Takashi is one of the best hosts I've ever encountered, and I've been to quite a few Airbnb places with my family. He is extremely patient with our multiple questions and usually replies almost immediately. The thing that really impressed us the most was how he handled the problems we faced (which were totally unexpected). The home is in a fantastic location as well and extremely accessible (stairs being the only potential problem but it shouldn't be for most people) plus it is exactly as advertised in the photos. I would highly recommend his place to anyone who's going to Tokyo!
For a full length review, please read below - worth the read!
SERVICES
The pocket wifi he provided (what a lifesaver!) is extremely fast and long-lasting, so we pretty much didn't need to use data when we were there. It went down sometime in the middle of our trip so I sent him a message that night. Immediately on the next day he dropped by to help us troubleshoot it. When it eventually didn't work, he came back that same afternoon with a backup pocket wifi.
We encountered Typhoon Hagibis during this trip and were panicking because we didn't know what to do. Takashi patiently answered all of our concerns and also offered to bring a torchlight if the power went out. The day before it struck, he also helped keep an eye on the train statuses and informed us when the lines were closed. After the typhoon, he dropped by for a welfare check and even brought us water! That's way above and beyond what we would have expected and we were very touched.
HOME and LOCATION
The home looks exactly like the pictures. It's clean and bright, and more spacious than we expected (we know that Japanese homes tend to be small). You'll have everything you need for an 8-10 day stay - iron, washer, clothes rack, small stove, microwave oven, mini fridge and utensils. There's even a vacuum cleaner if you needed it.
We encountered two small earthquakes in addition to the typhoon, but the cabinets were clamped down so nothing fell. There's also a bathtub that Takashi advised us to fill up for the typhoon in case water got cut off. So I'd say the home is also pretty well-equipped for any minor emergencies. We were on the third floor so we didn't have to evacuate when the storm surge warnings came.
Nearby, there's a Lawson, a 7-11, a huge Donki store, a department store (atre) and a pharmacy, so you never have to worry about running out of supplies. There are also small restaurants all around that open till late. There are only stairs in the apartment (no elevator), but it won't be a problem unless you are unable to climb stairs for any reason.
Lastly, the home is literally a 5 minute walk from the nearest JR station, Kameido, which can also bring you to Haneda airport (1 change needed at Hamamatsucho). If you'd like to take the Tokyo Metro instead, the nearest station is Kinshicho (Z13 Hanzomon line), which is quite a bit of a walk. However, the weather was good so we walked every day, plus the exit is in the basement of a Parco/outside Seiyu so we could buy stuff that we needed before going back.
All in all, a great trip for us, made even better by a host who's dedicated and goes above and beyond to ensure that guests have a memorable stay! If anyone I know wants to visit Tokyo, I would definitely ask them to keep an eye out for this listing. Thanks Takashi!