Figuring out which area of Tokyo to stay in and then finding a hotel that doesn’t cost a fortune can be a logistical nightmare (especially when traveling over the popular sakura/cherry blossom season). After plenty of research on where to stay, I opted to pay a bit more for accommodation in a central area, as opposed to staying a bit out of the way to save some money. Shinjuku was on just about every travel guide and blog I read, so once I settled on that location it was time to choose a hotel. I narrowed it down based on price, distance from the metro, and facilities. The only hotel I found at the time to be within reason was the Shinjuku Washington Hotel Annex.

First Impressions of the Shinjuku Washington Hotel Annex

Main lobby

To start, this is not a fancy hotel by any means. The hotel is located right next to the Shinjuku Washington Hotel (which we initially confused for our hotel) and you walk through a building full of restaurants and a convenient store (which ended up being very convenient) to get there. The lobby area is basic, but the staff do speak English fairly well and were able to help us with any questions we had. Check-in was painless and they offered a buffet breakfast (at an additional, but reasonable, cost) at a variety of different restaurants, depending on your cuisine preference.

My Room

Room with two single beds

Room facilities

PJ time

Though the room wasn’t large by any means, it still had ample space to move around and throw our luggage down (sorry – photos were clearly not taken when the room was clean!) without feeling like we were in each other’s way. The amenities were simple, but much appreciated – daily bottles of water and coffee/tea (side note: the pour-over coffee was insanely good. So good, in fact, we went on a mission to find a grocery store that sold this type of fancy instant coffee), freshly pressed pyjamas, a mini-fridge, and a hair-dryer. The bathroom was also equipped with shampoo, body wash, complimentary toiletries, and an amazing toilet. A flushing noise would come on once you sat down so no one would have to hear you do your business and it had a built-in bidet that would clean both ends. Originally I was skeptical about the bidet, but soon after became obsessed (TMI?) and am still wondering why these toilets aren’t used everywhere around the world.

Overall Thoughts

I would definitely recommend the Shinjuku Washington Hotel Annex if you’re looking to stay in one of Tokyo’s central areas without paying a fortune. The hotel has a decent sized room, basic amenities, and is close to the metro. I stayed at the Shinjuku Washington Hotel Annex for five nights during cherry blossom season at ¥19,570 per night including tax (of which I paid half since I was sharing the room with a friend – so around HK$700 per night).

Shinjuku Washington Hotel Annex
2-9, Nishishinjuku, 3 chome 
Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo
Japan

My stay at the Shinjuku Washington Hotel Annex was paid for entirely by myself. As always, all views and opinions expressed are my own.