Guest House Shinagawa-Shuku

It's only 10 minutes' walk from Shinagawa Station, one of Tokyo's main transport hubs, but this ryokan-style guesthouse is set in an area with a distinctly old-school feel to it – including shrines, temples and a Showa-era shopping street. The traditional taste continues past the front door, with mainly tatami-floored washitsu rooms on offer; choose from dormitories, singles or rooms for two to three people. Prices start at ¥3,000 per person, and all rooms have WiFi, but expect to be lumped with an additional charge if you want to use the shared computer. Likewise, you’ll also have to pay extra to use the yukata (light cotton kimonos), towels, washing machine and dryer, as well as for luggage storage – oh, and they up the rates by 10 percent in summer and winter to cover the air conditioning. Gotta pinch those pennies somewhere...