Saturday, September 15, 2018

Muslim Traveller - Accomodation in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan! Family-Friendly

Our very first trip to the land of the Rising Sun! Follow my blog for tips on travelling in Japan for Muslims!

We landed at Narita after 6 hours on Malaysia Airlines (my preferred airlines). As we purchased the Japan Railway Pass online prior to our visit, we had to exchange our Order Pass at the JR Office at the airport.

As we were using the JR Pass, we decided to take the Narita Expres (NEX) train from Narita Airport, - Tokyo, as the NEX was inclusive on the JR Pass, to head to our accomodation near Asakusa.

Waiting for the 7.30 PM train at Narita. Imaan loved to see the trains.

Imaan's tiny stroller fit in between the seats.

Little did we know that there were TWO Asakusa Stations; we took the one via Tokyo Metro Line, which was further away, compared to another Asakusa Station via Toei Subway Lines, which was closer to our accomodation. We had quite a walk ahead of us...

See that brown bag my mom is pushing? That's the ~secret~ Asian mom bag full of food... to be discussed later hahaha.

It was quite late at this time, and there were drunk locals walking around post work, but they were harmless and quite friendly. They waved to Imaan in her stroller and said, kawaiii~~. It was such a warm welcome to Japan!

For those wondering, we stayed 5D4N at Tao's place via AirBNB:
LINK: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21871050?s=51

SIGN UP FOR AIRBNB NOW TO GET RM 120 CREDIT FREE FOR YOUR FIRST BOOKING!
The dining-table-cum-tv-cum-kitchen area.

Everything was organized, clean and tidy as we arrived. 

The TV location was in a slightly odd corner. Out of five houses that we stayed at during Japan, this was the only house with an iron.

Rather rare to find - two rooms with two Western beds in Tokyo - most had only one Western-style bed and tatamis.

Do remove your shoes and wear these indoor slippers provided by the host! The brown door at the end leads to the toilet.

Washing area with the washing machine. The host provided us a hanging rack to dry our items. The brown door leads to the bathroom.

If I can, I would bring back this magical toilet. I LOVEEEEE Japan toilet with its warm toilet bowl and automatic bidet buttons.

The bathing area. Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel was provided by our host.

If you are using the JR Pass you need to transfer at least once, as the only lines accessible to Asakusa Station is accessible via Tsukuba Express or JR Yamanote to Akhibara Station, transfer to Tokyo Metro line to Asakusa Station. If you have luggage with you, it may be a bit of a walk.
  • Location: 4/5 - quite a bit of walk from any train stations, but we enjoyed the walk amongst the quaint neighborhood. They played calm music every morning in the neighborhood. Plenty of local marts to shop around for fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Communication - 5/5 - Tao was a very gracious host. He provided us with a guidebook on how to use what.
  • Cleanliness - 5/5 - Sparkling clean!
  • Check-In - 5/5 - Smooth and easy via self check-in with instructions provided prior to visit.
  • Value - 5/5 - Reasonable for the number of beds given. 
Sambal Che Nor (available at major petrol stations), with sambal belimbing and sambal ikan bilis from Malaysia - whch was in my mom's secret brown bag - which we ate with precooked rice and pickled cucumbers that we bought from one of the convenience stores.  The Sambal Che Nor became quite a staple during our meals at our AirBNB homes.

Imaan and GM (grandma) chilling on this tiny sofa that was slightly too big for one adult but not big enough for two adults. 

Other Notes
  • Muslim Travellers - there are a few Halal restaurants around Asakusa neighborhood, so I would recommend to stay here. Tao's place also has a rice cooker, and you can use the stove for some lightcooking, so I would recommend this place for other Muslim travellers!
  • Stairs, no lift -Lucky my mom is quite fit, and my brother came a long for the trip to help us haul luggage, the stroller and Imaan up and down the stairs (there are no lifts at this apartment - there are 3 flights of stairs).

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