The Mimaru serviced apartments in Japan have definitely tapped into a much needed gap in the market for families travelling to Japan.
These apartments with the beautiful bathrooms, bunk beds, beautifully appointed kitchenettes and in-house coin laundry options are understandably very very popular for those visiting Japan with kids.
I am answering so many messages about which Mimaru location is best with kids in Tokyo that I decided to write my answer/opinion here.
First thing is you can’t get it wrong as they are all conveniently located – but you might want to select based on what you and your family needs from your holiday in Japan.
Mimaru can help you with forwarding on luggage to your next hotel. See here for more info on how to make the most of forwarding your luggage in Japan.
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.)
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.
If you need an apartment with multiple rooms ….
Then I would choose the Mimaru Asakusa Station or Mimaru Asakusa Suites OR the Ikebukuro option or Mimaru Tokyo Station East.
Asakusa is also a beautiful part of Tokyo – fantastic if you love street photography and want to properly explore Sensoji and the surrounding areas both day and night. Here are all of my Asakusa with kids tips (including play spaces and restaurants.). The Mimaru in Asakusa also has a kitchen area with seating for 6 people. You can also borrow appliances from the reception desk such as toasters or coffee machines and different entertainment options.
This hotel is just 3 mins walk from Sensoji Temple and has an in-house coin laundry (and you can see if it’s ready via a device inside of your room.)
*A little note on coin laundries in hotels in Japan. The detergent is almost always built into the machine. If someone in your family has allergies to certain washing powders it is probably best to email in advance to find out what they use and what your options are. Oh.. and another note.. if the washer and dryer is built into one machine – the dryer setting really only works well for 1-2 items (big items like a pair of jeans and a long sleeved top, I mean) so don’t do what I do and just put in heaps of things to dry for longer – hoping that they will dry. It doesn’t work like that. Best to do little tiny drying sessions for the best drying results. It a lesson in patience but it will save you lots of coins in the long run
See here for my other accommodation recommendations for those families who prefer to have multiple rooms (ie. not sleep in one room all together) while in Japan. This is a visually beautiful area rich in culture and history.
Another Mimaru option with multiple room options is Ikebukuro. Ikebukuro is on the Yamanote (city loop line) so the whole city is very accessible with minimal train changes. The Yamanote line is also included in the JR pass (although is only a few hundred yen per trip without the pass too so I wouldn’t let this be your deciding factor.). This area is more built up than some other areas but it does have lots of large shopping malls as well as arcade games and gachapon vending machines. Ikebukuro also has one of the biggest Toys R Us / Babies R Us too so it is fabulous if you need baby supplies such as nappies (which are not always easy to source in Tokyo.). Here are my favourite things to do in Ikebukuro with kids.
If you need lots of playgrounds close by….
I would choose Akasaka Mimaru for this reason. You are then near all the options for Akasaka with kids but are also close to Roppongi which I believe has some of the best inner city playgrounds in Tokyo (the restaurants around here are also very family friendly and are particularly English friendly.) Akasaka also means you are nice and close to Hie Shrine – which is particularly special around the New Year’s holidays.
Akasaka Mimaru sleeps up to 8 people in a room (up to 12 if you have children who can bedshare with you.).
The rooms are big. Clean. Modern. Photogenic. You can have western rooms or half western half Japanese rooms. Connecting rooms are available. There is a small kitchenette. Private bathrooms. There is even a communal rooftop dining area with a breathtaking view of the city. There is a convenience store right across the road.
Mimaru Akasaka also has a Japanese connecting room room-type where there is a door separating two sections of the room. This is great for families where parents don’t necessarily want to go to sleep at the same time as their children. Many rooms types can sleep as many as 8 people.
This hotel does not have a restaurant.
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.
This area also has the Harry Potter Cafe close by (not the Harry Potter World)
If being right next to a JR Station is of very high importance to you and your group…
Then I would choose one of the Ueno Mimaru options. While this isn’t exactly a picturesque part of Tokyo, this is a hustle bustle area with lots of shopping and building after building filled with ground floor to high rise restaurant options. There is also Ueno park right there (and the museum in the middle of the park) if you all need a little bit of green. Here are some of my favourite things to do in Ueno with kids.
One other Mimaru apartment on the JR lines is Ikebukuro (mentioned above under the multi-room options.)
Tokyo Station East Mimaru is also, obviously, right on the station. I don’t really recommend this area (I’ve written about the Tokyo Station area with kids here) for staying with kids as it is built up but if you like being right near Tokyo Bullet Train Station. This might be a good option for you. Tokyo Station East Mimaru also has multi-room apartments.
You want easy access (minimal transfers) from the city to Tokyo Disney and Odaiba (including Team Lab Planets)…
Then I recommend Hatchobori Mimaru. This is the first Mimaru I ever stayed in and I wrote in great detail about my stay at Hatchobori Mimaru here.
This area quiet in all the right ways while still being walking distance from Ginza. There is a supermarket just a couple of minutes away so it’s so easy to prepare meals for small kids and babies (or those with allergies) easily. There aren’t lots and lots of restaurants in this area (other than some chain diner style options) so if this is no-go for your family full of foodies – then maybe you’d be better at one of the Ueno locations.
*The Mimaru Tokyo Station East property is only 3 mins walk from Mimaru Hatchobori so, obviously, there are similar options in the area. So I also recommend looking at Mimaru Tokyo Station East availability. The only difference between these properties are the room types. Tokyo Station East does not have Japanese-Western style rooms, Pokemon rooms or bunk rooms.
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.
