We accidentally planned our stay in Tokyo the weekend before Marine Day, a national holiday in mid-July, so the hotels and hostels I've stayed at previously were all booked, even though I was trying to make the reservation more than a month out. All of the budget-oriented hotel chain locations that I could find were also booked. Thus emerged Andon Ryokan, which I had not heard of before, as one of the only places we could find only that had vacancy across all of the days we were trying to stay in Tokyo.

As with most hotels in Japan, rates are determined on a daily basis, and the pre-holiday night was more expensive- we paid an average of around 9000 yen per night for a double. That's pretty expensive for hostel-style accommodation, and I've stayed in business hotels in Tokyo for about that much- albeit not on the weekend before a holiday.

The closest Tokyo Metro station, Minowa, is on the Hibiya line and is pretty easy to get to from Ueno. The proximity to Ueno makes it particularly easy to get to if you're coming from Narita, since the Keisei Skyliner runs to and from Ueno. However, we arrived at Minowa at night and in a heavy rain, so we had a little trouble finding Andon Ryokan the first time. I had written directions based on Google Maps Street View, but some of my visual cues had changed since the maps data had been updated, and so we ended up going around a block a few times. We eventually ended up using a phone with data access and Google Maps. If you won't have access to data, I'd suggest just printing a route map to make it easier on yourself. After you exit the station the rest of the walk is on level ground- no bridges or slopes, which makes it a little easier when you have luggage.

The staff are helpful and also speak English. When we got in, they gave us a rundown of the place, along with some tea, and then helped get the luggage to the room. They have a baggage elevator for that purpose, as the stairs are pretty narrow. As is typical in Japan, we had to pay upfront, and credit cards worked fine.

We had a double room on the third floor. The room size was what I would have expected for a private double room at a hostel-style place. There was a cabinet as well for storage, which was nice. There's an alcove with a TV and a mini desk. It's a washitsu (Japanese-style) tatami room, so you're expected to leave your shoes outside the room. There's A/C, which worked fine, and a small window. I found the room to be quite dark- even with all the lights on and with the window open during the day- because there is no main overhead light. It made it feel a bit like a cave. Since it is a Japanese-style room you sleep on a futon on the floor. I don't recall having any issues with comfort of the bedding.

I'm not sure if it's the same for all floors, but our floor had a sink in the hallway, a toilet for ladies, and a room with three sinks for both genders that was in front of the men's toilet (separated by a sliding door). I didn't have any issues with the restroom/sink arrangements. There was one shower stall on the floor, and while I didn't have any issues with waiting for it, I did find it to be rather cramped- particularly the tiny space in between the hallway door and the shower door. There were not enough hooks to hang things on either. Otherwise, the shower worked fine, and shampoo/conditioner/soap was provided.

I did appreciate the water pot and tea that was available in the hallway. There was a shared refrigerator in the hallway as well. We didn't make use of the jacuzzi or their lobby cafe. We did use the coin laundry machines on the top floor, which worked fine. We also checked out the view from the roof on a clear day, and can get a pretty good view of Skytree. A warning though that the stairway up to roof is rather narrow. On checking out, we asked them to hold our luggage for the day, and we had no issues with that.

Overall, I would have expected a bit more for the money- as it was within the lower end of the price range of "normal" business/budget hotels. However, given the circumstances- trying to find a room for the weekend before a holiday- I was relieved to find a room at all. I would recommend it in particular for those who are familiar with hostel-style accommodation.

Andon Ryokan is a very good choice. It could be excellent, was it not for the noisy inconsiderate guests and the inability of the literally paper-thin walls to block their noise.

We spent two nights in this place. The first one, after a 12 hours flight, was excellent. We fell asleep at 8pm and woke up 12 hours later or so. The Japanese breakfast (additional cost) was tasty and they managed to make a vegetarian version of it for us.

In the second night, however, we were not knackered any more. Went to bed around 10pm (as we had to leave early to catch a domestic flight) and couldn't fall asleep until 3-4am. Our room was located near the shared toilets and every few minutes I could hear someone walking along the corridor, doors open and slammed behind.

You can say it's not the Ryokan's fault the guests have a tiny bladder. They even put a sign asking ladies not to use the toilets after midnight and use the men's room that is more insulated, which was ignored. But this is a design issue that could be resolved.

So if you're lucky, this can be a refreshing experience, a night in a traditional Japanese accommodation in the heart of Tokyo, a few minutes walk from a subway station. But it can be a bit sleepless if you're more sensitive.

It's worth mentioning that they also offer a funky Japanese style bathroom, which you can easily book for an hour for free. Which is very cool. The also have a bike rental service.

All in all I had one of the best night sleeps on their comfy futon and one of the worst night sleeps the following day. I would recommend this place, but if it doesn't turn out well, I warned you... :)