I went to Japan for the first time this year. And my tickets were booked for Narita Tokyo airport, but we still had to find a place to stay for four days while we were in Tokyo….
Most of the tourist areas (Asakusa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, etc) hotels were booked or too expensive during our time there (even booking months in advance). However, we managed to find a great deal in Kawasaki!
Our hotel was located close to Kawasaki station and it was amazing for a first time visit! I will briefly go over some of my pros and cons of staying in Kawasaki for my first time visit:
Pros:
Proximity to Tokyo – Going into Tokyo was easy. As I mentioned we were close to Kawasaki Train Station and from there, it was generally quick to get to any major tourist spots in Tokyo. For instance, the train was usually a 20 to 30 minute journey (which is no big deal) from Kawasaki to Shibuya Station. So it's tolerable commute into the touristy spots in Tokyo in my opinion.
Proximity to Haneda Airport – we were coming in from Narita so it took over an hour and a half from Narita to Tokyo and then Kawasaki by train (which sucked). However, Haneda is very close by to Kawasaki. For anyone with a long journey, it would be good place to crash nearby and recover from the long plane journey. Same can be said to maximize time before you depart for your air journey from Kawasaki.
Shopping: Again since we were by Kawasaki station, we were also located near Lazona Kawasaki Mall. This mall had a Bic Camera, Uniqlo, Muji and even a Studio Ghibli store within here. Even better was that the food court also had a full size grocery store here as well. We were able to get a great selection of snacks and foods here for the hotel stay. There was even an Animate store (for anime / manga lovers) nearby. Most of the shopping you'd want to do near a hotel in Japan you can do in Kawasaki too.
Lack of Tourists: Pretty sure I was one of the two white guys I saw in Kawasaki lol. Although the area can get busy – even the mall I mentioned got crowded, it was nothing like Shibuya and Shinjuku. If you're looking to do some lower key shopping or less tourist busy area, then Kawasaki isn't a bad idea.
Food: Similar to the rest of Tokyo, there was no shortages of places to eat and unique food experiences here. We had some amazing meals in Kawasaki. I particularly loved an Onigiri Shop located at the downstairs section of Kawasaki Station.
The Usual Suspects: Besides some of the stores I mentioned in Shopping, Kawasaki had all the familiar favs and viral spots people want to eat / shop at in Japan. Such as the Konbinis (7-11, Lawsons, Family Mart), Don Quixote (24/7 locations), Ichiran Ramen, Kura Sushi, Book Off Super Bazaar/ Book Off Plus, and more.
Cons:
Proximity to Tokyo: I guess part of the appeal of staying in Asakusa, Shibuya, Akihabara and the like is that if you get tired you can just walk to the hotel and crash. Or if you want to drop off some heavier shopping bags from the day, its easier if your hotel is nearby. Hoping on the train and doing transfers when you're tired just makes a long day longer. Tokyo is a lot of walking and exploring, and going from where you are to Kawasaki can be a drag. Similar to above, while not every train journey was bad from Kawasaki, some areas we would have to travel to such as Ikubukuro can take up to an hour or longer.
Touristy spots: Kawasaki while beautiful IMO didn't exactly have Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Disneyland, Metropolitan Building, etc as part of the view. You'd have to travel to get to some of the touristy areas of Tokyo, rather than just walking there or taking a quick bus or taxi trip to get to a tourist destination.
Touristy Shopping / Things to Do: Even though the shopping was great in Kawasaki, there is no Nintendo store and Pokemon Centre in Kawasaki. 🙁 Some of the unique shopping that many tourists come for in Japan is not here. While there is some, the viral and really unique character stores were not there. I think there was some unique things in Kawasaki such as it being "the city of music." But also I think there was Kawasaki Motorcycles museum nearby. But that wasnt my cup of tea, so I never checked it out.
So staying at Kawasaki to me as a first time visitor was amazing. While not "perfect" it was great for me and an amazing introduction to Japan. Would I stay again? Yes, but would I rather stay somewhere else for my second visit to Tokyo? Absolutely yes again.
I would rather try somewhere new and explore another area of Tokyo / surrounding area. But in my opinion, Kawasaki was a great place to stay. Thank you all.
by dayofthedead204