku Station. That’s why after doing all my price comparisons and research based on Tripadvisor reviews, blog recommendations and others, the main hotel that I selected to stay for the majority of our trip was Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku.
Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku 〒151-0053 東京都渋谷区代々木２−３−１
And..I just realized that I totally forgot to take photos of the lobby area so here are some photos that I grabbed off the net to give you an idea of how it looks like. Also, you don’t have to worry too much about communication issues here because the hotel staff, especially the front desk staff are very well versed in English making it a breeze to check in.
There was only 1 major hitch during the check in that was my fault because apparently, I had accidentally selected a double smoking room for the bf and I instead of the non-smoking room. Ughhhh and the hotel was fully booked hence, they couldn’t accommodate to my request for a non-smoking one ><
The family was split between 2 levels with us on the 10th floor and the rest on the 7th floor. As mentioned earlier, ours was located on the smoking floor and the smell was really strong because as you know, the Japanese do smoke quite abit. For me, I was able tolerate it but the bf loathed the smell. Luckily the smell was less strong once we were in the room.
Room Tour
Ours was the smallest room category, Economy Double Room (74,528 YEN, about S$155 per room / night inclusive of breakfast). I would also highly recommend that you select the DOUBLE room rather than the TWIN room because the space difference between the 2 rooms (same price) isHUGE. You’ll see why later but first, a quick room tour.
As you can tell, it’s a small and basic hotel room for this category and price. I had already read the reviews online so I was quite prepared for a small room like the one we had at CityInn Branch II in Taiwan and well, it was JUST slightly bigger than I expected (but the toilet is much smaller because they included a bathtub!). The entrance has a closet area and full length mirror at the side. More importantly, there is sufficient space in the room to roll your luggage in and keep it without blocking anything.
It’s a queen bed if you were wondering with free pajamas provided by the hotel that are changed daily. Bed was super comfy though and I had many nights of wonderful sleep on it(:
Also, don’t forget to sign up for the free Eddy loyalty card upon check in as it comes with some perks such as late check out(:
Basic amenities such as a television (limited channels), fridge, kettle and a tray of complimentary coffee and tea.
The toilet is also rather small as you can tell but again, it has everything you need such as the bathroom amenities (toothbrush, comb etc), hair dryer and soap, shampoo and conditioner. We never used the bathtub during our stay here as we weren’t a fan but I have to say that the shower’s water pressure is fantastic and so are the hotel provided soap and shampoo! I don’t know what brand they used but my hair was so soft and shiny after using it – should have asked before I left XD
Hehe, and if you were reading this and you thought our room was small..wait till you see the Economy TWIN rooms that the rest of them had. Yes, I mentioned I read many reviews online and I warned them about the small hotel room but we didn’t expect was how TINY it was! Essentially, the room sizes were the same, but because they had to separate the beds and change the configuration, the space, it ate up quite a lot of space.
All our jaws literally dropped because to get into the room especially for the other side of the bed, you have to squeeze through this narrow area. Also, only 1 person can get through at a time, though an alternative measure is to climb over the bed. The free space for luggage was extremely limited and they had to carry the luggage over the other side painstakingly. Really, really cramped room so if you had a lot of luggage like the sister and mom, just take the DOUBLE room, share the bed and enjoy the space.
Exploring Shinjuku
After taking a short rest in our rooms, it was time to finally venture out into the surrounding area to explore. We started off by making a quick stop at Family Mart just opposite our hotel to purchase an umbrella as it was raining. Oh, and it rained almost.every.single.day by the way – a light drizzle that can last the WHOLE DAY AND NIGHT.
Sharing photos of the awesome items sold at Family Mart before the staff told me that no photos were allowed L Bahawahahaha, luckily I’ve already taken many already. Anyway, this was one of our favourite Family Marts during our trip because it carried loads of stuff!
There’s an area full of MUJI items, stationary, books, comics and in general – FOOD AND SNACKS GALORE (spot the melon pan bread!)!
P.s, we picked up the most popular type of umbrellas in Japan, the clear types!
Next on, we were getting hungry. Unlike in Taiwan, I didn’t plan too much for our meals here so we basically just walked around the streets of Shinjuku till we found a restaurant that looked interesting and appetizing. But seriously, food is not an issue here in Tokyo but prices-wise, it can be rather expensive especially in a big group.
First Meal in Tokyo: Negishi ねぎし
While walking, we stumbled upon this restaurant and headed in.
We were completely at a loss initially after stepping in but luckily there was a Taiwanese waitress who helped us with our seats and menu (no English menu available).
Negishi ねぎし http://www.negishi.co.jp/US/menu.html
The restaurant is actually called Negishi which is a Gyutan (beef tongue) chain casual restaurant which is really popular amongst the Japanese because it is quite affordable. The menu is very limited offering 3 options between chicken, beef or pork. Of course, if you are up for it – try their specialty which is the beef tongue!
Both the bf and I ordered their grilled pork loin lunch set (800 yen, S$10) each which came in ameal set (Teishoku 定食)as below. Each set comes a small plate of pork loin with a bowl of mugi-meshi (barley rice), oxtail soup, pickled vegetables and tororo (grated mountain yam flavoured with soy sauce).
P.s pour the tororo over the rice – it’s yummy!
If I am not wrong, the rice is free flow along with the green tea so it will definitely keep you full! Overall, it was a great first meal and the smoky barbequed pork loin was just super delicious!
As we sat at a different table from the rest due to us being a big group, I only knew that some of them tried the beef tongue set and they were raving over it. Guess it was good too? D:
Next up, we headed into Lumine located next to Shinjuku Station to have a look-see. Do note that there are a couple of Lumines in the area (Lumine 1, Lumine 2 and Lumine Est).
Well, the lift was so pretty so we randomly went in to check out the stores inside the building.
Have to say that the prices were really expensive and it houses mostly big name and Japanese brands.
Decided to skip it and headed down to the Food Hall at the basement where it was literally a food paradise! It was exactly like the food hall at Takashimaya we have in Singapore but on a much much larger scale and filled with so many yummy and tempting snacks! This is a great place to buy souvenirs back home as well or as a snack back at the hotel room!
UGHHH the pastries looked so good right?! All of us couldn’t resist and bought something – how to not TRY?!?! drools
And now ending off with a kawaii female panda bus we spotted in the streets as we were heading back to the hotel to dump our loots!
Stay tuned for Day 1 (Part 3) as we head on to explore Ikebukuro (NEKO CAFÉ!) after that!(:
Don’t forget to stay tuned to my blog / like my blog’s Facebook page / follow me @mitsuekion Twitter & Instagram for the latest updates!
Till later,
♥ mitsueki
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hi, i love reading your travelogue. but most of your photos for japan trip cant be view.
Hi Joanne
GREAT news! All the photos are now available for viewing for my Japan travelogue(:
It’s up to Day 6, Part 1 atm! Stay tuned for Disneyland & Disneysea over the next few weeks!
The proper linking will be up (for Day 1 – 8) once my travelogue is done!
Happy 2015!(:
Hello, planning to go japan this april, also considering to book sunroute plaza shinjuko, but cannot find any booking inclusive of BF, how did u manage to find one, bdw the cheapest i found is $171 room only, thanks☺
Hi Karen, you can try booking thru their official site if you are looking to get breakfast inclusive in the package: http://en.sunrouteplazashinjuku.jp/! Do note that it might be fully booked in April though cos of cherry blossom season! I’ll be heading to Japan too in April hehe – have fun!(: