2016 Our one week stay in Tokyo

We arrived at our hotel near the Higashi-Ginza subway station at around 9 p.m. after our overly long train ride (because the ticket seller gave us bad information). We were staying at the Millennium Mitsui Garden Hotel Tokyo, 5-11-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061 03-3549-3331, ftokyo@gardenhotels.co.jp] was new-ish in 2016 and attractive. The lobby was large and designed to impress. Well, our 20.0m² (215 sq. feet) room was very, very small. 

Dimitri had requested for us to stay on the 14^th floor and our view from was open and made the room feel slightly larger (very few rooms have a wide open view). The storage was minimal and we had trouble fitting in. But there was enough space for hanging (and we were given extra hangers) that we able to empty one suitcase, leaving the other one open on a bench beneath the hanging area (not a closet per se). Ultimately we did fit in. The piece of furniture we thought was a sofa in a picture on the website was actually a small seat next to the bed. There was a shelf with a drawer and desk chair where we put the computer. So there was space for two small backsides to sit. The bed was a queen size one. There was a mini fridg and a hot water boiler (and there were real cups and glasses) which we used with the fabulously designed Drip On coffee packs provided to make decent coffee. The shower/tub room was functional and there was a separate toilet stall room with a Toto toilet that was equipped with all of the features we like. The sink area had some storage space so that worked too. At approximately  ¥32,999/US$299 a day (at the then current exchange rate of US$109), we were paying much more for the room (of that size) than we ever would have considered reasonable. However, the hotel was very quiet and the bed was comfortable enough. 

The breakfast buffet was US$25 each and that really got us annoyed because we wouldn’t have eaten the extensive offerings. We spoke to the manager about having a limited breakfast included in our room rate but he was adamant, inflexible and not concerned with customer/guest satisfaction. We made a deal with the young man at the restaurant that we would only have cereal, fruit and coffee for US$12 which was slightly better.

The neighborhood in Ginza where the hotel was located was elegant and we liked it. The Higashi-Ginza (H-09) was as close to the hotel as possible without being in it. Dimitri learned the subway system before we arrived and we bought a pass (for 3 days) and then a PASMO money card (deposit of  ¥500--which we got refunded at Narita as we were leaving) that worked for subway and buses and also as if it were cash (in many places). We were not sure whether it would work outside of Tokyo but it did. It was very convenient.