Mimaru is an area apartment-style lodge chain in Japan that makes a speciality of catering to households and buddies travelling collectively. The truth is, the lodge identify, Mimaru, derives from the Japanese phrases “minna” and “tomaru”, which implies “everybody to remain”.
The chain options clear and spacious lodging that may accommodate households of all sizes. There are properties in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, and all are conveniently positioned inside strolling distance of subway stations.
In 2021, additionally they opened a number of all-suite properties in Tokyo and Kyoto that supply two or extra bed room residences. Some properties have particular rooms, like Pokémon- or ninja-themed rooms.
We lately stayed on the Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East location, a extremely rated property in-built 2019, and located it met all our wants and people of the other five families travelling with us.
Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East – Reserving
The lodge provides a wide range of lodging choices. Between the six households in our group who every had two or three youngsters, we obtained to pattern just a few totally different residence kinds.
Normally when reserving a lodge room in Japan, we’re restricted to at least one or two choices as a result of not many rooms can accommodate households of 4 or extra; nonetheless, this isn’t the case with Mimaru. The chain provides a myriad of eight choices that may accommodate a complete of as much as eight visitors.
I made my reserving by way of Resorts.com utilizing the Rakuten purchasing portal to earn some additional money again. I like Hotels.com Rewards and use it to guide any motels that don’t have their very own loyalty program.
(Sadly, it seems to be like Hotels.com Rewards will be seriously devalued sooner or later in 2023, so be sure you make use of it in its present format when you nonetheless can).
We booked a Premium Deluxe Japanese Condo, solely as a result of I believed having a Japanese-themed room with a tatami mat to sleep on could be neat for the children to expertise. It’s one of many bigger however dearer choices, and might accommodate a household of as much as eight.
After we booked again in July 2022, it was $325 (CAD) per evening plus taxes. It’s value noting that present charges are over $500 (CAD) per evening plus taxes.
A few of my buddies booked barely smaller and cheaper rooms, just like the Loft Mattress Theatre Condo, for $275 (CAD) earlier than taxes. This room is now over $350 (CAD) an evening plus taxes.
One other household booked the Pokémon-themed room for $400 (CAD) earlier than taxes, however now could be presently over $450 (CAD) plus taxes per evening.
I paid for my reserving with my HSBC World Elite Mastercard and redeemed my HSBC Rewards factors to offset the price of the reserving. I cashed my factors out for journey credit at a charge 200 HSBC Rewards = $1.
Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East – Location
Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East is positioned within the district of Ginza, within the Chuo ward of Tokyo. Ginza is legendary for its purchasing, eating, and leisure.
It’s conveniently only a seven-minute stroll from Kyobashi Station on the Ginza Line. From right here, you possibly can catch a 20-minute subway trip to Shibuya Station.
For native eats, you possibly can stroll quarter-hour to the Tsukiji Outer Market, which has a wide range of recent seafood choices and native eats together with Kitsuneya, a well-known beef stew place.
Inside a 15-minute stroll, you’ll additionally discover well-liked Japanese malls together with Uniqlo, Loft, Itoya, and Muji. The Pokémon retailer can also be shut by for the children.
Straight throughout from the lodge is a small grocery market the place you should purchase recent fruits, greens, milk, eggs, and different gadgets to cook dinner your individual meals at your residence.
Inside a five-minute stroll you may also discover a Ministop, 7-Eleven, or Lawson comfort retailer.
Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East – Examine-in
The residence lodge is a smaller constructing nestled in a quieter neighborhood. The primary entrance is off a small facet avenue.
Examine-in begins at 3pm. We arrived at 4:30pm, and our room was prepared with our baggage already within the room. We had shipped our baggage from our earlier lodge in Osaka the day prior.
The foyer is a small house with a seating space within the nook and a small check-in desk.
The desk is often manned by two employees from 7am–10pm each day, with one who’s totally fluent in English. We discovered the employees to be very courteous.
All the lodge’s particulars and amenities have been defined to us with the assistance of a sensible display on the check-in counter, which displayed all the data visually in English.
Facilities resembling toothbrushes, sleeping robes, slippers, different toiletry gadgets, espresso, and tea can be found at a self-service station within the foyer, between the check-in desk and the elevator. There are even slippers and toothbrushes for teenagers.
You’ll be able to assist your self to the facilities as you want, aside from facial merchandise by Sekkisei, which have to be requested from the entrance desk.
The constructing has 9 flooring, eight of which home lodging, with a number of rooms on every flooring. Key playing cards are required to enter the constructing between 10pm and 7am, and are required always to enter the elevator.
Examine-out is at 11am, however you possibly can pay an additional ¥5,000 ($50 CAD) for a late check-out of 1pm.
After checking in, we picked up our facilities and headed to the elevator and as much as our room.
Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East – Premium Deluxe Japanese Condo
As talked about earlier, all rooms can accommodate as much as six or eight visitors in complete and are non-smoking. The residence sizes vary from 409 to over 670 sq. toes.
Let’s begin with an in depth assessment of my residence, after which I’ll give a short overview of the opposite rooms booked by our buddies, because the facilities in all of the rooms are related.
Our residence was Room 205, and the final room down a brief outside hall out of the elevator.
Upon opening the door, the room appeared a bit darkish for the center of the afternoon. There have been two units of bigger home windows within the room, however being on the second flooring, we weren’t getting a lot daylight coming by way of.
Slightly than having drapes and curtains, the home windows function sliding shojis. They’re efficient in sustaining privateness whereas permitting some daylight by way of.
The room was adorned in darker colors, which additionally added to the darkness of the room, with darkish blue and gray partitions, brown carpeting, and black wood furnishings.
On the room entrance is a key card swap that controls the electrical energy within the room. It doesn’t must be your precise keycard to activate the swap – any related sized and formed card will do. Happily, the lighting adequately brightened up the room.
To the left of the doorway is a closet rack with loads of hangers and in addition an extra-large umbrella, which was sufficiently big to cowl a few adults or an grownup and two youngsters.
Should you require extra umbrellas for a wet day, smaller ones can be found to make use of proper by the lodge’s foremost entrance.
To the correct of the doorway is a small kitchenette, with a microwave, stovetop, oven, sink, and full-size fridge with a freezer. On the countertop was a kettle and a toaster oven.
Within the cabinets and drawers have been cutlery, plates, bowls, cups, mugs, a ladle, scissors, corkscrew, chopping board, and numerous pots and pans. Paper towels, dish cleaning soap and a sponge, and saran wrap have been additionally offered.
Some specialty cookware, video games, and different devices can be found to borrow from a big shelf within the foyer. A few of these gadgets included a espresso maker, French press, wine glasses, a rice cooker, a waffle maker, Jenga, and a pack of playing cards, amongst different issues.
There have been two twin beds, a twin bunk mattress, and two twin futons to accommodate as much as six adults and two youngsters aged six and below. The beds have been fairly comfy with thick comforters.
The headboard for the 2 twin beds had a built-in panel between them that options USB ports, shops, and switches to manage lighting on the headboard. The wood facet panelling of the higher and decrease bunk beds had an analogous panel, however no outlet.
The dual futons with additional bedding have been in a closet, and got here with directions on the closet door on set them up on the tatami mats. The tatami mats got here arrange with a small espresso desk and seating pads round it.
Along with this seating association, there was an extended desk with banquette seating and stools round it, that might simply seat eight individuals to share a take-out or home-cooked meal.
On one finish of the desk was a hutch with a big flat-screen TV and a smartphone that can be utilized to make native calls or to contact the entrance desk.
One factor I appreciated have been the rounded corners on all of the furnishings, a fantastic security function for these with younger youngsters. The one furnishings with a sq. nook was the kitchenette counter, which had a nook protector positioned on it.
The lavatory has a conceit with double sinks that was separated from the moist room by a frosted glass door. The vainness has a number of cups, a hair dryer, and was properly provided with towels.
A moist room is a Japanese-style rest room by which the bathe and tub are in the identical room, so all the room will get moist. Each the bathtub and bathe space featured non-slip flooring, and a swap on the wall by the bath allowed for lighting changes.
Mimaru makes use of its personal branded toiletries which can be provided in giant multi-use bottles.
The bathroom isn’t positioned in the primary rest room space, however relatively in a separate room. Right here, you’ll discover a tiny sink and sensible bathroom with a heated seat, amongst different capabilities.
The one factor I discovered missing within the room was devoted house to place our baggage and sufficient drawer house to unpack our baggage. We ended up laying out our open baggage on the ground and tatami mats.
Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East – Pokémon Room
A lot to the envy of my children, my good friend had booked the Pokémon Room for his household. It might accommodate as much as 4 adults and two youngsters aged six and below.
The room got here with two twin beds positioned collectively, a twin bunk mattress, and two cushioned kitchen benches that might be transformed into smaller beds if wanted.
Like our residence, this one additionally had a eating set and a kitchenette. The bathroom was positioned within the rest room on this room.
The décor was of a lighter and brighter tone, with gray carpeting and lightweight oak-coloured furnishings, and Pokémon motifs throughout. The largest function was a big Snorlax on the mattress.
At check-in, visitors staying on this room are additionally offered with a small Pokémon novelty bag containing a Pikachu sticker, a Snorlax baggage tag, and a Pokémon purchasing bag.
Not all properties have the Pokémon-themed rooms, so be sure you examine check the website to see which Mimaru properties do.
Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East – Loft Mattress Theatre Condo
A few my buddies booked this cute residence. As soon as once more, just like the Pokémon room, the décor was lighter and brighter, which I truly appreciated extra so than our darker décor.
This specific room might additionally accommodate as much as 4 adults and two youngsters aged six and below, with a complete of 4 twin beds and two cushioned kitchen benches. There’s additionally a small desk along with the eating set and kitchenette.
Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East – Different Services
There’s no restaurant at this property, nonetheless, eating places, grocery shops, and comfort shops are shut by. For essentially the most half, we opted to exit to cafés and the marketplace for breakfast, but in addition loved a few take-out meals on a few late nights out.
There’s a merchandising machine for hot and cold drinks, positioned within the laundry room.
The on-site laundry facility was an enormous bonus for my household. We have been greater than every week into our journey after we arrived in Tokyo, so we had a little bit of laundry to do. Inside, there are three washing machines and three dryers.
Washing prices ¥400 ($4 CAD) per load, which incorporates detergent that’s robotically disbursed whenever you begin the machine. The fee to dry is time-dependent, and charged at ¥100 ($1 CAD) for each half-hour.
We discovered it required often two or three 30-minute cycles to dry the garments. There’s a change machine within the room, too, in case you don’t have the correct cash.
If you wish to avoid wasting cash, you possibly can partly dry garments in your individual residence which has a dangling drying rack, however this can take for much longer.
There’s a giant washroom on the primary flooring beside the laundry room, which is handy for teenagers who want that one final rest room break earlier than heading out.
Housekeeping companies fluctuate relying in your size of keep. On a regular basis, trash is collected, towels are swapped out, and bathroom paper is refilled. On the fourth and seventh days, they’ll additionally make the beds and vacuum the room.
Should you’d like a full clear, which incorporates cleansing the lavatory and bathroom, you possibly can request this on the entrance desk.
Conclusion
Mimaru Tokyo Ginza East is a superb lodging choice for households and buddies travelling in Japan. It doesn’t have all of the companies and facilities it’s possible you’ll discover at a full-service lodge, nevertheless it has all you want for a protected, comfy, and kid-friendly keep, and a wide range of residence varieties to select from.
The Tokyo Ginza East location is ideally located to hop on the subway, do some purchasing, or go to the Tsukiji Outer Marketplace for some native and recent eats. We additionally appreciated its shut proximity to grocery and comfort shops, and having an onsite laundry facility.
The Pokémon room was additionally an enormous hit for the children.
I’d haven’t any hesitation staying at this property once more, or one other Mimaru property after we go to Japan once more.
