We love staying at Mimaru serviced apartments for families in Japan. Read my review of one of their locations: Mimaru Hatchobori in Tokyo
If you’re confused as to which Mimaru Tokyo option might best suit your family, see my blog post on Which Mimaru location is best for families? blog post here.
APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU IN JAPAN: OUR STAY AT APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU, HATCHOBORI ( AND HOW I’VE TWEAKED THE WAY I TRAVEL WITH SMALL CHILDREN)
PLEASE NOTE: This article contains some affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
I’m a very proud person and I don’t like not getting everything right. Especially when it comes to family holidays with small children.
We “go hard at holidaying” ( yes, grammatically that whole sentence is a brain stretch in itself… I know… but this the phrase that is leaping out at me for today, at this moment.)
And, when travelling with small children – no matter how I seem to do it … the “going hard at holidaying” seems pretty much the norm… without even meaning for it to be.
I wrote a blog post a little while back called “Japan with Kids: What I’d share with you if we were meeting for coffee first…” ( you can read it here, if you have a moment) but the the general theme is “Don’t make the bits that can be easy be harder then they need to already be.”
The hard bits will happen regardless. Trust me, babe. Trust me.
Sudden changes or clothing or improvisations with the daily itinerary will occur. You’ll get creative with the bedtime routine and so much more flexible with the kiddie snack options that you’ll crop your photos so that frame is “child + shrine + smile + hair accessory from Grandma” over “child + giant chocolate cookie + if you zoom out far enough and you’ll see she is wearing her brother’s shorts after an unfortunate puddle incident + thank god this isn’t video as I think she said the monk we spotted was from the Star Wars Ride yesterday…”
And that’s travel with kids for me.
And it’s actually pretty funny.
And it’s actually very real.
And when a day ( or an afternoon) goes entirely to plan, I pat myself on the back and think all the smug thoughts … and then remember that due to the universal laws of parenting karma, the next few days will come and bite me on the bum for that gorgeous moment in smuggy, smuggy smuggle-land.
I won’t ever give up on the travelling with kids though.
Goodness, No.
It is one of my very favourite things to do in the whole world.
I refuse to wait “until they are bigger” as the benefits now outweigh the hard times a gazillion times over.
Their little questions are REAL and innocent and they are sooooo curious without even a tiny hint of bias or judgement.
“Here they do this. Wow! That’s so different. I wonder why… Lets try it out.. or at least watch until I’m ready.”
But what I’ve learned the most through trial and error ( and then more error and a little more trial if I have a moment to recover from my error on that particular day) is, what I started talking about above. Making it easier for ME first.
I thought I needed the snacks and the spare clothes to be always organized and ready ( which I still do, by the way, and I have examples of what my nappy/diaper bag in Tokyo looks like here) but I thought that would be my life raft at all turns and hurdles.
But, actually the BASE of our holiday is more important than I ever realized.
It needs to feel like a mini home.
Have some elements that are cooler (or, at least, more novel, than our real home).
It needs to be convenient and safe.
It needs to have a homely enough vibe that we can still maintain who we are as a family ( for us… no matter where we travel the naughty corner rules and the mealtime rules still very much apply.)
It’s been so interesting to be in this Japan blogging position as I am contacted (almost daily now) for family-friendly accommodation options in Japan and I haven’t always found it to be the easiest area to get right as I didn’t feel that we had always got it right .
But this time I would like to use this blog post to talk about the APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU chain ( they are actually apartment-style hotel rooms) who popped up not that long ago in various locations around Tokyo and Kyoto ( and I also heard a rumour that Osaka is in the works for next year? Is that right?)
They are, in my honest opinion, the first Japanese hotel chain to really listen to what international families are looking for while travelling with kids in Japan and have been so clever in making use of their property space to make it beautiful to look at, still feel very much “Japanese” but also be oh so convenient and modern.
I’m seriously hoping that this style of hotel is about to take off in Japan ( “Give the International Mummies and the Daddies what they want, Japan!! “) but for now, I think APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU is definitely winning this race and is, by far, the easiest spot for me to recommend for young families – especially when staying for more than 2 nights in Tokyo or Kyoto.
THE MIMARU HATCHOBORI WEBSITE IS HERE.
OUR ROOM & THOSE OH SO POPULAR BUNK BEDS
The bunk beds… should I just do a post on “the APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU bunk beds of Tokyo???!!!”
Man, they were popular.
We had to have a rotational schedule for usage of the bunk beds. A serious “your turn, my turn” situation.
At one point, the fun factor of the bunk beds was expressed as some version of the awesome equivalence of our Disney trip ( !! – huge call, by the way.. huge call)
If you love practical but aesthetically pleasing design as much as I do, you’ll also love these rooms just from a design perspective. The use of space just works and means that you aren’t stepping over your own junk to get to the other parts of your temporary home.
This was one of the few times in Japanese accommodation that I didn’t have to bedshare with a child.
And then, sometimes, I got a little friendly-face come cuddle with me from 3am onwards….and I didn’t mind one little bit.
They called their little bunk nooks their “little houses” and loved turning on and off their little night /reading lights and putting their toys to sleep – all tucked in next to them or at the other end of the bed.
I do have a confession to make, on one of the days that we stayed at APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU, we barely left the room at all. This Momma ran out of steam… kids were happy… the fridge was full of snacks. We were just so happy chilling out in our little temporary house.
And I must show you this screenshot of one of my instagram stories. Only because I laugh at how excited I was to have an in-room projector – just for us (!!) and a smart phone provided too! I felt so fancy! We even got popcorn one night and pretended we were at the movies!
Although it was not QUITE as popular as the bunk beds (!!) my two loved the projections on the floor just outside the hotel lobby. It was really handy to have them play here when we are about to head out. It gave me some time to check that I hadn’t forgotten anything and get google maps sorted. ( Please excuse the blurry photo – this was definitely a night time action shot !)
OUR ROOM, PLAYING PRETEND RESTAURANTS & MY JOY AT HAVING KITCHEN FACILITIES AT ALL TIMES
On our first morning, my little girl was so excited to have a little kitchen in our room that she announced that she would like to play cafes at breakfast time.
I just love her little creative brain.
I loved having a little kitchen.
There was a microwave, 2 hot plates ( stove range) a fridge and a freezer. There was also, of course, a kettle. Dishwashing liquid, cling wrap/saran wrap and paper towel was provided.
(The cupboard under the sink even had a baby-proofing latch!!!! They had thought of everything!!)
One of my kids is a fussy eater so I loved making soups ( I bought a cheap hand blender at Bic Camera for 1600 yen) and I also did a few pasta dishes, some yakisoba, a stir fry and my little girl is obsessed with corn on the cob so I pretty much had a bowl of corn in the fridge at all times.
All of the cooking utensils and bowls were already provided and stored in drawers and under the sink. Even a mixing bowl and a chopping knife.
I adore pumpkin soup made with Japanese pumpkin so I made some as soon as I could. ( The yellow box is chicken stock.)
Ohh and I also made yakisoba ( the flavouring is already in the packet so you can just add cabbage and meat – but , to my kids also just love it when it is just the noodles and the flavour)
Oh and last one!!! We love buying corn on the cob and just popping it in the microwave as is for 2.5 minutes. So good!
THE LAUNDRY FACILITIES
Having a washing machine within the hotel always changes up my holidays so much.
The washing cycle just takes 30 minutes (detergent is automatically added by the machine so no need to buy any) and the drying cycle took around an hour to get everything dry for the day. So, I found it really handy to just throw on some washing as soon as we all woke up and then, by the time we had eaten up brekkie and got ourselves out of pyjamas we were back to a full suitcase of clean, fresh clothing. (There is also a hanging drying rack in the rooms too for delicates that aren’t to go in the dryer. They thought of everything.)
I recommend packing one of those foldable laundry hampers. It really came in handy.
SHOPPING & STOCKING UP OUR LITTLE APARTMENT KITCHENETTE
When we arrived, we immediately ventured to the closest little local supermarket Maruetsu Petit.
It is 2 minute walk from the hotel and is pretty much the same distance as even the convenience stores.
The aisles are narrow so I wouldn’t try it with a stroller or anything but the deli and the fruit section is amazing. Also, they have their own small bakery department.
This supermarket also accepts credit cards.
This, below is called ” Curry Pan” ( curry bread) and it’s not at all spicy as it is made with Japanese style curry ( which I liken more to a curry casserole.) Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to find curry pan that is vegetarian in Japan ( if you find some, please send me a message and let me know?)
Check out these beautiful bentos! (also at Maruetsu Petit Supermarket)
These were also beautiful to take on the Shinkansen ( bullet train) with kids.
But there were also little things that I picked up on the way back from Tokyo outings from the convenience stores near the stations etc.
Like these 7-Eleven chicken meatballs (from the fridge section) that my little girl loves so much.
APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU provide cling wrap/ saran wrap so it was easy to empty into a bowl and heat up in the microwave in our room.
My kids love this “Gold” Hamburg steak from 7-Eleven. For fellow aussies, this is like eating really nice juicy beef rissoles. I recommend getting these if you are staying in an apartment hotel with a kitchenette like a Mimaru or an &Here apartment hotel. You can microwave it in the bag (google translate the instructions on the back) and it’s really nice to serve with convenience store microwaveable rice (pictured below.) See here if you’d like more suggestions on snacks and grocery items we love to buy in Japan.
If you like little tips like what I like to buy at Japanese convenience stores, see my post here. ( I also give tips such as how to tell the difference between skim milk and full fat/whole milk.
And for supermarket tips? You might enjoy my post here.
WHAT ELSE IS IN THE AREA ( WALKING DISTANCE)
Closest Starbucks?Starbucks Kayabacho ( 6 mins walk)
Closest Doutor Coffee (Coffee & light breakfast) ? Doutor, Hatchobori Store , 2-26-15 Hatchobori ( 3 mins walk) or Doutor Shinkawa 1-chome ( 6 mins walk)
If you’re new to Japan, the Doutor Coffee stores look like this and sell this kind of thing.
*If you are looking for vegan food here, there is a soy latte and also a plant based burger
Closest Dean & Deluca? Dean & Deluca, Nihonbashi Branch ( 9 mins walk)
Closest 24 Hour Casual Restaurants? Dennys, Hatchobori Branch ( 3 mins walk), Matsuya ( Beef on Rice Bowl) Nihonbashi-Ningyocho Branch ( 16 mins walk, 4 mins taxi)
Closest Western Style Diners (called “Family Restaurants” in Japan)? Dennys ( 24 hours, some areas on weekdays allow smoking here so it’s touch and go at this branch) and Royal Host, Hatchobori Branch (2 mins walk) and Gusto (I’ve written about Gusto Family Restaurants here), Nihonbashi Branch ( 12 mins walk)
Closest Japanese Gyudon Fast Food Diners? Yoshinoya ( Beef on Rice Bowl), Shin-Ohashi Dori Hatchobori Branch ( 1 min walk) Matsuya ( Beef on Rice Bowl) Nihonbashi-Ningyocho Branch ( 16 mins walk, 4 mins taxi)
Closest Kid-Friendly Kushikatsu Restaurant? Kushikatsu Tanaka Hatchobori (1 min walk from Hatchobori Station.)
Closest Udon (thick udon noodles in broth) chain? Hanamaru Udon, Hatchobori Branch ( 1 min walk)
Closest Gyoza restaurant option? Tokyo Gyozaro (address is 2-2-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku and it’s open from 11am-approx 10pm every night but Sunday where it shuts at 8:45pm.) This is a super casual “hole in the wall” restaurant offering gyoza, obviously, and ramen and some other Chinese dishes. They also do offer takeout. Cash only. I would expect to spend around 2000 yen per adult here – no matter what time of day. The entire restaurant is non-smoking. Tokyo Gyoza is 17 mins walk from Mimaru Hatchobori or 6 minutes in a cab ( you’ll need to show the driver the address though.)
Closest Yakitori restaurant? Torikizoku, Hatchobori. 1 min walk away. Casual. Non-smoking inside the restaurant. Children welcome.
Closest Supermarkets? Maruetsu Petit, open 24 hours a day ( 2 min walk), My Basket, Kayabacho 3-Chome Branch ( 3 mins) , My Basket, Shinkawa Branch (5 min walk)
Did you know that My Basket has broccoli and cauliflower rice?
Closest Convenience Stores? Lawson, Hatchobori 2-Chome Branch ( 2 min walk) , Family Mart, Hatchobori Station Front Store ( 3 mins walk) 7-Eleven, Nihonbashi-Kayabacho Branch ( 3 mins walk)
While at Lawson (convenience store brand) …
These fried chicken options are LIFESAVERS (especially if you have picky eaters with you.)
This one pictured below is available at Lawson convenience stores – it is called “Karaage-Kun” (pronounced “ka-ra-age-kun”) and inside contains approx 6 pieces of Japanese fried chicken. Be sure to get the REGULAR flavour and the other option is a bit spicy and one of the other flavours sometimes available contains cheese. (see here for other Japanese convenience store tips and our favourite foods sold here in this blog post.)
These are my kids. Sitting outside 7-Eleven Nihonbashi-Kayabacho eating their favourite ice-creams ( Coolish & Pino.)
My daughter’s favourite are PINO.
They are little mini icecreams sold as a mini set of 6 all covered in chocolate. It is considered to be extra lucky if one or more of the PINO in the pack are star or heart shaped. Pino are also gluten free !
If you like convenience store recommendations for kids – see my full blog post on this topic here.
Closest lovely Bakery? Cawaii bakery. You can dine in and even grab a seat out over looking the (not so gorgeous but still interesting) river. ( 4mins walk)
All of the bread is made on site and this wholemeal loaf was soooo good.
Closest major shopping mall (with Restaurants and Shopping)? Takayashima, Nihonbashi (10 mins walk)
For even more international or more specialized imported food supermarkets I recommend a 10 minute walk to Seijo Ishii Supermarket, the Nihonbashi Itchome Branch ( address: 1-14-7 Nihonbashi, right next to the D2 exit of Nihonbashi Station, open from 8AM-11PM). Seijo Ishii also has a pretty good wine selection. OR you could take a 10 minute walk to Kinokuniya Entree Supermarket in the basement of Takashimaya Department Store in Nihonbashi ( open from 7:30AM weekdays and 10:30AM on weekends and closes at 8PM). OR you could visit Meidi-ya Supermarket in the same building (B1 floor) which also has more international options than a Japanese supermarket.
What are the differences between these three?
Seijo Ishii has more imported products and a larger delicatessen as well as nuts and herbs etc. Kinokuniya Entree is like a higher end supermarket/convenience store. Both of these grocery stores often stock imported, mostly American, sweets and chips ( if this is what you’re going for, I would check Seijo Ishii first.)
Warning: these three supermarkets have lots of imported items which means it will be more expensive than a regular local supermarket.
This is at Seijo Ishii.
Closest places to buy Nappies/ Diapers ?
Kusuri no Fukutaro Drugstore, Kayabacho Store ( 3 mins walk). This store probably had the biggest range for the shortest walk.
Tomod’s Drug Store, Kayabacho, also has a few nappy options. ( 2 mins walk.)
Closest semi-decent playground? This area doesn’t exactly have the most stunning playgrounds but …hey… kids aren’t fussy.
This is the Takahashi North East Children’s Playground ( it is on google maps) and it also has a public toilet. It is right near to the B4 exit of JR Hatchobori Station so you could always go here for a little play before jumping on a train or after just getting off a train. Note: B4 isn’t the closest exit to the hotel so you will need to walk an extra 3-4 minutes but … if a playground is required? Definitely worth it.
This playground is 6 mins walk from the hotel.
Also, I haven’t been but the hotel is a little over 10 minutes on foot to the Pokemon Cafe in Nihonbashi ( you absolutely must have a reservation.)
MY FAVOURITE BREAKFAST PLACES CLOSE BY
Royal Host is only 2 mins walk away. It is not a fancy restaurant by any standards but I do love a Royal Host pancake.
If you like a proper sit-down later breakfast out then you will LOVE N2 Brunch Club. It takes a little over 10 minutes to walk here from the hotel. It opens at 10:30am.
Or there is Bills in Ginza which is 20 mins on foot or 7 minutes (approx 1800 yen) in a cab. Opens at 8:30am.
3 mins walk from Mimaru Hatchobori is Pizza and Wine Restaurant Kayabaru. This casual restaurant accepts most major credit cards. You can walk-in if you like but it’s probably a good idea to ask the hotel to make a reservation on your behalf. For adults, they offer an all you can drink (nomihoudai) in 2 hours menu. Pizzas are all less than 1500 yen (even cheaper on Saturdays.) Please note that there is a service charge of 380 yen per person to dine here.
PIZZA & WINE KAYABARU
中央区日本橋茅場町2-11-1
2-11-1 KAYABACHO , NIHONBASHI, CHUO-KU
OPEN WEEKDAYS 5PM-11PM (LAST ORDERS 10PM)
OPEN SATURDAYS 11:30AM-3PM & 4PM-10PM (LAST ORDERS 9PM)
CLOSED SUNDAYS
And if you wanted a breakfast just next to Tokyo Station, I recommend Sarabeths. (Open weekdays 8AM-11PM, Open Saturdays 9am-11pm, Open Sundays 9am-10pm.)
OPEN SATURDAYS 9AM-11PM
OPEN SUNDAYS 9AM-10PM
It is a lovely western, very very old school breakfast/brunch.
I’m from Melbourne, Australia, and, to me, this kind of breakfast is very very old school. It was yummy and good quality but a bit like having breakfast out in the 80s.
The menu is on their website if you’d like to check ahead. My egg white and cheese omelette was delicious.
They do have high chairs for babies.
They also allow you to bring your own baby food into their restaurant.
There is a rooftop area on the 3rd floor. They accept credit cards here.
EXTRA SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU STAFF
From a helpfulness and a marketing perspective, the team here are so young and on point. Everyone speaks at least two languages and not only offers the normal help like baggage storage and local maps, but can also assist with forwarding luggage on to your next destination. (I sent one bag on to another hotel and a suitcase straight to the airport. For more information on services like this, you may also like to read my luggage forwarding blog post here. )
Please be aware that some hotels (the Mimaru brand for example) charge 500 yen per day to store luggage leading up to the day you check in (ie. if your luggage arrives the day you check in there will be no additional charge.)
TRANSPORT OPTIONS CLOSE BY
Hatchobori Station (Metro/Subway) 3 minutes walk from Exits A5 & B1
JR Hatchobori Station (JR) 6 minutes walk
Kayabacho Station (Metro/Subway) 3 minutes walk from Exits 1 & 2 ( in order to use the elevator here, go to exit 4B and walk a little bit further.)
Nihombashi Station (Metro/Subway) 8 minutes walk from Exit D1 of
Tokyo Station ( JR, Subway, Bullet Trains) 13 minutes walk from the Yaesu Exit
This is the entrance to JR Hatchobori Station.
WHERE WE FOUND TO BE PARTICULARLY EASY TO VISIT ( KID-FRIENDLY OPTIONS)
Thanks to the train system being just so reliable and accessible ( and so many different options near the hotel) I didn’t find it hard to get anywhere in Tokyo from here BUT just so you can see exactly where we visited from the hotel, and how easy it was… here are some examples…
GINZA
It is possible to walk ( 20 mins) but we jumped in a 5 minute (950 yen) taxi to Ginza to explore the kid-friendly options that Ginza has to offer (many of them don’t cost any money, either. Here are my favourite things to do in Ginza – and I’ll pop some pictures here too.
THE TOKYO STATION AREA
Just 13 minutes walk away is Tokyo Station and we had some really fun things to do there before taking trains. Here is my list of fun things to do with kids in the Tokyo Station area.
ODAIBA
Odaiba, from JR Hatchobori, was only one train change on the Rinkai Line. It was so easy! Check out my Odaiba with kids post here for all the reasons that this is the first place I take my kids on a rainy day.
TOKYO DISNEYLAND & DISNEYSEA
Did you know it is a direct line from JR Hatchobori Station to Disneyland and it takes just 13 minutes on the train?! Amazing!
Here are my tips for attending Disneyland with kids and DisneySea with kids.
TSUKIJI FISH MARKET
It is really really easy to visit the Tsukiji Fish Market. It takes 2 mins!!!!!!!!
During my time at APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU Hatchobori, my children and I stayed in the room type : DLX Theater Family Apartment.
Full Disclosure: I was invited to stay at the hotel but I enjoyed the stay so much that I paid to extend my stay further. I have also stayed at the Mimaru Akasaka earlier 2019, which I booked and paid for myself.
Also, did you know that APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU also offers Pokémon themed rooms in both Kyoto and Tokyo? I wrote all about it here.
If you go to book Mimaru Hatchobori and find it full – you may also like to take a look at Mimaru Tokyo Station East as it is just a few minutes walk away from Mimaru Hatchobori.
PLEASE NOTE: This article contains some affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
