Published date: October 31, 2024
Enjoying the Retro Shopping District in Otsuka, Tokyo
Room Type Stayed
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Experience of the stay
I stayed at 'OMO5 Tokyo Otsuka by Hoshino Resorts' through HafH!
As soon as I exited the north exit of JR Otsuka Station, I saw the building marked 'OMO5,' which was easy to find (Sizzler is on the second floor, which serves as a landmark).
Near the hotel, there's a tram line, and it's conveniently located by the trendy onigiri specialty shop 'Bongo.'
The entrance to OMO is at the beginning of the first floor, and you take the elevator to the 4th floor where the front desk is located. Passing through a train-themed entrance, I found a cafe lounge and the front desk.
There’s a surrounding map with a wealth of information about gourmet spots.
The much-talked-about 'Yagura Room' has a nice color scheme and is calming. The lower section of the Yagura provides space to relax or eat.
When you go up the stairs, there are two futons laid out, making it feel like a secret base, perfect for a girls' night out.
The bath was stylish with nice tiles too!
The next day, I began working on my PC in the lounge around 7 AM.
There was high-speed Wi-Fi that made working easy.
In the lounge, beverages were free drinks, which was a nice touch!
Breakfast was an additional charge (1,250 yen) for OMO's morning set (6 types of risotto and freshly baked bread), but I skipped it since I had wanted to go to a place I had in mind before.
Experiences during the trip
Before checking in, we had a curry lunch at the popular shop 'Yappari India' located near the north exit of Otsuka Station.
After that, we took a walk to the famous 'Togenuki Jizo' in Sugamo, known as 'Grandma's Harajuku'.
It's a 15-minute walk from Otsuka Station to Togenuki Jizo, which is just the right distance for a stroll.
From 5 PM, we participated in the 'Otsuka Charm Tour with Otsuka Otaku' (free of charge), which we had reserved in advance from the official OMO Tokyo Otsuka website.
The tour lasted for 1 hour and covered the historic shops around Otsuka Station (like Chisanri Monaka, Meat Hayashi, Yajimaen, etc.) and sightseeing spots (like Tensojinja Shrine, Tokyo Densha Arakawa Line, etc.)!
The top recommendation is the train view spot "Utsusemi Bridge," where you can see the Sky Tree and the white chimney of the Toshima Incineration Plant (the tallest in the 23 wards of Tokyo) on the opposite side.
There are areas without wire mesh, so you can take beautiful photos from here.
Shopping along the way is allowed, and you can leave the tour midway, making it a fun experience!
The next morning, I checked out at 10 AM as I wanted to have breakfast at the cafe Takase in front of Ikebukuro East Exit Station.
Takase's morning breakfast runs from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, offering toast (with unlimited refills), boiled eggs, salad, and a drink (coffee / tea / milk (ice available)) for 700 yen.
The top recommendation is the pizza toast! It's loaded with rich cheese and highly recommended for its ideal taste.
After this, I went shopping in Ikebukuro before heading home.
I had a great time exploring the Otsuka Station area, which I usually don't get off at. Staying at a hotel in the city on weekends can be quite refreshing.
I hope this story helps everyone with their travels. If you liked it, please support me with a thumbs up!