Check in at Hotel Gracery Shinjuku and Experience a Godzilla Tour

Where do you usually stay when traveling to Tokyo? If you’re coming for a short trip, especially now that the yen is relatively low and you want to go shopping for Japanese goods, I’d highly recommend staying at a hotel in the Shinjuku or Shibuya area. Being close to a subway exit is something I particularly look for when choosing a hotel. (You won’t have to carry all your shopping too far!)

This time, due to a work schedule change, I suddenly had four days free, so I decided to take a short break from Taiwan to recharge before diving back into my packed workload.

This time, I’m experiencing the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, which opened in April 2015 and is part of the same group as the Shinjuku Washington Hotel. It’s located right in the heart of Kabukicho, Shinjuku, just about a five-minute walk from the east exit of Shinjuku Station.

"That’s it—its design is really striking. Walking from the east exit of Shinjuku Station toward Kabukicho, you can spot this super tall new building from afar.

"What’s exciting and surprising is the giant “Godzilla” head—that’s the most internationally eye-catching theme feature of Hotel Gracery Shinjuku.

"On certain floors, rooms have windows that open up to give you an extremely close view of Godzilla. Imagine waking up to that first thing in the morning—it’ll definitely scare you awake, in a fun way.

"The hotel lobby is on the 8th floor, also where the Godzilla head is housed. The outdoor seating area of the lobby café lets you get quite close to Godzilla, though you can only see its back and side.

"This is a large hotel with many rooms, and there are also numerous restaurants and shops below. Coupled with super affordable flight + hotel packages in partnership with budget airlines, it attracts a lot of travelers from nearby Asian countries.

"The computer area offers a view over all of Kabukicho.

"There’s an entire wall of free travel guides focused on the Shinjuku area. (They’re available in both Chinese and English, so if you’re on a light trip and want to get to know Shinjuku well, you don’t even need to bring a guidebook!)

"Single room.

"The desk and chair setup in the single room is designed for business travelers—just the right size for placing a laptop.

"Double room.

"The sofa in the double room is a bit awkward in size—more like one and a half person—but visually it feels a bit more cozy and relaxing compared to the single room.

"I really admire the Japanese ability to plan space efficiently. The depth of this open wardrobe is only about 15 cm, but it’s just enough for hanging coats and clothes. There’s also an ironing set. Even with a minimalist interior design, they’ve thought of everything—your clothes can be neatly ironed and presentable when you go out.

"The bathroom has a complete wet and dry separation, and they even use an international-brand negative ion hair dryer.

"My favorite is the large bath that feels like a traditional onsen-style bathing room. Many mid-range Tokyo hotels have pretty small rooms, so having a bath area this spacious for relaxation really earns Hotel Gracery Shinjuku extra points in my book.

"The hotel provides shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and facial foam.

"Bathroom amenities and lightweight, comfortable bathrobes.

"A monster exhibition themed around Godzilla.

"∇ There are also many limited-edition Godzilla souvenir goods available for purchase in the hotel as gifts.

"An exhibition featuring the classic early-era monster Godzilla.

"If you want to stay in a Godzilla-themed room, you’ll need to reserve it with the hotel in advance.

* Scoot + Hotel Gracery Shinjuku Special Offer (limited time)
Free & Easy 5D4N starting from 16,800 TWD
- Includes 20 kg checked baggage each way with Scoot
- Flights on Boeing 787 aircraft
- Book by December 31, 2015, for travel before March 27, 2016
(For details, please contact Scoot or HowToTrip. In case of any adjustments, the airline's policies shall prevail.)

!!Reminder: There is a direct JR N’EX express train from Tokyo Narita Airport to Shinjuku Station. Foreign travelers can now purchase a round-trip ticket for just 4,000 yen (original price 6,040 yen) with a passport. This offer applies to those planning to return to the airport within 14 days.

"The red thick line indicates the N’EX direct stops, including Shinjuku, Tokyo, and Shibuya stations.

"Route from Shinjuku East Exit to the hotel. (Approximately 500 meters)

Gracery Shinjuku Hotel
Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
Address: 160-0021, Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Kabukicho 1-19-1　
Website: http://shinjuku.gracery.com/zh-hans/
Godzilla Reservation Phone: +81-(0)3-6833

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