Opened in July of 2019, Cya Shitsu Ryokan is a city-style ryokan set in Oku-Asakusa, away from the bustle of the heart of Asakusa and nearer to where the locals live.

This hotel’s unique point is in its design, which is modeled after a “chashitsu”, or Japanese tea room. Traditional chashitsu are special buildings built specially for sadō, or tea ceremonies, where the owner of a house performs a traditional ritual for serving tea for their guests.

The room is typically a tatami room about three meters square, and dim with low ceilings. Adorned with just seasonal flowers and hanging scrolls, it’s a simple and minimalistic room.

With such a simple and plain appearance, those unfamiliar may feel that it may be lacking in some features. Following traditional Japanese style, the space makes used of a minimalist setting with a monotone palette, creating a vintage feel, in line with the aesthetic of “wabi-sabi”, which centers on the ideas of imperfection and transience.

Not only are the entrances to the guest rooms shaped like “nijiri guchi”, which are the small, sliding entrance to tea rooms, the entrance of the ryokan is also modelled after the “roji”, or garden, that tea houses are situated in. The waiting area for guests while the tea room is prepared, also called a “machiai”, has a foot spa service as well, and at a glance, it exudes nothing but the essence of Japan.

Inside the guestrooms, there are translucent handmade rice paper windows, called “shoji”, coupled with “kakehana” hanging flower holders and indoor gardens, or “tsuboniwa”, to give a natural feel. Sliding screens, called “fusuma”, and folding screens, “byoubu”, are used to gently separate the areas in the room, allowing you to feel the culture of ambiguous partitions and barriers iconic of Japan.

There are 4 room types, with the smallest room being the compact “Cyashitsu”. For a room closer in feel to a real tea room, there is the “Cyashitsu Asakusa, while the “Ofuro Suite” comes with an attached hot tub with a view of the city. For families and groups, there is a “Cyashitsu Suite”, with an impressive floor size of 20m2. For those interested in seeing the beautiful art on the sliding screens, or the bamboo blinds called “misu”, often associated with nobility from the Heian era, we especially recommend the “Cyashitsu suite”.

The staff are meticulous and thoughtful, just like the master of a tea house, and even the bath is decorated with tea house motifs. As the staff themselves are also locals from Asakusa, being able to get information straight from those born and bred in the area is a definite plus as well.

If you’re looking for a place that’s hidden from the rest of the city, Mustard Hotel Asakusa, opened in February 2019, is the place for you.

Designed as a hostel with mainly dormitory beds, the room uses warm wood for most of its furnishings, creating a modern and simple feel. Just a 5-minute walk away from Asakusa station, it’s convenient for sightseeing in Asakusa too. To top it off, the hotel comes with many facilities to give you an authentic Japanese experience.

One of the highlights is the man-made hot spring, the Koumyo-Kougou, which has restorative properties. Purported to soothe aches and pains, and relieve exhaustion, it is a great place to rest your tired body.

The first floor of the hotel also has a wine bar, where you can have some light meals. In the mornings, breakfast is bread baked using Japanese wheat and all-natural yeast, combined with seasonal ingredients to make delicious sandwiches and other deli items that you can enjoy with coffee.

In the evenings, you chill out at the bar with a glass of wine. As the bar is open to the public, you can chat freely with the locals as well.

The guest rooms are dormitory style, with curtains provided for each bed that can be closed for more privacy. Three floors are mixed dormitories, while one floor is female only, so ladies can rest easy during their visit as well. Besides this, there are separate rooms with two sets of double bunks beds that can be used by up to four people. All toilets and showers are shared.

The rental yukata, a casual Japanese robe, is designed by a famous designer, with patterns representative of Asakusa. Besides this, the tenugui hand towel shop “Kamawanu”, known throughout Japan, created original goods for the hotel that you can buy as well. It goes without saying that the design is top-notch, the cloth itself is highly absorbent and gentle on the skin too, making for a great souvenir from Japan.

From April 2019, a second branch, Mustard Hotel Asakusa 2, will open its doors too. Besides the dormitory type rooms (starting from 4,000 yen), there are “single box” rooms that come with full curtain partitions (starting from 6,000 yen), and family and double rooms (starting from 10,000 yen) as well.

More than just a place to stay, ＆AND HOSTEL ASAKUSA opened in February 2019 to solve the issue of language barriers in Asakusa, by making use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the building. Besides the novelty and entertainment value of its facilities, the hotel is very user-friendly too.

At check-in, registration is done using a tablet in multiple languages, cutting down on waiting time, and there’s a smart speaker concierge on standby as well. Questions such as “Can I leave my baggage here after check-out?” and “What time can I use the shower till?” can be answered by the robot as well. As there are regular staff on duty at the counter, those who prefer a human touch can speak to them as well.

Instead of a key, the guest room comes with its own smartphone. The smartphone comes pre-downloaded with the hostel’s original IoT application, “&IoT”, which, besides being obviously able to lock your room door, can control various electronics in your room too. Besides this, the “Relax” scene allows you to choose the lighting scene in your room from six different scenes, allowing you to pick an environment and mood that best suits you.

The “Wake up!” function opens the curtains and switches on the smart speaker, lights, aroma diffuser, and deionizer to get you out of bed. The smartphone also allows you to check the crowding situation in the hostel’s shower rooms and lounge.

Like stepping through a timeslip, this hostel really gives you a sense of excitement. There are three types of rooms, the “IoT double room” which comes with a double bed and IoT device, a twin room furnished with a bunk bed, and dormitory room with 4 beds.

The first and ninth floors come with kitchens and lounges, and make for a great space to interact with other travelers.

Lodgings that merge the best of Japanese culture with technology can make for an enjoyable part of your trip. Be sure to visit Asakusa, where you can experience the traditions and culture of Japan!