New Koyo

New Koyo

Tokyo, Japan

Reviewed May 24th, 2004

This budget hotel in the Asakusa district of Tokyo left a little to be desired, but for ¥2500 a night, I'm not complaining. It could be much worse. I can only imagine the horrors of a shared restroom in a $20 a night hotel anywhere else but Japan. Excuse me while I shudder for a few seconds...

There is a plethora of bilingual writing on the outside door with an emphasis towards NOT smoking and NOT trashing this restroom. Watch your head on the way in. The doorway is quite small. Since this is a unisex bathroom shared by many people, you will want to be careful of your behavior because you never know who is going to come in. Men, be alert at the urinals and women, be sure to lock the door to your stall. Each floor is outfitted with a combination of western and Japanese style toilets in small dimly lit stalls. There is an odd small sink which is operated by twisting a small "wind-up toy" style handle on the spout. The soap dispenser appears to have been empty for ages, and now a bar of soap hangs from it in a nylon mesh. There is a row of additional newer sinks outside the restroom complete with a mirror. It is my guess that many guests choose to use these sinks instead. Because of this, I would advise against touching the door handle.

Throughout my stay at the New Koyo, I noticed many smells come and go. At one point, the stench was so bad I could only bear it for a couple seconds. Later that day, a lemony fresh popup air freshener appeared near the urinals and the smell subsided.

RESTROOM RATING: 4
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