We had a wonderful stay at Sakura’s place in Shimo. The apartment exceeded all of our expectations. We had a specific reason to want/need to stay in the Shimo/Akabane area. If we didn’t need to be in the area, we would not have chosen to stay so far north of Tokyo. That being said, during the course of the week of our stay, we grew very fond of Akabane and Shimo. It is a very relaxing area, and feels like a more regional city, with all the charm of a more rural Japan setting, yet a quick subway ride away from the heart of Tokyo.
Sakura-san was a wonderful host and the communication leading up to and during our stay was excellent. The home itself was very new - much newer than we expected from the pictures. It was very clean - spotless really. The beds were very comfortable, the shower and bath were fantastic, and it was extremely convenient to have the washer/dryer combo.
We discovered several delicious, small restaurants in the area, as well as convenience stores and grocery stores within a very short walk. We would stay here again without hesitation and we definitely plan to be back.