Accommodation near Hombu Aikikai

I am looking for information regarding accommodation for an extended stay in Tokyo in order to solely study aikido. I am seriously considering going to Tokyo in May for 90 day to study aikido at Hombu dojo full-time.

In order to explore the options fully I am looking for advice and help on accommodation for a little under 90 days. My Budget will be no more than £3000 (for accommodation) and I would clearly like to keep this to a minimum.

I am looking to exploit the international hombu community's experience in this matter.

Thank you in advance for you help.

It's very expensive to rent a flat in Tokyo. If you could go somewhere else and still train a lot it would be much cheaper.

Take a look here: http://www.odangohomes.com/

The Key money are - as far as I understand - lost no matter the extend of your stay. You would probably be better off going there and stay a while with hosts or at a cheap ryokan - and then use local offices to find a place to stay.

There are also some 'Gaijin houses' that specialise in having foreigners stay at a low rate.
See more here: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2032.html

If you go there to train you might want to avoid july, august and september. It can be extremely hot and humid during those months.

I wish you a great trip

JJ

Jorgen,

thank you very much for replying. I'll check out your links and if they work out will post on aikiweb to let others know. Unfortunately I have emailed hombu and they replied with un-enthusiastic it is your responsibility to find accommodation.

Many thanks again.

Hey Paul,
Try Sakura House:
http://www.sakura-house.com/en/B00115/room
Near Hombu you can look in Ichigaya, Yotsuya sanchome, Shinjuku sanchome, and Sumiyoshi-cho. Or just search near Akebonobashi station.
Leopalace is another option, but they are pricier.
Good luck!

Paul Finn wrote: Jorgen, thank you very much for replying. I'll check out your links and if they work out will post on aikiweb to let others know. Unfortunately I have emailed hombu and they replied with un-enthusiastic it is your responsibility to find accommodation. Many thanks again.

I know from personal experience that the people at Hombu Dojo are not "un-enthusiastic". They work very hard on behalf of Aikido, and have many things to tend to.
It makes sense that they can't realistically take care of every single person who wants to come to train at Hombu. The International Office takes care of Aikido organizations and dojo, not individual people.
The scope of what they do is hard to understand unless you've seen it. If you did, you'd probably think twice before adding to what you expect them to be doing by asking them to respond to your personal needs.
There are a few people on this list currently living in Tokyo. I suggest you ask them for referrals for places to stay. Good luck!

check this link , has a lot of info on lodging .
http://www.guillaumeerard.com/aikido...kai-hombu-dojo

As posted before , Hombu Dojo`s office is responsible only for "dojo related stuff " ( for lack of a better word) .You will have to find your way on every other matter by yourself

Lisa Tomoleoni wrote: I know from personal experience that the people at Hombu Dojo are not "un-enthusiastic". They work very hard on behalf of Aikido, and have many things to tend to. It makes sense that they can't realistically take care of every single person who wants to come to train at Hombu. The International Office takes care of Aikido organizations and dojo, not individual people. The scope of what they do is hard to understand unless you've seen it. If you did, you'd probably think twice before adding to what you expect them to be doing by asking them to respond to your personal needs. There are a few people on this list currently living in Tokyo. I suggest you ask them for referrals for places to stay. Good luck!

Yeah.. I would like to support Lisa's comments. Expecting the hombu dojo office to be a service facility to handle such things would probably not get you in good standing with the staff. They have to focus their energy on doing the tasks that they are hired to do.

Also: In the Japanese society (as well as in the Aikikai organisation) having a sense of timing and appropriate attitude is crucial. Much more so than most other countries I've been to. So it is well worth spending some time reflecting on that before going there.

JJF

Gabriel Weiszman wrote: check this link , has a lot of info on lodging . http://www.guillaumeerard.com/aikido...kai-hombu-dojo As posted before , Hombu Dojo`s office is responsible only for "dojo related stuff " ( for lack of a better word) .You will have to find your way on every other matter by yourself

Given that this is one of those questions that must arise often it would probably make sense for them (and take less time than having to compose a reply) to have the information already available.

Maybe even on that wonderful thing called "the internet".

Really, I think that they could update the way that they do a lot of things - but that's not just a hombu problem, it's a problem with Japanese companies in general. Where else in the world are fax machines still standard?

Best,

Chris

Christopher Li wrote: Given that this is one of those questions that must arise often it would probably make sense for them (and take less time than having to compose a reply) to have the information already available. Maybe even on that wonderful thing called "the internet". Really, I think that they could update the way that they do a lot of things - but that's not just a hombu problem, it's a problem with Japanese companies in general. Where else in the world are fax machines still standard? Best, Chris

True. Change is not always coming from within in Japanese organisations.

I guess they prefer to only have information that they control. Having links to external sites must be evaluated often to avoid broken links. But granted - a generic description of what types of accommodation is available in Tokyo area would be a nice addition to the current website.

JJ

Thank you for all your replies. I appreciate your help and comments. I am actively searching on line for nearby accommodation and using macro search to identify possible solutions. My enquiry to hombu was an attempt to utilise their local knowledge. I know from past experience hombu has a wide and varied international community who have always been very helpful. While it causes upset the reply from hombu was both unenthusiastic and disappointing. Having been part of a large organisation I understand the difficulties of pleasing all of the people all of the time. I didn't mean to cause offense.

Regards Paul

P.S. Please keep your suggestions coming!

I recalled this thread from a couple of year's back. Maybe some more info here?

http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showth...+Hombu+Aikikai

Carl

Just a quick reply here: In Japan in most cities you can find what are called "Weekly Mansions," that are not mansions (In Japan they call certain kinds of apartments mansions), but can be rented on a weekly basis. Like hotels, but with prices based on longer duration stays. Give it a Google! Good luck :-)
In aiki,
Ethan