Interview with Section L: Japan’s most amusing apartment hotels

At Section L, we won’t tell you where to end up. Only where to start. – Quite a captivating statement! Therefore, we took the opportunity to bring to you, our lovely readers, the opportunity to get to know more about this company and what they have to offer as a new hotel experience that’s right up your alley for your next Japanese adventure!

Good Day. We are so glad to have you here today! Before we get started, can you please introduce yourself and tell us more about your role at Section L? 

Konnichiwa, I’m Aki – Co-Founder / Director of Hospitality. I’m in charge of marketing Section L to both travelers and real estate investors, so we can open more Section L in the best parts of Tokyo! 

Howdy y’all, I’m Carlo – Operations Manager. I oversee the Front House/Back House operations in all our current accommodation properties.  

Hi, I’m Charlene – Community Manager – I curate content that inspires people to explore lesser-known areas around and beyond Tokyo. I also organize events!

The name is quite a unique one; Section L! Can you give us an introduction to Section L and what it has to offer? Also, tell us more about the story behind the company’s name and what inspired it.

Section is a reminder that we are part of something larger. We want to connect with the locals running businesses in the area and invite our guests to check out those places. 

L comes from the last letter of HOTEL (since we get everything down to the last letter). When we founded the company, we wanted to distill the HOTEL experience down to the most essential parts. We were interested in redesigning hotels to elevate operational efficiency and increase guest satisfaction at the same time.

Taken from your website “Japan’s most amusing apartment hotels”. Can you please tell us more about what these apartments have to offer to a traveler?

• Fully equipped kitchen: All our rooms have at least two stoves so you can practice cooking and join the next episode of Masterchef or just casually explore your culinary prowess. 

• In-suite laundry:  We understand people sometimes want to travel light and end up needing to wash their clothes at some point. All our rooms have washing machines so guests can skip the coin laundry and unnecessary queues. They can also dry them in our bathrooms with a powerful ventilation system. 

• Who doesn’t like free alcohol? Every Thursday we hold a happy hour in our lobby with interesting alcohol from different parts of Japan.

• Need a new profile photo for social platforms? We got your back with various Instagrammable backgrounds in our Ginza East location, from the abstract art in each room featuring Tokyo’s most famous train line to the eye-catching mural right in front of the hotel that’s great to do funny poses with! 

• If guests are feeling adventurous, we have a bingo game for them that brings them to various spots on the Yamanote line.

• For avid readers, they can borrow a book from our lobby library. We have many books about Tokyo’s neighbourhoods. 

• Finally, guests can connect with other guests through our in-house app, InterSection. They will also receive daily recommendations and updates from our super-friendly international team. 

Therefore, what we are offering is the authenticity of an apartment and the confidence of a hotel. We want to inspire our guests to unlock the magic of exploring the world’s largest metropolis.

Currently, where are your locations? Also, do you plan to expand and increase the number of apartment hotels in more areas of Japan?

We have two hotels in the Ginza and Asakusa areas. We’re opening another one near Ginza this year and a few more locations in central Tokyo are on the horizon. We want to keep expanding and go international!

How did you go about choosing the areas? Were the rooms based on the ideal travelers you wanted to host? Any specific attributes you thought you definitely needed to have while starting this project? What makes you stand out from the crowd?

We consider convenience. In general, when we evaluate whether we take the location or not, we think from a traveler’s perspective. What places do they want to check out? What’s a good base from which they can visit those places? If it’s a neighborhood that one would enjoy exploring, and can immerse without too much hassle, then that’s a good location for us.

Ginza East has easy access to all major business hubs. The Hibiya line is the closest train line to Ginza East; it offers direct access to Roppongi, Nakameguro, and Akihabara. You can also easily walk to Tokyo Station, where it’s convenient to travel to other prefectures or take a day trip to Tokyo Disneyland. Finally, it is just a stone’s throw away from Japan’s best luxury shopping district and Tsukiji market.

As for Asakusa East, you get to see the Tokyo Skytree daily. The Skytree lights up a different color every night so you’ll always be treated to a unique sight on the way back. Our property is within walking distance to Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Street. In this location, we want travelers to experience the slow-paced and truly local life of Tokyo.

 

We are definitely HUGE foodies at Arigato Travel and we can’t get enough of it! Hence, we must ask, are there any favorite food spot(s) you would highly recommend in Section L’s neighborhoods to the readers?

We’re glad you asked because we have a hand-picked city gem list for each of our locations. Too many to mention! In fact, you can visit our growing list of City Gems on our website for our top recommendations: https://section-l.co/discover/#citygems

But our favorites are………….

• Ramen – Ginza Kagari (for eye-popping Truffle Chicken Soba Ramen)
• Sushi – Sushi Dai in Hatchobori (Authentic omakase-style sushi with an even friendlier atmosphere)
• International – Imprest Cafe (It is also dog-friendly so you have a 90% chance to dine beside a furry friend)
• Coffee – Turret Coffee in Tsukiji (Other than coffee, don’t forget to try their matcha latte, it is divine!)
• Izakaya – Inagaki in Asakusa (Prepare to dine like a local in this family-owned diner)
• Bread – Pain Maison Azumbashi (the salt-bread or “Shio-Pan” is worth the visit but quickly runs out)
• Mont Blanc Azumabashi (This retro-feel restaurant specializes in Japanese hamburg with 6 different sauces)

 

Thanks so much for your time today! It truly was a pleasure learning more about an up-and-coming hospitality company like Section L. Is there anything you would like to share with our readers?

Besides our apartment-hotels, we are also managing a space in Harajuku where we have organized a few events like comedy shows, coffee culture events, and networking events. We want to offer the space to anyone who needs an event venue. If you’re reading this and want to organize an event together, just reach out to us at community@section-l.co! We would love to hear what you have in mind; let’s expand our communities together!

Website: https://www.section-l.co

Instagram: @staysection_l

Facebook: @sectionl.tokyo

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD8n2u91gyQ

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/section-l/

 

Looking for a unique way to understand Japanese culture, book your local guide for a local food tour in Tokyo!

 

PIN THIS FOR LATER