Hotel Lumiere Nishikasai

The bare-bones look of this modern 14-story hotel extends from the unembellished facade right through to the guest rooms, which value function over form. The little lobby qualifies as utilitarian as well—but if you want to know who the place mostly appeals to you only need to take a quick glance around the breakfast lounge that sits adjacent to it (the only other communal area here save for a second-floor laundry room). Many of the practical-minded, price-conscious guests tucking into the free morning buffet are decked out in Disney gear, proving that proximity to Uncle Walt’s two-park complex is a major draw.  

This hotel sits on a busy corner in the Nishikasai section of Edogawa, one of Tokyo’s eastern wards. As a result, the capital’s main sites aren’t close at hand, but, luckily, mass transit is. Nishi-Kasai Station, on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line, is only a five-minute walk away. That means you can hit Ginza (the city’s famed shopping area), the Imperial Palace or the Tokyo Sea Life Park in under 30 minutes and the Sensō-ji Temple or Ueno Park’s popular zoo and museums in under 40. Reaching the Tokyo Disney Resort takes about 35 minutes by public transport; however, convenient car connections cut that time in half. The two airports—Haneda and Narita—are a 26- and 48-minute drive respectively, depending on traffic. If you’ve got your own car (rentals are available from an on-site agency), you can pay to park in the property’s multi-level lot.

• Five-minute walk to Nishi-Kasai Station 
• 15-minute drive to the Tokyo Disney Resort (35 via public transportation)
• 26-minute drive to Haneda Airport (41 via public transportation)
• 27 minutes to Ginza via public transportation
• 27 minutes to the Imperial Palace via public transportation
• 28 minutes to the Tokyo Sea Life Park via public transportation
• 38 minutes to the Sensō-ji Temple via public transportation
• 39 minutes to Shibuya Station via public transportation
• 39 minutes to Ueno Park via public transportation
• 40 minutes to Shinjuku Station via public transportation
• 48-minute drive to Narita Airport (76 via public transportation)

Hotel Lumiere Nishikasai has two types of accommodations: 140-square foot rooms that are designed for up to two people (though their double beds would be a squeeze for most North American couples) and 226-square foot versions, which add a single bed for a third guest. Their functional furnishings are pared down as far as possible, and their bland color palette is enlivened only by some bright artworks and accent pillows. That said, the air-conditioned offerings are clean, comfortable and, despite being located on a major street, quite quiet. They're well-equipped, too: after all, rooms feature 32-inch LCD TVs with free video programs plus free Wi-Fi. Despite the diminutive proportions, both sizes also boast tea/coffee-making equipment, microwaves, and mini-fridges (as opposed to stocked minibars). The larger ones even fit in a wee kitchenette with a bar-style sink, a one-burner hob, and a combination washer/dryer, while bathrooms across the board include tiny tubs with hand-held showers.

Well-equipped rooms help bump this hotel into the mid-range category, but its facilities are strictly budget class. For instance, there is no fitness room here, nor is there a bar or restaurant. What it does have is a modern, maple-toned breakfast lounge, where a mediocre (and often monotonous) hot-and-cold buffet is laid out each morning at no cost. Onsite vending machines provide edible grab-an-go options, as does the convenience store across the street. On the second floor, you’ll find a laundry room with coin-operated washers and dryers; however, Hotel Lumiere Nishikasai has no other common areas save for the spartan little lobby, which contains a round-the-clock reception desk plus a smattering of stools and a pair of free guest computers hooked up to a pay-for-use printer.