APA Hotel Kanda-Eki Higashi (Tokyo, Japan)

As well as being surrounded by every kind of eating place you can imagine, this hotel is just a five-minute stroll from nearby Kanda Station. The great thing about this is that Kanda is on the Yamanote Line, thereby affording direct train access to hotspots like Ueno, Shinjuku and Shibuya. Being so close to Tokyo station is a boost too as it makes travelling to other Japanese cities via Shinkansen (bullet trains) far more straightforward.

If you’re a native (or adept) English speaker then you’ll find yourself well accommodated here. In addition to free English newspapers, you get a BBC channel in British-English and a mighty fine effort by customer-facing staff to converse in American/British/Australian English.

They may not be particularly adventurous but it has to be said that the breakfast offerings proffered here are about as fresh as they come – most of the ingredients are shipped directly from the famed Tsukiji Market the very same day!

If you find a cat out on the street then by all means invite him up and see how far you get with swinging the little fella around your teeny-tiny room. Hint: you won’t get very far.

It’s no understatement to say the pillows in this hotel’s guest rooms are about as thick – and as comfortable – as your average chopping board. Ask for more upon arrival otherwise you might end up sleeping on rolled-up towels.

This hotel operates an ‘Eco’ policy which essentially means the accommodations are only cleaned/vacuumed upon request. Do yourself a favour and take the time to request...