When we travel overseas, we always choose to book from Airbnb. Why? Because it feels more comfortable than staying in hotels! I love the homey feeling that an Airbnb can provide.
Finding the right Airbnb for you:
Location is key. Always find a place that is near train stations, bus stops, or any local transportation. It is also important to consider a location that is near the attractions that you wish to visit. Use the map tool to find the right location.
Use the right filters. When searching for a property, you can use the following filters: You can choose what home type you need: Entire Home, Private Room, or Shared Room. Set your preferred price range so you won’t go over your budget.
Contact the host. I always contact the host to ask if they have flexible check-in and check-out times, because we don’t always arrive or leave on their preferred schedules. There are a lot of hosts that will accommodate this request.
Read the most recent reviews. Choose the property that has the most glowing reviews. There may be old reviews that contain bad comments, but reading the latest ones may contain comments that the host has improved with, so do read the latest reviews to see if there really is an improvement.
Our First Airbnb in Tokyo
Since our itinerary requires us to travel to Osaka the next day via the bullet train, we decided to look for a property that is walking distance to one, Otsuka Station. The property was quite small for four people with two bunk beds. We only needed to sleep anyway. We managed to get 4-hours of sleep before we started our journey to Osaka the next morning.
Sleeping Area, Dining Area
Dining Area, Kitchen
Overall, staying in this Airbnb was okay. We can’t really say anything more than it was very clean when we arrived. It has all the amenities that we needed, plus it was really near the shinkansen (bullet train station).
Osaka Airbnb
We had a hard time finding our Airbnb at Shinsaibashi in Osaka, because Google Maps failed us. When you’re in Japan, they tend to translate your map into Japanese, so if you can’t read Japanese, you’re basically screwed. Well, not really. Anyway, supposedly, we’re only at least 5-mins away from Ebisucho Station, but we took the wrong exit and went the other way.
Living Room
Bedroom
The apartment looked quite spacious from the photos, but it wasn’t in real life. There’s also a limit to how much hot water you can use per day. That was quite tough for us because it was below 10°C during that time and brushing your teeth with cold water was not a great feeling. We stayed there for 2-nights, but overall, it was a good stay.
Our Last Airbnb in Tokyo
This may be our favorite out of all three, but only because it was the most spacious one. It’s a 2-storey home in the middle of sub-urban Tokyo. The only downside was, it was literally a 10-minute walk to the nearest train station, Keisei-Takasago. When you’ve had a long day from traveling, 10-minutes to walk to your Airbnb feels too long. In my defense, it was peak season and most of the prices were jacked up. There was one that I wanted to book, it was only Php2000/night if I booked for January, but we were going in March, so the price was Php6000/night.
Living Room
First Bedroom
Dining Area
Overall, we had a good time staying in this home. Mr. Kotaro, the owner, was very kind. He fetched us from the train station on our first night. He explained how everything works in the house and where to find the things we might need. He also left us some Japanese rice snacks. I also loved the fact that it was in the middle of a real Japanese neighborhood. I felt like I was in a Japanese movie. I don’t think I will forget that place.
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