airbnb Archives - The Wifey's Corner

May 10, 2018May 9, 2018

2017 Japan Trip – AirBnb in Tokyo

When looked for AirBnb in Tokyo for the last three nights, I wanted it to be close to a train station that is within JR Yamanote Line. That would provide easy access to places we wanted to go. Other requirements I had were to have laundry facility so we would not come home with too many dirty laundry; also have a lift facility. This is because we planned to do all the shopping in Tokyo and to drag our luggage up/down the stairs in (most likely be) full capacity could be quite challenging.

And with that filters on, I searched on AirBnb for a many weeks before decided to settle in at Shin Okubo. I had considered some other areas like Shinjuku Gyoen, Asakusa, Akihabara, and Ikebukuro – all of which is within the JR Yamanote Line, except the first one. But at the end, we decided Shin Okubo for its close proximity to Shinjuku. The apartment has many positive reviews and it has everything we need as well. On top of those, the price was also really good, we ended up at AUD 270 for 3 nights. Communication with host was great, he promptly responded to our emails and questions. I think all of my communication with any AirBnb hosts had been really great, with all of them being prompt and helpful.

airbnb shin okubo — Street in front of the apartment

The Apartment

The AirBnb in Tokyo is located within 5-7 minutes walk from Shin Okubo station, there is one 7-11 store close by and many more near the station. Shin Okubo is sort of well known as Korea Town, where you can find many Korean restaurant and shops that sell Korean brands cosmetics and skin care. With that many restaurants in the main street, the area is very much alive until late at night. The great advantage of the apartment being slightly away from main street is we got peaceful sleeps while there. It was like our apartment in Osaka, where it is so close to Dotonbori, but far enough to not get disturbed by the noise 🙂

From our communication with the host, we unfortunately could not check in to the apartment earlier. But the host kindly advised us to use lockers at Shinjuku station which we ended up using. By the time we checked in to the apartment, it had been cleaned and everything is perfect. Of all three AirBnb we stayed at in our Japan trip, this was the smallest; but understandably so are the majority apartments in Tokyo, I believe. The size is perfect for two adults with two big suitcases. Had we have more suitcases, it would probably a bit challenging to walk around the room 😛

Our general experience at this apartment was good, everything worked well and no problems occurred while we were there. No issues with speed or battery of the pocket WiFi either, so was all good. For the price, we were totally satisfied with this place and happily recommend it to first time goers. However, next time we’d love to try somewhere else. It may not necessarily within the Yamanote line, but still close to a subway or train station. The transportation system in Japan is working so well that I don’t think it would be a major issue if we stay outside of the Yamanote line.

AirBnb Listing:

Here is the link to the AirBnb in Tokyo listing: www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/6565099

And if you are first time user of AirBnb, you can use this link to register to get AUD 50 off your first booking.

February 20, 2018February 19, 2018

2017 Japan Trip – AirBnb in Osaka

When looked for an AirBnb in Osaka, I was not sure where to begin with. Unlike for Kyoto where I already knew I wanted to stay close to Kyoto station for easy access to everywhere. However, in Osaka I didn’t think we’d like to stay in Umeda area closer to Shin-Osaka. The other option would be Namba area which is arguably the liveliest part of Osaka. And finally, we just decided to be close to Dotombori for one and only reason: the street food! And it is in walking distance to Namba station as well, which is within the Osaka Loop line.

The main confusion for me to decide which AirBnb to go with was there are three Namba stations in the map: Nankai Namba, JR Namba, and Namba subway. And being first time visitor, I just could not get my mind around how it works and which would be the most useful one. As it turned out the AirBnb we stayed at was closest to Nippombashi subway station and also in walking distance to both Nankai Namba and JR Namba. So, our AirBnb in Osaka actually turned out to be in a great location.

My first communication with the host was to ask about the pocket WiFi and washing machine availability. The host, Taka, responded promptly and confirmed both are provided in the apartment; even unlimited data on the pocket WiFi. Communication with Taka had been easy and we found no issues with that. He even let us dropped our luggage before check in time (3 pm). He also provided a document with instructions to get to the apartment from various stations. Also in the instructions is how to get the apartment keys from mail box. I printed out the instructions and found it to be very useful as they are detailed with actual photos of buildings/streets.

The apartment building is located very close to Dotombori, but not that close that the noise would bother your sleep. It’s actually very quiet inside considering there are few bars and restaurants close by. Once we got back to the apartment after got lost in Umeda, we found it had been nicely cleaned. Taka even left us a bag of croissant with few packs of instant coffee, it was very kind of him. We found everything we needed in the apartment, there was even facial wash in the sink/vanity area.

The Apartment

The apartment is actually a really good size, with two single beds plus another sofa bed. It is definitely bigger than the AirBnb we stayed at in Kyoto. I find the mattress to be softer than my liking, but fortunately it had not given me backache. We had good night sleeps here and wake up refreshed every morning.

The bathroom is typical Japanese bathroom, a separate room for toilet and bath. We love the bath tub and had a good hot bath every night after all day walk was a bliss. The water pressure and hot water worked fine, we had no issues during our stay.

Generally, the apartment is very clean and in good condition. Under the bed was a little dusty, but it had not bothered us much, can be easily wiped off with the floor wipes provided in the cupboard. That would be the only complain we had if we had to be picky. Apart from that, everything else worked well, all the other amenities provided was more than enough during our stay (soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, washing detergent). Taka even provided shoes/clothes deodorizer as well as umbrellas (which we should have taken with us to USJ). Oh more importantly, the building has a lift! Such a relief we did not need to drag the luggage through stairs 🙂

I would definitely recommend Taka’s apartment if you like to stay close to Dotombori or if you are first time visitor to Osaka. This apartment is in walking distance to many markets and easy access to various stations as well. On top of that, the host had been really easy to deal with and answered to queries promptly. We were grateful for his hospitality during our stay in Osaka.

And here is the link to our AirBnb in Osaka.

If you are new to AirBnb, get AUD50 off your first booking by registering using this link.

January 16, 2018

2017 Japan Trip – AirBnb in Kyoto

Once we planned for the Japan trip, we knew we would be staying at AirBnb in at least 3 towns being Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo. And only after more research we decided to have the two night ryokan stay at Takayama, just because I wanted to see Shirakawago. Besides, old town Takayama looks beautiful anyway 🙂

As the title suggests, this post will be about our AirBnb in Kyoto. It was our first AirBnb experience ever and had been a pleasant one. Booking process was easy, communication with hosts (Tomoko and Chris) was prompt and they have been so helpful. One thing that I overlooked was that I did not realize when made the booking was that it didn’t come with pocket WiFi. Us being newbie to Japan and AirBnb experience, have forgotten to ask the host if there is a pocket WiFi. And only after booking, we became aware that there is only unlimited internet at the apartment and no pocket WiFi provided. But, no big deal, we just ordered one online and picked up at the airport on arrival.

First of all, we need to decide on which area of Kyoto where we wanted to stay at. And this proven to be difficult, we wanted somewhere fairly central, easy access to train/subway stations, and convenience stores nearby. The fact that Kyoto is a big town with widespread point of interests hasn’t been any helpful either. But at the end of the day, we decided to stay somewhere within walking distance to Kyoto station, thinking that it should be major hub to everywhere, right? And that’s how we ended up at Kamo Den Room No.1.

The Apartment

We reached the apartment after check in time, and there it was the key on top of the book shelf. The apartment was really clean and feel welcoming. Yes, it is tiny, but we kind of expected this to be the case with majority apartments in Japan anyway. And it is located on the third floor of the building with no elevator, but we already knew it at booking. It wasn’t a problem for us since we just arrived with mostly empty suitcases. I imagine it will cause a bit of trouble for people with heavy luggage to climb up and down the stairs.

The toilet is in a separate room to the bath room, and there is a bath tub as well. There is also a mini kitchen with a fridge, some basic utensils and crockery provided. Then into the room/living room, there are two tatami mats and futon. I was worried that this might give me back pain, but it didn’t – in fact, we had good sleeps here. There is also a washing machine with detergent provided, and a balcony to hang your clothes dry. A standing fan and low table are inside the wardrobe, and we took out the table during our stay here.

Overall, our AirBnb in Kyoto had been a great place to stay at based on the location and cleanliness and how helpful the hosts have been. I would not hesitate to recommend this place to my friends or families visiting Kyoto. Just be mindful about the stairs and no pocket WiFi provided.

And if you are also new to AirBnb experience, you can use this link to sign up to get AU$50 credit off your first booking 🙂