Our stay at the Dai-Ichi Annex is very comparable to what other reviewers have said. It's in a terrific location for shopping, restaurants, and public transportaion access. The staff is very very helpful. The facility itself is in need of a make-over. Everything about the place is a bit worn down and a little sad, but clean. We were disappointed with the hotel restaurant. However there are so many terrific area restaurants that are worth exploring, so don't waste your time at the hotel.

The other reviews correctly described this property that it needs a slight refurbishing. Our rooms were very clean though, I noticed some slight wallpaper peeling in high traffic areas but no where else. The rooms were quite small, similar to European or HongKong hotel rooms (about 2/3 the size of normal US rooms), definitely no place for more than 1 queen bed. Service was great, good english speaking staff, and they were always there to help.

Getting in from Narita was also a breeze, just took the Airport Limosine Bus that goes to the Dai-Ichi Hotel which is just next door, we essentially just crossed a narrow street to get to the Annex.

The location of this place is great if you want to stay in the Ginza area. It is about 2 short blocks away from the Shinbashi train station which is serviced by several subway and JR rail lines. It is also about 10 minutes walk to the Ginza shopping area.

We did not try their restaurant (nor the ones at the main hotel) as we wanted to save money. Hotel restaurants we found typically charged about 3-5 times what you can get someplace else.

When we booked our return airport shuttle with the front desk, they also automatically extended our checkout time (about 3 hours) at no cost, so that I can stay and use the rooms until it was time for us to leave. Also our baggage was checked and transported by the bell man across the street to the main Dai-Ichi hotel, and automatically loaded to our bus.

We also found that typically the Japanese refused to accept any tips, I was told that some people actually get insulted by giving them tips, so we refrained from doing so.

Overall it was a great 4 night stay at a better than average hotel at very reasonable rates and I can recommend it to anyone.

I stayed in the Dai Ichi Annex as a tourist for 9 nights in April 06. For the price, I found this hotel to be an absolute gem, being far better value than hotels in New York, London, Paris etc.

It’s true that some of the paintwork and furnishings in the lobby could do with updating but the location is fantastic and the staff are a real asset. Shimbashi Station is a couple of blocks away which provides underground access to the whole city. There are plenty of cheap eats and more expensive restaurants within walking distance and mini markets 7/11 and Lawsons can supply snacks drinks etc. The hustle, bustle and bright lights of Ginza are just around the corner as is the relatively tranquil Hibiya Park

The English speaking concierge can offer advice for the tourist and will book any sightseeing excursions on your behalf, she also keeps an impressive stock of leaflets, timetables etc and even printed out a weather forecast in English for us.

The room was adequately sized and extremely clean, fresh towels, kimono and European style robes were supplied daily. A couple more English TV channels would have been nice, but the electronic curtains and toilet made up for that. The mini bar was quite expensive but well stocked.

As a tourist on a budget I found the Dai Ichi Annex provided a quality of service that far exceeded my expectations.

Our experience at the Dai Ichi Annex was both good and bad. (First the bad). When we made our reservation, I specifically stated that I wanted a non-smoking room, and when we checked in, I again verified that we were, in fact, getting a non-smoking room. We went up to our room, opened the door and just about choked from the smell of cigarette smoke. They said they couldn’t give us another room because they were all booked up, so we just had to grin and bear it.

On the good side, the staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful. Once, I went down to the lobby and asked someone if she knew what train I should take to get to Yokahoma. She went behind the main desk for about five minutes and came back with maps, brochures, and various guides. She even gave me advice about what to see and what not to see… I really appreciated that…

This mix of good and bad seemed to characterize my whole experience at the Annex. You have free internet access if you have your own computer. Great. If not, you have to go next door to the main hotel and pay 1010 yen per hour. Your room comes with free cable. Great. But you only have two channels in English. (And you have to pay for movie channels.)

The Dai Ichi isn’t a bad hotel. In spite of everything, our time there was fairly pleasant. Yes, the interior is a bit old and worn out, but if the point of your stay is to see Tokyo, you won’t be spending much time in your room, anyway. If you’re on a tight budget and just need a place to lay your head at night, you’ll be more than happy here. But if you expect a lot from your hotel, you might be happier some place else.