Tokyo · Hyakunincho | Simple rooms and a café courtyard
Hotel Cen Shinjuku, Tokyo
Hotel Cen
Extend your trip into the café — first check whether you can accept a compact room
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
First, check whether this hotel fits your trip style
- Shin-Okubo, Okubo, and Seibu-Shinjuku are about a 5-minute walk; Shinjuku is about 12 minutes.
- Standard and Deluxe rooms are both double rooms for 2 guests; check room size and bed width against your booking plan.
- The café courtyard and terrace stand out, and paid laundry works for longer stays.
If you like hunting for cafés, looking at buildings, and wandering side streets on a trip, Hotel Cen Shinjuku will easily catch your eye. Its white arch, courtyard, and simple rooms put the buzz of Hyakunincho together with a slightly slower rhythm.
I would recommend it to solo travellers packing light, or friends or couples travelling together — provided you can accept a compact room. Past guests have mentioned the small space more than once, and two large suitcases plus a lot of shopping may affect your stay faster than the design in the photos.
This hotel’s value is not in large facilities, but in its café, terrace, and nearby streets. Think first about whether you will actually use these spaces, then weigh the trade-off on room size, and your choice will be more accurate.
In a Hyakunincho side street: choose Shin-Okubo, Okubo, or Seibu-Shinjuku first
The hotel address is 1-5-19 Hyakunincho. Official information puts Shin-Okubo, Okubo, and Seibu-Shinjuku stations about a 5-minute walk away, and Shinjuku Station about 12 minutes; the café page separately lists Seibu-Shinjuku North Exit at about 4 minutes. It is better to put the actual station exit into your map here, rather than planning every move around the word Shinjuku alone.
If you mainly use the Yamanote Line during the day, Shin-Okubo is the direct starting point; for other lines, compare transfers at Okubo or Shinjuku. When pulling luggage, check elevators and exits separately, and once you turn into the side street, look for the white arch and the Cen sign so arrival is easier.
Its side-street location gives the shared spaces a feeling slightly removed from the main street, but it cannot guarantee that every room is absolutely quiet. After dinner, walk back along a familiar, well-lit route, and if you carry large suitcases, add pavement and intersection waiting time into your plan.
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com guest photos
Simple design you will like, and rooms that really are compact
The hotel has 44 rooms in total: 41 Standard Double rooms and 3 Deluxe Double rooms, all with double beds for two guests. The official room pages do not clearly list bed width and room size, so I would check them against the actual booking plan, rather than translating Double into any fixed size, and rather than treating the Deluxe name directly as a guarantee of a large room.
| Room type | What the official site confirms | What I would check first |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Double | Double bed / 2 guests / 41 rooms | Room size, bed width, and where two suitcases can go |
| Deluxe Double | Double bed / 2 guests / 3 rooms | Whether the actual layout differs from Standard, and whether it meets your needs |
| Single occupancy | Check the full guest count against bookable double-room plans | Single use and two-guest plans must not be mixed |
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com guest photos
The rooms’ simplicity, clean lines, and window-side desks are a very recognisable look here. But past reviews mention the small space repeatedly, and even one person needs to organise luggage carefully. If two people each bring a large suitcase and want to spend a long time in the room, I would first ask about the floor layout, then decide whether to accept it.
Bathroom photos show a shower behind a glass partition, so do not expect a large bathtub to soak in. People who like a quick shower after check-in and a short sit in the café may find it a good fit; if soaking in a bath is an important part of your trip, put that difference into your pre-booking comparison.
Official listings include basic equipment such as a refrigerator, safe, electric kettle, and Wi-Fi, while some amenities are sold or lent at the front desk. Do not judge from design photos alone whether everything is free; for anything you definitely need, bring it or confirm how it is supplied.
A simple morning at CEN CAFE — and keep the pretty lunch and dinner photos separate
Guests often describe breakfast as simple with good coffee; some who ate it two days in a row found the content similar. I would treat it as a café-style morning, compared separately from a large hotel’s Japanese-Western buffet, and first ask yourself whether you like this small, relaxed kind of start.
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
A breakfast-inclusive plan should be checked for that day’s serving format, portions, drink choices, and times. The café officially opens at 8:00, but stay breakfast may have separate arrangements; if you need a very early train, plan first as if you may not get breakfast, so you do not pay extra and then miss it.
Meal photos show different displays such as curry, toast, and drinks, which cannot be taken directly as a fixed breakfast menu. If you want lunch or dessert in the café separately, you can plan it as an independent meal; breakfast-inclusive does not mean you can freely choose everything in the photos.
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
I would recommend keeping at least one unhurried morning for a coffee in the café, or on the terrace in suitable weather. Over several nights you can also spend a few mornings eating breakfast in Shin-Okubo, so each day has a different rhythm; for dietary restrictions, confirm directly with the café rather than guessing from the plating.
A diverse neighbourhood and courtyard café with more character than a grand lobby
CEN’s brand concept is diversity and welcoming people from different backgrounds, and its shared café space feels more lived-in than a traditional large hotel lobby. You do not necessarily need to join an event; sitting in the courtyard, drinking coffee and sorting photos, lets you feel the place in your own way.
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
Photo source: Trip.com hotel photos
The Shin-Okubo area offers many dining and beauty-shopping choices, good for putting meals and strolling into the same day. If you want to shop in the Shinjuku area, allow separate walking time, and do not go back and forth for every meal; heavy shoppers should also think about storage once back in a small room.
Some guests have noticed a cemetery nearby. If the view from the window or the neighbouring environment matters a lot to you, ask the hotel about room direction before booking; if it does not bother you, just treat it as part of this city neighbourhood. That does not mean every room has the same view, and photos cannot directly predict your window view.
Short stays for location and coffee; for longer stays, plan laundry and cleaning first
For one or two nights travelling light on your own, I would accept this compact room more easily. Transport and neighbourhood dining are convenient, and the café offers a place to sit just outside your room door; but if you do not plan to use the shared spaces, the small-room trade-off needs more careful thought.
For three to five nights, official listings include paid laundry, drying, and some paid luggage storage. A washing machine can help you pack fewer clothes, but it will not increase room size; I would put laundry sorting and waiting on an earlier evening back at the hotel, so wet clothes and shopping bags do not pile up and fill the walkway together.
Cleaning, towel replenishment, and rubbish handling follow your plan and check-in instructions. Reviews mostly praise cleanliness, though some mention dust and pillow feel; these are individual room experiences, so if there is a problem on arrival, contact the front desk first, rather than assuming the whole hotel must be good or bad.
Standard check-in is 15:00 and check-out is 10:00; confirm the dates and fees for luggage storage first. Guests under 18 need a parental consent form to stay, which differs from adults-only hotel rules; if minors or small children are travelling with you, confirm the plan directly against the full ages and number of guests.
Pros and cons: distinctive design and café atmosphere, limited luggage space
| Aspect | Pros | Trade-offs to accept |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Shin-Okubo, Okubo, and Seibu-Shinjuku to choose from | JR Shinjuku still requires walking; recognise the entrance in the side street first |
| Room | Simple design and complete basic equipment | Several guests find it small; check bed width and room size against your plan |
| Breakfast | A café morning with a lived-in feel | Format and times need checking; do not expect a large buffet |
| Shared spaces | Courtyard and terrace are good for sitting down and resting | Weather, opening hours, and seat arrangements affect use |
| Longer stays | Paid laundry and drying can reduce clothing | Check cleaning and storage rules; check-out is 10:00 |
I would recommend it to light packers who like cafés and simple spaces
Hotel Cen Shinjuku’s appeal is a place to stay with a courtyard, café, and simple rooms in the diverse, lively Hyakunincho neighbourhood. It suits people more who are willing to step out of their room and treat the neighbourhood and café as part of the trip.
If you travel light on your own and want to stay near Shin-Okubo, this hotel is worth comparing; if two people shop a lot, first ask clearly about room size and bed width, then see how suitcases can be placed. Accepting the small room and liking its shared spaces will make a comfortable stay more likely than being drawn in by photo style alone.
Fact-check date: 2026-10-25