Blogging about my stay in Tokyo this time. As you guys know that I mostly go back and forth between Jakarta and Tokyo, and hotel is no longer my option for long-term plan especially on this trip, I bring my whole family to enjoy Autumn leaves in Tokyo. I need a spacious place and beside it has to be clean and efficient enough!
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I am staying at Morishita area that has 2 lines (Shinjuku Line and Oedo Line)
With Shinjuku Line I can go to Shinjuku directly less than 20 mins and with Oedo Line I can go to Roppongi directly as well in 20 mins. It is located in east area, Morishita is also one stop away from Kiyosumi Shirakawa, the newest IT town that's famous for a lot of coffee shops around the area
What else Morishita holds? Well it's only about 15 mins from Asakusa and Tokyo Sky Tree. I even can see Sky Tree from my apartment. In fact it's so close but there's just no direct train, you can easily take taxi and it's less than 10 mins (with big group, the price is around the same price with subway)
Ueno is 13 mins away and Akihabara is 10 mins away
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Enough about Morishita, let's talk about the apartment itself!
The apartment is one whole apartment building and I am staying at room 202!
The apartment is one whole apartment building and I am staying at room 202!
ENTRANCE
First of all, the apartment is spacious enough to even have its luxurious entrance! How many apartment in Tokyo is designed like this? By using a lot of japanese elements (woods, stones, sand) and warm lights, it's really homey and cozy for my long stay. This entrance is called Genkan, which is Japanese entry style
Interesting fact, it is designed as a collaboration between Japan and Indonesia! The designer of this apartment is the renowned Indonesian Designer, Francis Surjaseputra
When you first come in, you can put your coat and shoes on the rack provided. They're really thoughtful and as expected of japanese style, they make use of all the spaces!
On the side of entrance, there's some interesting stone light design that crosses through until the main bedroom's door, giving it a really nice touch.
I was in awe when I first stepped into the entrance. And it's so spacious compared to other apartments that I have in Tokyo in the past, it's such a luxury lol
MASTER BEDROOM
Moving on to the main bed room! With big window that lets the sun peaks through warmly and boutique style hotel design, the bedroom is far than just a normal apartment in Tokyo
It has minimal stuffs but consists of essential furnitures for your stay. Table, Mirror, and Hanger
The bed is Queen Size and what I love about japanese bed is that it's so soft and bouncy, I can let myself sleeping there all day. The mattress is so nice and the blanket is clean. The air conditioner in Japan can also be used as heater when the weather gets colder. The ceiling is designed pretty well with some wood decoration as well
The bed is enough to support 2 adults and if you have little kid, I am sure one can sleep with you
Moreover the host is kindly enough to provide additional futon in case you need one, and thanks to its spacious bedroom, you can spread the futon on the floor during the night
The decoration is top notch and so japanese!
Yes that's real happy face lol
And there is my space to do my morning make up routine (which later on will be filled with dozens of cosmetics lol). Thanks to its minimalistic design and wide table space, I can put a lot of things there including my laptop
And of course the mirror that helps me to take some selfie or check myself before leaving the place lol It's essential for women!
Even normal selfie can look so good #onlyinjapan
SECOND BEDROOM
Moving on to the second bedroom. It has 2 single beds and a little bit smaller than the main bedroom but on the corner side there's mini table, hanger, and small mirror that's convenient for my stay
We were also able to put our luggage on the corner
The bed's quality didnt disappoint us as well, it still comes with soft mattress and clean bed sheet
Enough space even for my younger brother who is tall!
And here's me as a comparison of how big the room is lol
KITCHEN & DINING ROOM
Now moving on to one of the best places in the apartment (just for me though lol) because I love cooking and this is where all the family gathers to eat!
See the pictures by yourself to see how cozy the kitchen is
This really arouses my inner housewife instinct as I love cooking and there's big supermarket nearby so I mostly cook at home for breakfast before touring around Tokyo lol
All of the utensils are hanged conveniently! They have all the best cooking stuffs ready and I am so so happy! Staying this for long term is really good because basically I can save cost on food money by cooking on my own (There are 2 big convenience stores nearby and 1 big supermarket thats open until midnight!)
Look at all of these stuffs *_*
Inside the drawer, it's filled with many kitchen utensils stored neatly
And this is the kitchen and dining room. Despite its small area, everything is designed well and thoughtful
Only in Japan that plates and bowls can be used as decoration that looks extravagant like this lol
On the open wardrobe next to kitchen, there are a few utensils available and some face towels and hair dryer (as the bathroom is located next to it)
Fall in love with the apartment yet?
BATHROOM & TOILET
The toilet comes in japanese high tech (which I really take for granted in Japan but when you return to Indonesia, your life cannot be the same) and it is separated with bathroom. Separate toilet like this is such a luxury in Tokyo that's famous for its small space. This will also save some time in case one person wants to use toilet and another needs shower
The bathroom comes with mandatory bath up as well and Japanese shampoo, conditioner, and soap are provided for my stay ^^
What I love is they provide Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo and Conditioner that makes my hair soooooo smooth and smells amazing XD
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A lot of people have DM-ed on instagram when I first posted about my stay
So, the apartment is my friend's apartment and it's priced at very affordable price around 17.000 yen / night (up to 5 adults)
There are a few apartments in Tokyo that can accommodate the same amount of people but usually it is SOFA BED, not 2 bedroom apartments with proper bed and clean place. Moreover, my friend speaks perfect english and so she can help you if you need anything. It also has wifi provided
There's also another reason why you need to support this apartment
The company that owns this apartment is called GATE
They're trying to make a sustainable society through the business. GATE will put all of the profits of their businesses (one of it is the apartment) to help creating a better world. The main focus for them is to help creating a better japan in the future
We all know that Japanese society is shrinking because low childbirth rate. There are so many older people in the village and mostly the village and farming are abandoned as no one to inherit it later on. This will create problem in the future because there will be no one whom doing the job and it will create a lot of problems and domino effects in many years to come. When the following village disappears, the precious local culture is bound to gone as well and they want to provent that from happening
To prevent this nightmare, GATE's long term plan is to make an eco village that can reduce carbon dioxide and a lot of job opportunities in the future. A lot of jobs can be done using machine and it will make less job opportunities, GATE will be making a lot of job offers that only human can do (not robot, not machine) through their business and if you stay in the apartment, not only you can enjoy Tokyo and have amazing time but also you donate indirectly. GATE is also doing farming and fishing village
The owner doesn't care about the profit at all as the owner likes Japan so much and wants to help the solving the problem. So they take enough expenses to run the business but all of the profits are for a good use. I think it's really touching to hear that someone care so much about the world that I want to support them :")
As a gift fot the donation, customer can enjoy sushi making experience at one of GATE's restaurant (I will blog about it soon) and they're planning to let some customers take part in their program such as planting tree in Japan and put your name on it. There are also fishing, diving, fruit picking, grape harvesting, wine making, and other interesting experiences at the village as a package
So if you're keen to book this apartment, or at least think it is a great place for your future's trip or a recommendation your friend's trip, bookmark this post or write down the contact person
You can book the place through this email : : inforesidence@gateinc.jp
Thank you for reading and talk to you again on my next post!