After a couple of weeks in Japan we have become accustomed to small spaces so the Izu was a pleasant surprise. We had a twin room with the usual capsule bathroom, although very clean it is a little rundown - but you get what you pay for. The staff are helpful and friendly and have a little English - enough to get by. The best thing about the Izu is the location - a 5 min walk to the station and better yet the fabulous Ueno market alleys.
Would stay here again.
I stayed here on a trip trip to Tokyo with friends - as this was my first trip to Japan,I was not sure what to expect! I ave since been told the room was a good size. The Staff could not do enough for us. Conveniently located with Lawsons (like a 7/11 store) next door, it was just a short stroll to Ueno station and the Yamonato loop line.
New Izu hotel was our first accommodation in Japan and we would certainly recommend it to stay in Tokyo.
advantages:
1. location: ~5 minutes from Ueno station
2. convenience store right by the hotel - you could buy fresh onigiri and have breakfast in the room
3. little fridge in the room, tea-making facilities
4. comfortable beds (unless someone really likes soft mattresses - the beds are firm)
5. quiet
6. relatively spacious room
7. access to laundry machine
8. helpful & friendly staff, partly with decent English
9. clean
10. bathroom module with washlet
11. good price
12. flashlight in the room - quite useful in checking under the beds
Why 4 points and not 5:
- no wardrobe (though we've seen some other rooms had small wardrobes)
- noisy ventilator in the bathroom module
- no AC in the bathroom module
- the bathroom module was a bit dated and it showed - though any areas that you would touch were indeed clean
as for finding the hotel - we almost got lost the first time, it's not straightforward. You take either the Main, Panda Bridge or Iriya (?) exits and cross the freeway - best done over the pedestrian bridge. Then - if you take the escalator, you go straight past Lawson shop, turn right at the next crossroad, you'll have Wakodo pharmacy on the right, and you take the turn left. The hotel entrance is just past another Lawson.
This little business hotel is a great place to drop your things and explore Tokyo. Front desk staff was extremely courteous and helped answer any questions we had. Note that the luggage security when you leave it with the front desk is not what you're used to in the Western style hotels. The basically just put it in the hallway near the front desk. Having the Lawson downstairs was super convenient for late-night snack cravings.
I can't possibly tell anyone accurately how to get to the hotel from the Ueno station because we went out of our way to not cross the pedestrian bridge (too many stairs and too much sun). My suggestion is to come out of the main exit and head towards the street with the Nissay building and go down that street keeping the Nissay building on your right. The hotel is on the left on this street just past the first traffic light with a Lawson's next door. We asked a lot of people for help and everyone is very nice and polite even if they didn't know where our hotel was located. It's easy to get to Narita from Ueno station (about 45 mins for 2,400 yen or there is a slower train for 1,000 yen).
The hotel is sometimes a bit smoky in the lobby, but they do have one computer and the wi-fi also worked in our room (on the 2nd floor). They also have a massage chair for free. The room was incredibly small even for big city standards but was clean. They provide a small refrigerator, central A/C (not much way to adjust it), hairdryer, slippers, hot kettle/tea set, and kimono style robes. There is no storage or even a luggage rack only 4 hooks on the wall and a few clothes hangers. We requested a nonsmoking room and it smelled fine even though there was an ashtray on the desk. The TV had a few free channels but we didn't watch much. They give you toothbrush/paste in the bathroom and they had bath sponges and razors at the front desk.
There were a few maps in the lobby, but the best ones were the ones provided at the front desk when we checked in. You have to leave your key at the front desk when you leave which has to be used to manually lock your door.
The location was pretty good, but I think we could have found a hotel a little bit closer to the station. After a long day of walking the street seemed too long and the hotel very isolated but at least it was quiet. There are some great shops/restaurants a few blocks over from the hotel. You should try the octopus balls and get a shave ice. There are not very many tourist type shops in Ueno but found more in Asakusa near the Sensoji temple. One day we purchased a JR rail pass (730 yen) to hit the main areas around Tokyo (Shinjuku - great pastry shop just outside the station, Harajuku, Shinbuya, & Akihabara) but this does not include the metro lines. Our second day we walked around Ueno park/Yanaka and purchased a round trip metro ticket to Asakusa (we did not purchase a day pass for the metro).
Credit cards were less accepted in Tokyo than in Kyoto which was surprising. You must use the post office for an international ATM which was a much better exchange rate than the World Currency Shop.
Overall I don't have any real complaints about this hotel, but I'm not sure that I'd choose it again.
