Why we chose Airbnb for Tokyo.
Anyone who's ever been to Tokyo would agree how expensive the hotels can be in this city. We did plenty of search to satisfy our assumptions, and therefore making a decision to instead try an Airbnb apartment. It was cheaper to get a full apartment with a kitchen, dining area, a bedroom, toilet, shower, heater and a washing machine, compared to a one room hotel stay.
Location was perfect but we got lost!
It was a good thing we did, because we managed to secure a place right in Shinjuku district, within walking distance of restaurants, shops, malls, and most importantly, the train station. Cutting down the budget for accommodation meant we had slightly more to spend on food, snacks, and souvenirs.
Despite printing out the maps in both languages, studying the Google map, and looking through the photos sent by the our homeowner, we had trouble finding the apartment when we arrived at the Shinjuku station. We walked on with our luggage and turned left at the first 7-Eleven shop, instead of the second one, which had us going round in circles in the same area. We finally found the apartment, a brownish brick-like structure with 3 floors, took the keys from the mailbox and got inside to cover ourselves from the cold wind.
From Shunjuku Station, we walked to our Airbnb unit. 
Japanese are big on instructions.
The one bedroom unit was just adorable in terms of size. In Cambodia, you would call this unit a "cute house" as it comes with a small kitchen area, dining table, low sofa and a bedroom that could only fit two people.
Just behind the bed was the balcony with a washing machine, with instructions in Japanese. We weren't too worried though because our homeowner had left us a manual on the bed with a list of "Do's and Don't" in this apartment. Not only that, there were white stickers with descriptions on the switches, the door and microwave, in case we didn't know how to turn on the hot water.
First house rule - please be silent.
The walls and ceilings must be very thin in this particular apartment because we were advised to keep things quiet at all times.
"Don't make much noise."
"When opening door, please close silently"
"No loud music or loud talk"
We got the message loud and clear. There was a lot tip-toeing and whispering at night whenever we got home late from the city. This not only happens in the house as we observe during our daily outings. On the trains, we read signs asking us to silent to our phones and not to talk loudly. In fact, it's best to not talk at all.
What's not to love about staying in Shinjuku area?
This part of town has a larges train station that connects to many lines throughout the city. Even though our apartment was quite a distance from the station, we didn't mind the walk because there were many shops that distracted us along the way. It's also located near Isetan, where the flavorful food hall can be found, and plenty of Family Marts' or 7-Elevens.
I would highly recommend friends to stay in an Airbnb compared to a hotel as it's more convenient and affordable. We bought food from supermarket and ate at home most of the time, to save money. It allowed us to buy souvenirs and pay for train rides in the city.
Our homeowner, Rihito was also very helpful and made sure we knew how to get to the hotel. He also gave us a free pocket wifi to use during the whole trip (plus point indeed!). I'm becoming a big fan of Airbnb especially when it's a better alternative compared to hotels in certain cities!
If you're looking for a place to stay in Tokyo, you can check Rihito's place in Shinjuku here.
