I did experience my first earthquake while I was sleeping one night on the 9th floor. It was a 5.3 that was centered about 20 kilometers away. The bed shook fairly hard for about 15 or 20 seconds but that was all. I will admit that I was a little excited and could not sleep the rest of the night. I just used it as an excuse to go eat an early sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Market.
This is Shinagawa Station from the 17th floor of my hotel room. There was no street or train noise up here. The room was quiet overall with the exception of one night. There was a tourist group of mature Korean women and they had definitely been into some soju or something. I understood some of what they were saying but not much. I thought it was funny the way they were giggling and running from room to room gossiping.
Here is the bed. It is small but comfortable. I do wish that there had been 2 pillows or at least a bigger pillow. The television had around 20 channels but I never saw anything on it that was the least bit interesting with the exception of the 2 Korean channels. Unfortunately, the Korean shows were subtitled with Japanese! I was really looking forward to watching some of those crazy Japanese game shows that you see on Youtube. I guess they were on the pay on demand channels that were available for purchase. Anyway, the sights outside the room were infinitely better than anything that would be on that screen. The area underneath the television was the perfect size for my large suitcase.
The closet was plenty big enough for all of my clothes and gear. The door has a combination lock to store your valuables. Myself, I carry my valuables with me at all times. I do not trust any locks in any hotels. You are supplied with new bedroom slippers and a clean Japanese bath robe daily. The shoes are about the same size that I found in South Korea, way too small for me.
There is a desk with plenty of outlets available. There is also a small refrigerator in the room. Every day I would stop at one of the many stores in the train station and pick up some food and drinks. This is a big money saver for those on a budget. It is a must have as far as I am concerned.
Just like in South Korea, the rooms have the fancy toilets. Also, just like in South Korea, I am still too afraid to use the electronics. The toilet seat on this one was always heated though. The toilet worked like all Western toilets if you are also a little leery of them. The toilet paper was average.
The sink area is adequate and the bathroom has excellent lighting. I liked the shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and hand soap. The quality in South Korea was higher though. The hair dryer was a big disappointment. The fan was very weak on both hair dryers that I used. If you have long hair, this might be a problem. The bath tub is tiny. So, you are basically limited to a shower. The water can get very hot. It was also a little difficult for me to set the exact temperature.
The air conditioner did work well. However, there was a limit on how low you can go. I brought a small fan from home. I need it for the noise to sleep. I also use it to help dry my clothes after I wash them in the sink daily.
Overall, I recommend this hotel for anyone on a budget. For some this will be completely inadequate. If the location works for you, there are other Shinagawa Prince Hotels connected to this one. I stayed in the East Tower, but they also have a West, North, and an Annex tower. They all differ in quality. The hotel also has a fast food court and multiple restaurants. There are sports facilities as well as a bowling alley and water park.
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