Tokyo Trip part 4

We have narrowed our hotel options down to the Shibuya Excel Hotel in Shibuya and the Hilton or Hyatt in Shinjuku. The two Shinjuku hotels are right next to each other and very expensive. We can get a suite at either one and have a very nice time in Tokyo. The Shibuya hotel is less expensive and does not have suites, but I think it's in a better location.

The Shinjuku hotels are farther away from the metro, though they are probably an easy enough walk. They are in a business area and I'm sure it's a great place to stay if you are on a business trip. Your meeting would probably be close by, if not in the hotel itself.

Ryan and Kevin want to be closer to the non-stop Shinjuku nightlife. The neighborhood they want to stay in is northeast of the metro station, but the better hotels are west of the station. The station itself seems to be massive, so just getting from one end to the other might take a while. I don't know how long it would take to walk from either hotel to the red light district, but in August, even thirty minutes might be too much.

The Shibuya hotel is right next to the train station. It's literally across the street and connected by a walkway. You can probably walk from one to the other during a typhoon and never get wet. I think that's terribly convenient. Typhoon or not, I'm sure we will use the trains a great deal, so the closer we are, the better. We could also avoid the famous crosswalk, which probably gets pretty old pretty fast, especially if you have to walk through thousands of gawking people just to cross the street.

There are practical considerations we need to think about. Tokyo, unlike Hong Kong, has Krispy Kreme. Needless to say, I'm sure I will go there at least once a day. The Shinjuku hotels are eleven blocks from the nearest Krispy Kreme. The Shibuya hotel is about a block away from the nearest Krispy Kreme, with another one six blocks in the opposite direction. Clearly, Shibuya has the advantage.

Ryan likes to get as much authentic American food as he can when we travel. Most people don't go to Tokyo for American food, but most people who were raised on American food probably don't live in Fuzhou either. There's nothing close to real American food where he lives and very little where I live. Tokyo should have more options.

So far, we know about a Sizzler in Shinjuku and Outback in Shibuya. Sizzler is terrible. It has killed people. I don't know why they want it in Japan. There's a Hard Rock Café, but that is farther away from Shinjuku and Shibuya. McDonald's is everywhere, but I'm not counting that because, while authentically American, it is also as appetizing as a giant plate of dog shit. Hopefully, there is an independent restaurant owned by an American expat somewhere. Authentic food should not have to be garbage.