This ryokan has a good location with restaurants and supermarkets around. It is also very clean and the staff is very friendly. We stayed in the double room with bath and it is quite big (for japanese's standards). The common area includes 2 japanese s baths (you must try them), a dinning room with free tea and coffee, a microwave... more

Stayed here for 2 nights after reading the reviews on TA It was wonderful. The owners are very friendly and helpful and speak prettty good English. The rooms were good although the futons can be a bit hard for Westeners. A simple good value Western breakfast is on offer ( extra cost ). They also provide a community fridge and... more

i enjoyed staying at this ryokan.. the good thing about it is that its concrete.. the walls ceilling and floor is all concrete.. it still has the traditional look and feel of a japanese ryokan.. but you dont get your sleep interupted by people next door. like the paper thin walls of most ryokans...which happened to us in kyoto..the sawanoya... more

My sister and I stayed for 5 nights in January. Here are the things I thought were great about Sawanoya: 1. LOCATION: The neighbourhood is lovely with some old buildings. We thought it was nice to stay in an older neighbourhood away from the frantic pace of Shinjuku and Shibuya. There are interesting shops nearby, including a tofu making shop,... more

A wonderful Ryokan to stay at in Tokyo. Very clean and the staff very helpful kind and friendly. Very close to the train station and very easy to get around everywhere to Tokyo. The japanese style baths are a huge reason to stay here. They have two amazing baths that are so nice to relax in after a long day... more

We had a wonderful stay at the Sawanoya, perhaps our favorite place to stay in all of our Japan trip. The Sawanoya family were warm and welcoming and full of wonderful advice - even helping us with shopping directions to 'Kitchen town'. There was a lion dance performance at night and amazing downstairs bathroom, rooms very spacious for Tokyo and... more

We loved our stay at Sawanoya Ryokan, its position , its neighbourhood and the family staff. We wanted to experience Japan in a way that was different from a holiday in one of the large cities of the world. Japan was our final stay after a round the world trip. We also purchased the book that the owner of the... more

My husband and I stayed at this Ryokan for 4 nights during a recent holiday in Japan and found that is made an excellent base for sightseeing around Tokyo. The location is reasonably good – it is a pleasant 30min stroll from the JR Ueno station (which becomes a little less pleasant when carrying lots of luggage), the Nezu subway... more

This is a good option for having a nice experience in a traditional-style Japanes accomodation, without losing the basic western facilities of a good hostal, and at a reasonable price. THE ZONE:The hostal is situated 10 mins walking from Ueno park (north bound), so visiting the National Museum, the Park, the Zoo and the Ueno area with its interesting markets... more