Pearl Hotel Ryogoku

Ahh this is such a convenient hotel, I stayed here twice in the last 3 years and I would stay here again.
I stayed here for 4 days and 3 night both times. Though the front desk staff didn’t speak much English my tour guide got us all settled in so I would bring a Japanese phrase book or dictionary if you’re traveling alone.
the first time I stayed in a room with two twin beds and there was a decent amount of space, not much, but enough to get around and fit our two luggages.
second time I was in a room with 3 beds and that was tight. Ended us moving the table in a different direction to make wailing around easier.
The beds are extremely comfortable! Slept great and I love how the windows don’t have regular window blinds or curtains. The sliding door blocked the sun perfectly in the hot mornings of the summer.
there’s two computers in the lobby that are free to use whenever. I’m not 100% sure if there is free wifi in the hotel since I had a pocket wifi.
Breakfast buffet was small but had everything you really needed to get your morning started.
but what I really loved was the fact that this hotel was literally across the street from a train station. it’s only 2 stops away from the Yamamoto Line which takes you to the popular destinations in Tokyo. So that was extremely convenient.
there’s also a McDonalds next door, a 711, a super market down the street and a lot of shops to eat at.
all in all, it’s a nice little hotel to stay at!

This hotel’s name in English is the Pearl Hotel Ryogoku. But no, this hotel is not a Pearl. My tour group and I stayed at the Pearl Hotel Ryogoku for 3 nights, Friday-​Sunday.
Location:
It’s 2 streets over from the Sobu Main Line… 1 stop away from Akihabara and 20 – 25 minutes from Hakajuru and «downtown» Tokyo. The hotel is steps away from a Sumo museum. On Sunday some of us were able to see some of the wrestlers dressed in their colorful yukatas. We ate at a nearby Chanko restaurant 10 minutes away from the hotel. I didn’t explore the neighborhood much, but it made for a good place to commute to and from downtown Tokyo.
Staff:
The front desk attendants didn’t speak much English which is frustrating for foreign travelers like myself, but our tour guide helped with translation. I recommend getting a phrase book or practicing your basic Japanese! The servers at breakfast seemed friendly and nice. They helped me operate the tea carafe since I had trouble reading the buttons!
Wifi:
Free wifi is always great. I used it to check for my phone and it was fast, not dial-​up speed like some places in Europe. Be sure to ask for the log-​in information from the front desk.
Breakfast:
Their breakfast was a mix of Japanese and Western cuisine. As a vegetarian (!!!), the selections were limited or questionable, but I managed to find something to eat. I had white bread with jam (I also brought hazelnut butter from home), cereal, and fried potatoes. They had rice, miso soup, fish, noodles, and some sort of salad. It’s too early in the morning for me to eat salad! Nothing was labeled which was a bummer, but I was a guest in their country so shame on me for not doing enough research beforehand. The food wasn’t terrible, but a few hours later, I was hungry again. The «fruit» selection was canned fruit cocktail, yuck!
The Room:
I shared a tiny twin room on the 4^th floor. There really wasn’t much room to move around in, but we just used the room for sleeping and showering, so it didn’t bother me too much. There are white slippers in the room, but I brought my own. My huge suitcase was able to fit in the «closet» area of the room since my roommate only brought an overnight bag for the trip. I don’t see how 2 massive suitcases would have fit in our closet of a room. The beds were surprisingly comfortable and I slept pretty well for my first 3 nights in Japan. There was a tiny fridge and an electric tea carafe with decent green tea. The room also had a small vanity/​desk area in the corner where I put my makeup on.
Okay, now the worst part of the room… The bathroom. The size really didn’t bother me. The SMELL did. The toilet smelled like URINE! It didn’t have any horrid stains or anything, but the smell was so foul, I had to hold my breath every time I went into the tiny bathroom. The shower head leaked water all over the floor. But I figured out a trick. You have to aim the head to the water flows to the tub. You can attach the head to the lower spot on the wall. The bathroom had a deodorizer spray, but that didn’t help with the stench of pee pee. GROSS!
Normally I would give this hotel 2.5 stars, but it deserves 3 for having its convenience and me feeling safe there. The breakfast was lacking for picky eaters, but I made do with what they had. I probably wouldn’t stay here if it were up to me; I’m more of an Airbnb gal.