All roads lead to Nihonbashi. So much so that road distances from Tokyo is measured from the famous bridge portrayed in many woodblock prints about the Tokaido road from Tokyo to Kyoto. These days, you can’t see the wooden bridge anymore, and places like Tokyo Station have overtaken Nihonbashi as the hub of Japan. Nevertheless, this is a central area, particularly for those on business trips to Tokyo. At the same time, Nihonbashi has an eye from the future. From the balcony of the top floor of the Toyoko Inn (make sure you aren't leaning too far into the street in case you fall off!), you can see the Tokyo Skytree Tower, sitting high above the surrounding suburban street scapes.
Toyoko Inn is a no nonsense business hotel chain specializing in providing all the amenities you need with none of the frills, with locations that are close to major as well as some minor train stations. If you are more likely to be out than inside your room during the day, the Toyoko Inn ticks all the boxes. Super clean rooms, pleasant homely beige and striped wallpaper, comfortable but firm beds, a bath/shower, complementary yukata pajamas, in room Wi-Fi, a bar fridge, a writing desk, individually controlled reverse cycle air conditioning, complementary Japanese tea, and some nice touches, like a hot water kettle with a humidifier function, and a TV showing Japanese channels with movies on demand. It is amazing how consistent the quality and décor is at each Toyoko Inn. I had stayed at over a dozen different locations over ten years, and the only difference is the color of the bedspreads. It is either orange or green.
In the reception area there are a few complementary Internet laptops/PCs, Wi Fi, English and Japanese Newspapers, and a simple but hearty breakfast buffet included in all tariffs each morning, consisting of miso soup, onegiri (Japanese rice balls (actually triangular shape) with seaweed or umeboshi (pickled plum), and croissants/ bread rolls, mini sausages or scrambled egg and Japanese style salads, like pasta salad with Japanese mayonnaise, or potato salad, plus Japanese or English tea and American Coffee. Of course if you prefer to drink something else, or sleep in past nine thirty and miss the breakfast, there are always the vending machines.
Being more like a home base, they also have luggage storage and coin operated washing machines and clothes dryers. If you want to splash out, the penthouse like rooms on the top floor are the best choices, the ones facing the street giving you a prime view of Tokyo Skytree Tower. All other rooms have reasonable views of the district, but nothing to write home about.
Toyoko Inn Nihonbashi has a 24 hour check in desk, and they also have a self-serve check in, which could save you time or embarrassment , should you find a staff member who doesn’t understand your English, though if you write your instructions in simple English, it usually works. Being one of the few Toyoko Inns that is not close to the station, they have a complementary shuttle bus to Tokyo station in the mornings, at 45 and 15 past the hour (10 past on the weekends). It is a 10 minute trip, but a world away. In the afternoons, it is best to walk here from the subway or the Toei Asakusa line, with occasional connections to Narita or Haneda Airport. As there are a number of Toyoko Inns in this area, make sure you have the right one. This part of Nihonbashi is surprisingly quiet at night, and I am amazed that their side streets even have metered parking, a rarity in central Tokyo.
