Where to Stay in Tokyo: Four Areas and Hotels Worth Comparing

Choose Ueno for museums and the eastern neighborhoods, Shibuya for clothes and evenings out, Ginza for shopping and a central base, or Shinjuku if you want Kabukicho on your doorstep. Those are four different stays. None puts all of Tokyo within walking distance.

For our five-day itinerary, I'd start by comparing NOHGA in Ueno with TRUNK on Cat Street. NOHGA fits the art-and-craft side of the trip; TRUNK makes more sense if you're likely to spend your evenings around Harajuku and Shibuya. MUJI in Ginza is the third option for someone who likes restrained interiors and wants shopping close by.

This is a shortlist of four hotels with different reasons to book. Rates depend on dates and room category, so compare the actual stay you need rather than a headline starting price.

Ueno is the base I'd choose for a trip with Tokyo National Museum, Asakusa and Kappabashi near the top of the list. You can head west for a Shibuya day without sleeping there. Our museum guide has a full Ueno route and lunch choices.

NOHGA HOTEL UENO TOKYO

Best for someone who cares about art, useful design and a proper hotel breakfast. NOHGA's rooms and facilities include objects made by local craftspeople, airweave mattresses, OSAJI bath products and rain showers. Bathtubs vary by room, so pick the category deliberately if a soak matters to you.

Downstairs, the bistro and lobby gallery give the hotel somewhere to spend time beyond your room. Breakfast is a main plate with a salad-and-bread buffet. There is also a library lounge and terrace.

The gym is small: the hotel lists a treadmill, rowing machine, strength station, dumbbells up to 10kg and an adjustable bench. That works for a short workout; I wouldn't choose it for a full weights routine. Guest laundry is useful for a longer Japan trip.

The access page puts the hotel a three-minute walk from the Tokyo Metro Ueno station. Use its directions for your arrival line, since the JR and Keisei approaches are different.

Choose this side of town if browsing shops is how you like to spend an afternoon and you want dinner nearby afterwards. It makes our Harajuku-to-Shibuya day easy to linger over. Ueno's museums become a deliberate trip across town.

TRUNK(HOTEL) Cat Street

Best for someone who wants the hotel to be part of the evening. TRUNK has a lounge and all-day restaurant, so you can come downstairs for a drink or meal rather than treating the room as the entire hotel experience.

Its room options are worth comparing. The listed loft room has a bathtub and space for up to three guests; balcony categories give you outdoor space. Those features are tied to particular rooms, not every booking. The minibar emphasizes Shibuya-made snacks and drinks, a more specific touch than another anonymous hotel snack selection.

Choose it for the Harajuku-Shibuya setting, the shared spaces and a room whose layout appeals to you. Don't assume a standard booking comes with the bathtub or terrace shown in a suite photo. The hotel's access map helps you choose the approach from Shibuya or Harajuku.

Ginza suits someone who wants department stores, books and design shopping close to the hotel, with train trips to the other neighborhoods. It is a different choice from staying next to Shibuya's crossing or in Kabukicho. For our route, it sits between several outings rather than beside one whole day.

MUJI HOTEL GINZA

Best for someone who already likes MUJI's materials and everyday objects. MUJI HOTEL GINZA shares its building with the flagship store. There is a certain pleasure in choosing a hotel whose design you already know you enjoy.

The room list includes shower-only doubles, twin rooms with bathtubs and a bunk-bed option. Check the bed and bath together: moving to a larger room can also change the sleeping arrangement. This is especially useful when comparing a couple's stay with a family booking.

WA serves breakfast from 7:30am, with last entry at 9:30am. Coffee & Salon has a camphorwood counter and serves coffee and cocktails made with herbs and fruit. Those give you two places to sit beyond the shop floors. Breakfast inclusion depends on the rate you book.

The hotel entrance is on Ginza Renga-Dori Street. Use the hotel entrance directions rather than assuming the flagship store's main door is your check-in route.

Shinjuku works if the western side of Tokyo and evenings in Kabukicho are part of the appeal. Choose the location because you want that setting. A hotel in this district offers a different street-level experience from the Ueno or Ginza choices above.

HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU

Best for someone who wants a contemporary hotel with dining and a bar in Kabukicho. HOTEL GROOVE is at 1-29-1 Kabukicho. Its Superior room lists a rain shower. If you want a bathtub, compare other categories rather than assuming one comes with the room.

JAM17 Dining offers Italian-style food from an open kitchen with a stone oven. It gives you an on-site dinner option after a day out, particularly if you want a change from the Japanese meals elsewhere in the trip. Look at the current menu before booking a table; the hotel publishes lunch and dinner menus separately.

I'd choose this for the location and the hotel dining, rather than make it the default recommendation for every first visit. If your itinerary is mainly Ueno museums, Asakusa and eastern neighborhoods, compare the extra journeys with NOHGA before deciding.

• For the most useful small-hotel gym detail here, compare NOHGA's actual equipment with your workout. A facility called a gym can still be a very small room.
• For a bathtub or balcony, choose the room before comparing prices. TRUNK, NOHGA and MUJI have category-specific differences that change the stay.
• For breakfast, check both the food and the start time. MUJI's 7:30am start may suit a slow morning; it won't help before an earlier departure.
• For the airport, match the route to the hotel after choosing your neighborhood. Our Haneda and Narita guide compares the useful rail options without assuming every hotel is next to the same station.

Once you've picked a base, use the three-day or five-day Tokyo itinerary to arrange the days. Put the outings closest to the hotel on the days when you want a shorter journey home.