Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- About our pension
- Access
- Check in/ Check out
- Guest rooms・Accommodation
- About in-house facilities
- About food
- Others
About our pension
- City pension is a strange name but what is the difference from a hotel?
- Consider a pension more like a guest house. We have the functional benefits of a hotel such as comfortable rooms and the special warm service and respite a Japanese-style hotel can provide. We remove wasteful excess costs, however, to ensure the price is as cheap as possible. This is our city pension.
Since this is a family business, we close the front reception from 11 at night to 7 in the morning. We personally live in the hotel, so please feel at ease and let us know in case of any emergency.
- What is the origin of Zem’s name?
- Our predecessor drew from wisdom in the Zen Buddhist Takuan Souhou’s gatha.
Souhou says that by freeing oneself from relative knowledge and attachment of judgment, such as right and wrong, you will reach enlightened ground on which you have forgotten learning, status, and attachments. Our predecessor really liked the philosophy “Ze mo mata yume, hi mo mata yume“, that is, “Yes (ze) is also a dream (yume: mu), non (hi) is also a dream (yume: mu)”. Perhaps the meaning is especially hard to convey in English, but those words are the reason why we named our hotel Zem (ze + mu).
Takuan Zen master Tensho 1, December 1 (1573, Dec, 24)- Shoho 2, December 11 (1646, Jan, 27)- What led you to open your practice?
- My grandparents started manufacturing and selling paint in the year Showa 10 (1935).
In 1983(Showa 58), we had our paint company and headquarters here in Nihonbashi, and when the Tokyo City Air Terminal was opened there were no hotels. Our company could not possess flammable items in our warehouse since the fire protection law was revised, so our parents saw an opportunity and the potential of the site and took the initiative, establishing this accommodation business.
In recent times, it is common for newly opened hotels to have complicated operations, wherein ownership, funding, management, and daily operations are all distinct. That is not the way we wish to operate. We run this business stably with traditional values as a family business.
1982 Our hotel during construction
1982 Our hotel during construction
Access
- Is there a parking lot?
- f you are coming to our pension by car, we will guide you to a nearby parking lot.
Please click here for details.
- May I park a bike or a bicycle?
- Yes, you can. Please feel free to contact us.
- Is this close to the station?
- It has great access to all over Toyko via 3 Tokyo Metro stations and 4 lines.
Please click here for more details.
- How do you get to Zem from Haneda Airport and Narita Airport?
- 【By train】
You can go to both airports from Ningyocho Station on the Toei Asakusa Line (a 10-minute walk from our hotel).【By limousine bus】
It is very convenient to go to both airports by direct limousine bus from Tokyo City Air Terminal. It is only 200m from our hotel to Tokyo City Air Terminal.
- How do you get to Zem from Tokyo Station?
- 【By train (subway)】
You need to go to “Otemachi” Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line (one station from Tokyo Station to Otemachi Station). Then you change train to the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line and get off the train at “Suitengumae” Station. It is a 5-minute walk from Suitengumae Station to our hotel.【By taxi】
It takes about 10 minutes from Yaesu exit, Tokyo Station by taxi (about 1000 yen).【By circuit buses】
There are circuit buses (both free and paid ) around Zem.
Metro link Nihonbashi (free)・EDOBUS (paid)
- Is it close to Tokyo City Air Terminal?
- It is only 200m from our hotel to Tokyo City Air Terminal.
Please click here for more details.
- Is it close to Tokyo Disneyland?
- 【By car】
You can exit at Kasai I.C. Metropolitan Expressway. Go straight and you will see the sign.＜A few words from Zem’s owner＞
This is my personal experience as Zem’s owner. If you depart from Zem’s parking lot during the daytime on a weekday, it will take around 30 minutes to get to the parking lot at Tokyo Disney Resort. On the way back, it will take at least around 30 minutes, and it will take longer if there is traffic.【By train】
You need to take a train from Ningyocho Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and get off at the second stop which is Haccho Bori Station ( 3 minutes). From there you take a train from Haccho Bori Station to Maihama Station (in front of Disney Resort) on JR (about 14 minutes). You can take rapid trains from each each station if you prefer. It may take around 30 minutes from Zem’s gate to Maihama Station including time for changing trains.＜A few words from Zem’s owner＞
I often use the train recently. I often go to IKSPIARI (shopping mall in Tokyo Disney Resort) to have a meal with my family and a drink, so I come back home by taxi from Haccho Bori Station. It costs about 1000 yen from Haccho Bori Station to Zem.
Click here to get to know the way to Disneyland from Zem.
Check in/ Check out
- What payment methods are available?
- All reservations require advance card payment. We regret to inform you that we cannot accept reservations for on-site payment. We kindly ask for your understanding.
- What time is check in and check out?
- Check in is 15:00. Check out is 11:00.
You can check in and leave your baggage from 7:00 on the morning of your stay. Please feel free to contact us.
- Is there a curfew?
- There is no curfew after your check-in and keep your access card with you.
We have relied on magnetic stripe key cards to allow checked-in guests entrance to the hotel after 23:00 via the automatic doors.
- If I arrive at Zem early, can I check in and leave my baggage?
- The room is available from 15:00.
Please come to Zem once for check in. We will provide you with your room key. Once you checked-in there is no curfew and you can come and go as you please.
Guest rooms・Accommodation
- Is it possible to attach two beds of twin room?
- We receive many requests from guests like “We would like to attach two beds in a twin room because our child is too small and will move around while sleeping.”
Please feel free to make a request with us.
- What about cancellation policy?
- Customers are expected to pay:
no notice/no show: 100% the total price of accommodation
The day of check-in: 100% of the total price of accommodation
From 2 days before the intended check-in day: 100% of the total price of accommodation
From 5 days before the intended check-in day: 100% of the total price of accommodation
From 10 days before the intended check-in day: 100% of the total price of accommodation
About in-house facilities
- Are there a toothbrush, pajamas, and towels provided?
- Toothbrushes, razors, cosmetics, hairbrushes, Nightwear, and other amenities are not provided. Please bring your own.
towels, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and other items are provided. Please see here for details.
- What kind of beds, pillows, and futons do rooms have?
- Beds are domestically produced with pocket coil mattresses and bed bases made by NIHON BED.
Futons are towafill futon produced by FOREVER INC. (a famous Japanese company which sells medical beddings as well as home electrical appliances and items). Towafill futons are hygienic, lightweight, and highly moisturized, and are produced to the high standards of medical beddings production.
We have been using long-selling items which are listed in “Tsuhan Seikatsu”mail order catalog by CATALOGHOUSE LTD. for a long time.
We furnish with 3 types of futon according to the seasons; winter version, spring/autumn, and mid-summer version as well as a mofu (a soft Japanese blanket).
We prepare 2 pillows: feather (standard height) and polyester (slimmer than standard height) for each guest.
- Is there a hair dryer?
- Rooms include a hair dryer as standard housed in the bathroom.
- Is there an iron and trouser press?
- An iron is provided in each guest room. Trouser presses are available for loan.
- What kind of things are available in the kitchen?
- All rooms are equipped with a mini kitchen.
- Where are the laundry facilities?
- All rooms are equipped with washer-dryer units.
- Do rooms have an internet connection?
- Free Wi-Fi is available for all rooms.
- Can I watch TV?
- This 55-inch LCD TV supports terrestrial digital and BS satellite broadcasts. It is compatible with Internet TV. VOD and similar services are not available.
- Is there a laundromat nearby?
- There are two Laundromats in the neighborhood.
Earth Laundry Ningyocho and Mommy Laundry Nihonbashi Ningyocho, both open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Is it possible to stay with a pet?
- Unfortunately, we do not accept pets in our pension. We are afraid that there is no space for keeping a pet. Thank you for your understanding.
About food
- Is there any places to eat around the hotel?
- There are a lot of restaurants within 10 minutes’ walk.
- Are there any convenience stores or a supermarket around the area?
- Yes. There are 3 shops within 3 minutes’ walk. It is very convenient.
My Basket: an urban small grocery store diagonally in front of our hotel.（8:00～23:00)
PEACOCK STORE: a super market on the first floor of TORNARE NIHONBASHI which is highrise condominium. (open 24 hours)
7-ELEVEN: in Shinohashi street (open 24 hours)
Others
- Can I ask parcel delivery service?
- We offer a parcel delivery service: sending and receiving. Parcels can be sent from our hotel by YAMATO TRANSPORT.
- I would like to send a parcel to the hotel. Can you hold it for a while?
- Yes. Please contact us in advance when you send something to Zem. We will keep it until your check in.
- I live abroad and stay in Japan frequently. Can I send something purchased through online shopping such as Amazon?
- Yes. Please inform us in advance that you are planning to receive a parcel in Zem. We cannot accept payment on arrival of a parcel. Please understand.
- What can be found in the neighborhood around the hotel?
- There are 3 Tokyo Metro stations and 4 lines, TCAT (a bus terminal to Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport), a bank, a post office, a convenient store, a grocery store, and many restaurants within 10 minutes around the hotel. It is a very convenient location.
We are proud to say this area is a very safe part of Tokyo and has been for a long time.
The owner collects restaurants’ information around the hotel. Please check the owner’s blog.
Taken from the roof top by ROYAL PARK HOTEL.
- How far out can I book a reservation?
- Within 12 months.
- Is there any recommended course for jogging around the hotel?
- When you turn left from our hotel and go straight you will arrive at Sumidagawa Terrace riverside walking/jogging track. If you like running by the riverside, it is the best place to run!
