Here’s good news for those who would rather fly in and out of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (only 10 km from the city centre) instead of Narita (57 km). Haneda recently added a fourth runway and is now allowing more long-haul international flights. Japan Airlines seems to have the largest number of international long-haul flights into Haneda. ANA has just started flying direct to Haneda from Los Angeles and Honolulu. Thai Airways is adding one flight per day from Bangkok to Haneda. Other airlines will have direct flights to Haneda so check your favourite airline before making flight arrangements to Tokyo. Unfortunately, most European airlines will not fly direct to Haneda because the arrival and departure times set for them are inconvenient. So most of the slots have been taken by Asian and US carriers.

Here are a few statistics concerning travel from central Tokyo to Haneda airport versus Narita:

Tokyo-Narita (57 km): fastest way to get to Tokyo is the JR Narita Express which takes 53 minutes. Taxis are extremely expensive.

Tokyo-Haneda (10 km): you can use the monorail to get to Haneda Airport from Hamamatsucho Station, then transfer onto the JR Yamanote Line or the JR Keihin Tohoku Line. Total time: 20 minutes. Taxis are more affordable given the shorter distance (from Ginza or Shibuya, for example).

Regular readers of Mapplr know that when it comes to hotels, I prefer to stay in places that do not belong to a chain. I like small, intimate hotels or B&Bs whose owners pay a lot of attention to design, atmosphere and personal service. Last winter, I had a chance to go to Japan for the first time. I was invited to speak at a wireless conference in Fukuoka and decided to stay an extra week to visit Tokyo and Kyoto.

Finding a non-chain hotel in Tokyo is challenging. Thank heavens for the ryokan, a Japanese-style B&B. There are many ryokans in Tokyo and Kyoto, but some accept only Japanese guests because they do not have English-speaking staff. Fortunately, ryokans are becoming more popular among foreign visitors so finding one that accepts foreigners isn’t a problem anymore. What to expect from a ryokan: tatami mats, sitting on the floor at a low table to drink and eat, sleeping on a futon which the ryokan staff roll out at night (and roll back into a closet during the day), Japanese breakfasts, a Japanese bath on the premises, and in more luxurious ryokans, kaiseki breakfasts and dinners served in your room.

Here are my favorite hotels and ryokans in Tokyo.

Claska
1-3-18 Chuo-cho
Meguro-ku
Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 3719 8121
www.claska.com/en/
Small hip hotel in Meguro

Yoshimizu
3-11-3 Ginza
Chuo-ku
Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 3248 4432
www.yoshimizu.com/en/ginza/index.html
Eleven room ryokan in the heart of Ginza

Sukeroku No Yado Sadachiyo
2-20-1 Asakusa
Taito-ku
Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 3842 6431
www.sadachiyo.co.jp
Modern ryokan in Asakusa

Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu
1-31-11 Asakusa
Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 3843 2345
www.shigetsu.com
Ryokan by Sensoji temple in Asakusa

Shibuya Granbell Hotel
15-17 Sakuragaoka-cho
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 5457 2681
www.granbellhotel.jp
Boutique hotel by Shibuya station

Andon Ryokan
2-34-10 Nihonzutsumi Taito
Tokyo, Japan 111-0021
+81 3 3873 8611
www.andon.co.jp
Industrial chic meets traditional Japanese design

The b Akasaka
7-6-13, Akasaka
Minato-ku
Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 3586 0811
www.ishinhotels.com/theb-akasaka/en/

Mapplr’s favorite ryokans in Japan

If you are going to other cities in Japan or out into the countryside, make sure you check out my favorite ryokans.

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Here is a Google map of Tokyo with my favorite hotels and ryokans.

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I posted a few notes on my trip to Japan, including photos, on Rosecantine.com:

With luggage like this, you’ll never be at a loss at the airport baggage carousel

Cheap fast food in Tokyo: noodles

Funky outfits near Harajuku station in Tokyo

In Japan this week