Photo By: Elin Chow
Official Website: Super Hotel Lohas Ikebukuro-Eki Kitaguchi

Leaving Shinjuku Gyoen, we took the train from JR Shinjuku Station back to Ikebukuro Station. We have left our luggage at Super Hotel Lohas Ikebukuro-Eki Kitaguchi (the hotel that we will be staying for the next 3 nights) earlier that day before we went off for sightseeing. So we planned to check in and take a short rest first before we continue sightseeing.

Super Hotel Lohas Ikebukuro-Eki Kitaguchi is located about 10 minutes walk away from Ikebukuro Station, near to the red-light district. It is pretty far, especially when you are dragging your luggage around and trying to navigate your way through all the people. 


The hotel was newly renovated in 2016. Warmly lit, the lobby was spacious with several comfortable couches.
The front desk staff was very polite, friendly and able to converse well in English. Check in was fast and efficient. There was also no check-out formalities at the hotel as front desk does not operate 24-hour. You can simply leave the hotel by 10.00 am.

At the reception, you will find a range of free gifts for the ladies, including face masks, bar soaps, combs, moisturizers, relaxing patch, mouthwash and etc. Each female guest is allowed to choose and take any 5 items from the tray cabinet every day. Well, it is a little unfair for male guests, but I believe guys would not really mind.

Next to the reception desk, there are two computer with internet connection and a printer provided for guests to use. There is a vending machine at the lobby where you can buy some drinks. Other amenities include guest laundry facilities and gender-separated Onsens (artificial gas spring).  Please note that people with tattoos are not allowed to use the Onsen

Next to the lift, you will find a large shelf offering a selection of pillows of different hardness, blankets and Yukatas. Guests are welcome to pick up their preferable pillow, extra blankets and Yukata to wear to the Onsen here.


Access to the room is via key code. You will receive the key code when you check in. It is great because you do not have to carry a room card key and worry about misplacing it.

We booked a standard double non-smoking room for 3 nights. The room was extremely tiny but cleverly designed. It comes with a large king-sized bed, a small writing desk, a mini fridge and an attached bathroom. Although it is small, the room is clean and well-kept and every space is well utilized.

There was a small compartment beneath the bed that provide extra storage space. This was also where we kept one of our luggage, so that we can have more space as there was not much walking space in the room.

It can be a little frustrating if you have more than one luggage because you can only open one at a time, right in front of the door. We struggled to do all the packing after a day of shopping in the tiny space.

It will be good that if you try to pack all your stuffs in one luggage to save yourself the trouble from opening more than one luggage. Also,it will impossible for you to open the door and get out of the room after you opened your luggage. So, you will have to close it up every time you want to get out of the room.


Other than its tiny size, the room was very comfortable. The bed was very firm and the area was pretty quiet at night despite being located near the red light district. Some other basic amenities provided in the room include coffee and tea making facilities, hair dyer and a TV. Free WiFi is also available.

There was no free bottled mineral water provided. But you will receive free bottles of mineral water if you opt out not to have your room cleaned. Clean towels will still be provided every day even if you opted out of housekeeping.


In the room, you will also find an air filter/humidifier to keep the air clean and fresh. There was no closet for you to store your personal belongings. You will find just a few hangers for you to hang your clothes (which is not enough if you have many clothes).


The bathroom was also extremely tiny, but it has everything you need; a washlet, sink and a soaking tub. There was no space for us to hang our clothes and towel when we shower.

Large bottles of shower gel, shampoo and hair conditioner are provided in the bathroom. At the sink, you will also find disposable toothbrush and toothbrush.

You will receive a free snack for every unused toothbrush that you returned to the hotel at the front desk.

The hotel offers free breakfast for all guests, which was available from 6.30 am to 9.00 am. Traditional Japanese-style buffet was served, consisting of rice, miso soup, rice toppings, salads, sausages, salmon, mackerel, an assortment of breads, cereals and fruits. You are required to clean your own table, throw away the leftovers and separate the utensils before leaving

The restaurant can get pretty crowded during breakfast time and you might wait to get a table if you late. Please try to have your breakfast as early as you can.

Overall, we had quite an enjoyable stay at the hotel. Service was great and even though the room was really small, it offers all the basics you will need for a comfortable stay.


If you are interested to know more about our trip, you may want to check out our 9D8N Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka Trip Itinerary + Overview for the list of attractions that we had visited during our 9 days in Japan. For anyone planning your first trip to Japan but have no idea where to start, you should read my "How To Plan A Trip To Japan" post.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates on my 9 days adventures in Japan! You might also want to check My Wanderlust page for some of my other travel adventures.