We absolutely loved staying at Ushka’s beautiful home. Ushka was amazing from the start, sending us suggestions for places to get vegan food (which were spot on) and keeping in touch about check in. When we arrived, we were far later than we anticipated and Ushka met us at the station nonetheless, even waiting without complaint when we got off the train at the wrong station and had to reroute our journey, taking even longer.
Ushka is warm and friendly and we felt so welcome and relaxed as we walked to her home from the station. She pointed out good shops and identifiable buildings to help us remember the route (which was excellent as I am innately directionless).
When we got in to her home, she showed us around and showed us how to use the air con etc. The pictures don’t do this AirBnB justice - there are so many thoughtful design touches that you can’t appreciate until you’re in there. Not to mention all the stationery, toiletries, kitchen essentials and guidebooks which made us feel so at home. I think this is what really sets Ushka’s place apart from any other AirBnB I’ve stayed in - she clearly cares very deeply about making your stay as comfortable as possible. She was kind enough to buy us some vegan snacks from the nearby supermarket which was amazing because there was no way we could read any Japanese labels with our limited language skills.
The location is fantastic - a short walk from a station that connects you to Shibuya and Shinjuku which is all you need. We made the most of being near Yoyogi Park and walked through to explore Harajuku and Meiji Shrine. Ushka’s street is quiet and in a very safe neighbourhood. The houses are beautiful and it felt like such a warm and comforting place to live, full of soul and character that you would totally miss staying in a hotel. My husband had his best coffee in Japan at a little coffee shop between the AirBnB and Yoyogi Park called Little Nap.
The place was spotlessly clean and although I was initially worried about living so close to our host (Ushka’s family live upstairs), they were so quiet that we felt like we had the place to ourselves. It was just the right amount of autonomy for us - being left to our own devices but knowing that if we needed anything, we could message via AirBnB and Ushka would get back to us straight away.
This is the best value and best equipped AirBnB I’ve ever stayed in. We absolutely loved our stay here and if you have the opportunity to stay with Ushka, don’t think twice.