Last Day in Tokyo

Well, that last night in Tokyo we got in kind of late at our "inn", and we woke up too late to enjoy the breakfast there, too. But I did get to talk to the owner of the place. That may not sound too special, and even after I explain it, it still might not be too exciting to most of you. But anyways, I stayed at the Sawanoya Inn. It's located somewhat near Tokyo University and Ueno Park. What makes it special, you ask?

Well, it's a traditional Japanese-style inn. Once used by businessmen and Japanese travelers, it lost a lot of business when "business hotels" started to mar the landscapes. But in order to stay afloat, and keep this family-run inn in operation, Mr. Isao Sawa decided to try to attract foreigners to stay in his inn. Now, 90% of his customers come from abroad and stay with him while they are in Tokyo. It only has 12 rooms, and only two of these have their own bathrooms. It's cheap compared to most places in Tokyo. It's not 5-star quality, that's for sure, but what the building lacks in amenities, it makes up for in friendliness.

But why would I go out of my way to spend a night there, when I could have stayed at Mike's place for free? Because I am a teacher. And in my school's English textbook, there is a full-length article on "Sawanoya." So could I pass up the chance to actually SEE the pictures in the textbook, confirm whether or not the article was true, and meet the owners? No way! I stayed the night, talked with Mr. Sawa, and he even gave me a book of his experience as the owner of this unique inn over the years. What a great stay it was! And when I go back to Tokyo, I hope to spend another night at Sawanoya! Why don't you consider doing the same?