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Tokyo · Akatsuka, Itabashi | A large Japanese-style space for staying together with family and friends
Hokaraya ほからや
Hokaraya Up to 13/Ikebukuro dir./125㎡/Tokyo Tower/SmokingOK
Room for everyone to sit down together — while minding the station distance and quiet hours
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
I would first check whether the whole group likes this way of sharing a home
- 125 sqm, up to 13 people; 4 double beds plus 5 sets of Japanese bedding — arrange everyone’s sleeping setup first.
- Sofa, long table, garden and laundry facilities suit spending time together at the stay.
- About 17 minutes’ walk to Nishi-Takashimadaira, about 21 minutes to Narimasu; keep quiet from 22:00 to 08:00 in the evening.
If what a Tokyo trip is most looking forward to is eating and chatting with family and friends, plus trying the atmosphere of a Japanese home, I would put Hokaraya on the comparison list. In Akatsuka, Itabashi, its 125 sqm of large space has tatami, a long table, a sofa and a garden, making the stay itself worth scheduling as part of the trip.
But I would first confirm whether everyone accepts sharing beds and Japanese bedding. The maximum of thirteen people means four double beds plus five sets of Japanese bedding — not thirteen beds or thirteen rooms; spelling out each person’s sleeping arrangement matters more than looking only at the floor area.
For transport, accept a walk beyond the station. I would rather recommend it to family and friend groups with flexible plans, willing to go out in concentrated trips, and wanting to wander Akatsuka Park and the historic streets; if every day means rushing for the first train, a stay beside a station may save more effort.
Location and transport: Akatsuka is easy for strolling, but count the station distance when heading into the city
Hokaraya is at 5-35-12 Akatsuka, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, near the Akatsuka Castle ruins, Tameike Park and the local history museum area. I would treat it as a whole-house base in the Akatsuka neighbourhood, leaving some strolling and together-time in the plan, so the stay itself becomes part of the trip.
| Station | Walking reference | How to measure it |
|---|---|---|
| Nishi-Takashimadaira Station on the Toei Mita Line | About 1.2 km, 17 minutes | Comparable when mainly using the Mita Line; movement inside the station counts separately |
| Narimasu Station on the Tobu Tojo Line | About 1.4 km, 21 minutes | When using the Tojo Line, look at the whole day’s route, and count the walk beyond the station too |
| Groups and large luggage | Allow extra time again | On arrival and checkout days, consider taking a ride for the final stretch from station to property |
I would first pick the route actually to be used that day, then decide which station to arrive from. This kind of station distance does not suit several round trips in one day; bringing everything before heading out in the morning and staying nearby to rest on returning in the evening usually fits the rhythm of a whole-house stay better.
125 sqm for up to 13 people: four double beds, plus five sets of Japanese bedding
The family suite is 125 sqm, for up to 13 people, with four double beds and five sets of Japanese bedding. The listing is angled around three bedrooms, suiting family and friends willing to share living space; but the headcount limit does not mean everyone has a separate bedroom, and at full occupancy especially, agree on bed-sharing and bedding arrangements first.
| Arrangement | Available setup | How I choose |
|---|---|---|
| Beds | 4 double beds | First allocate people who can share a bed; do not treat a double bed as two single beds |
| Japanese bedding | 5 sets of Japanese mattresses | Accept sleeping on floor bedding, then arrange the evening bedding layout |
| Space | 125 sqm, up to 13 people | Group by daily rhythm, leaving shared areas and passages |
| Children | Children welcome; no extra beds or baby cots | Arrange around the existing bedding; do not add sleeping spots on the spot |
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Before booking, I would let everyone know which kind of bed they will sleep on, especially older travellers, people with sore knees, or anyone unaccustomed to Japanese mattresses. Being able to put bedding away in the daytime and lay it out again at night is a way of living different from an ordinary hotel; if someone needs to sleep early, the time for chatting in the shared area needs adjusting too.
The wooden ceilings, tatami, shoji screens and long table in the photos give the space a fairly distinct Japanese-home feel. For me, it suits everyone sitting down together better than each person shutting themselves in a room; liking this atmosphere also means accepting that the sounds of each other’s lives will be closer within one house.
Shared areas, garden and laundry: leave some time for the place itself
The living room has a sofa and a hanging chair, another area has the long table and seating, and greenery is visible outside the windows. Returning from a daytime wander nearby, everyone can split into groups for tea, route-planning or sorting things, without all sitting on beds; the tableware and place settings in the long-table photos are a space display, not meals included with the stay.
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
With a garden and laundry facilities, staying a few nights means packing a little less clothing, so luggage does not fill the shared space. After washing, arrange drying and putting away, rather than rushing on checkout day; tidying the shared area together after use also lets the next family member sit down and rest directly.
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Photo source:Trip.com listing photos
Check-in after 16:00, checkout before 10:00. The listing provides check-in and key instructions; I would save the message first, and make sure two fellow travellers can also find it, so separate arrivals do not wait on just one person. On the final day, gather luggage first, check bedding and sockets, then leave at the agreed time.
Pets are allowed with an extra fee; before departure, tell the host the type, number and living habits, and agree on the areas of use too. If a fellow traveller is afraid of animals or sensitive to fur, discuss it within the group first; a whole house feeling comfortable often comes from everyone agreeing on the way of living.
No breakfast served: the long table suits eating together, with meals self-arranged
No breakfast is served here. I would buy simple food for the next day in advance, and eat in batches in the morning by each person’s departure time; if the whole group heads out together, agree on meeting and meal times the night before, rather than letting thirteen people decide separately in the morning.
The dining table suits sitting down together, but the full place settings in the photos do not mean anyone serves meals. People who like eating slowly can keep this time at the stay; people rushing for an early train can arrange breakfast on the way, removing one thing the whole group must wait for in the morning.
Nearby outings: Akatsuka Castle ruins, Tameike Park and the Tokyo Daibutsu, linked at a slow pace
This location makes it easier to fit an Akatsuka stroll into the trip. The Akatsuka Castle ruins, Akatsuka Tameike Park and the Itabashi Municipal Local History Museum are all in the nearby area; for an afternoon that is not all shopping and train rides, pick a few of these spots and walk them slowly.
Extending further toward Akatsuka Botanical Garden and the Tokyo Daibutsu at Jorenji Temple can also form strolls of different lengths. Itabashi-ku’s Akatsuka walking route links Narimasu to Tobu-Nerima, about 6.4 km in total; I would pick only one stretch by children’s and older travellers’ stamina, without walking it all at once.
I would keep this day simple: head out for a stroll in the morning, come back and sit for a while in the afternoon, and eat together in the evening. Concentrate city trips on other days, reducing round trips over the long station distance, and genuinely using this unit’s large space.
Short and longer stays: good for living together, while looking after each other’s rhythms
For just one night, I would first check how long can actually be spent in the house. Arriving late and leaving before 10:00 the next day, the large space may not get a chance to be used; people staying a few nights, wanting to chat, stroll and sort luggage together, usually feel the whole house’s value more.
With many people staying, I would give everyone a fixed luggage spot, clear the table after eating, do laundry in batches, and decide in advance when Japanese bedding is laid out. These small divisions of labour keep the house workable, avoiding an ending where only one person tidies for everyone.
Quiet must be kept from 22:00 to 08:00. This matters especially for friends’ groups: a large living room does not equal suitability for late-night gatherings; returning late, move quietly, lower chatting volume, and let early sleepers and nearby residents rest well.
The listing name includes SmokingOK; if a fellow traveller wants to smoke, I would first use the designated spot as instructed by the host, and not read those words as permission to smoke in every room. People sensitive to smoke smell should also factor this in before choosing, so the whole group’s expectations of the stay’s environment line up.
Pros and cons: the large Japanese-style space appeals, and the station distance and shared-living rules are practical too
| Aspect | Advantages | Trade-offs to accept |
|---|---|---|
| Space | 125 sqm, so many people can stay in one house | Up to 13 people including shared beds and Japanese bedding |
| Atmosphere | Tatami, long table, sofa and greenery | Leans toward shared living and togetherness, not a separate room per person |
| Outings | Suits strolls to Akatsuka Castle ruins, parks and the like | Station about 17 to 21 minutes on foot |
| Living | Garden and laundry facilities included | Everyday use and tidying need fellow travellers to share tasks |
| Pets | Pets allowed | Agree on extra fees and manner of use first |
| Daily rhythm | Can live to the whole group’s rhythm | Quiet from 22:00 to 08:00; checkout before 10:00 |
Who would I recommend it to?
I would recommend it to family and friend groups wanting to stay together in a large Japanese-style space, willing to share beds or use Japanese bedding, and who will leave time for togetherness at the stay. Allocate sleeping and household tasks first, then concentrate each day’s outings, and this unit’s strengths come out more easily.
If every day means rushing in and out, dragging suitcases over a long walk is hard, or you want each fellow traveller to have a separate room, I would compare station-side hotels. The reason to choose Hokaraya should be liking this shared-living way — not just wanting to fill the maximum headcount.
Fact-check date: 2026-10-25