Nohga Hotel Ueno Tokyo

The hotel is about 300 meters from Ueno Station, making it very convenient to get to Ueno Park, Ginza, and Senso-ji Temple. It's tucked away about 100 meters down an alley, so it's quiet and perfect for a peaceful night's sleep. The breakfast is rich, varied, delicious, and beautifully presented. At 4000 JPY, it comes with a 10% discount voucher, which is quite a good deal. However, I did find a bad grape and a spoiled piece of pineapple, and the manager immediately apologized when they saw it! The room was clean, tidy, and comfortable, with complete facilities. The front desk service was excellent and friendly to guests.

The location is excellent, offering a quiet retreat in a bustling area. The B&O Bluetooth speaker in the room is a nice touch, and the shower pressure is good. If you opt for eco-cleaning, they don't replenish bottled water, so you have to go downstairs to get it, which is a bit inconvenient. Long-handled umbrellas are available for loan. The toiletries provided are somewhat limited; there's no soap or facial care products, but the hand soap and shampoo are of decent quality.

The front desk service was excellent. We arrived during a heavy downpour and were a bit wet, so the staff kindly offered us towels. After checking out, we picked up our luggage in the afternoon and were able to organize it in the second-floor lounge area. We booked two deluxe twin rooms and were given adjacent rooms on the 9th floor. There was enough space to fully open one suitcase. It's rare to find 1.8m wide beds in Japan, and these were just the right firmness, allowing for a good rest. We didn't try the hotel's food. We passed Ichiran Ramen on the way to the National Museum, so we slept in and went there, avoiding the queue.

The room was quite spacious for Tokyo standards, with no problem fitting two suitcases. The overall hotel style is modern Western. The breakfast options are mostly Western pastries, and there's only one Japanese breakfast option, which wasn't very tasty. Overall, the stay, service, and cleanliness were good, but the breakfast selection was really limited. Also, while the hotel is in the Ueno area and close to the subway, getting to Ueno Park and the train station involves climbing a set of stairs, which was a bit tiring. The Ueno area is quite crowded, and the general appearance of the streets can be a bit messy, which wasn't to my family's liking.

The actual room at the hotel was actually a bit better than what the official photos showed. I chose a place near Ueno Station because I was going to Narita Airport the next day. However, for anyone with the same idea as me, please note that there are two Ueno Stations nearby. The one for the Skyliner is a bit further away and requires a short walk.

The room, bed, and breakfast were all quite satisfactory, and the staff were very friendly. I spent a long time looking for the vertical elevator on the pedestrian bridge that was mentioned in the reviews. It's in the middle of the bridge, just like how the vertical elevators at Ueno Station are concentrated near the central ticket gate. On the first day, I almost collapsed carrying my luggage down the stairs. It wasn't until the night before I left on the third day that I searched for them one by one and finally found it.