Serviced Apartments in Tokyo for Families: The Best Option for Long Stays

Table of Contents

TL;DR

A Tokyo “apartment hotel” chain like MIMARU, Tokyu Stay, Citadines, or Oakwood Premier is licensed as a hotel under 旅館業法 (Japan’s hotel/inn business law), not as minpaku under 住宅宿泊事業法. None of the 180-operating-day cap, the 届出番号 notification number, or the remote-ID-verification rules covered in our Airbnb vs. Hotel guide apply to these properties — and in practice, all the chains named in this article check you in through a staffed front desk like a conventional hotel
It’s a distinct booking category, not a hotel-or-Airbnb compromise. These properties combine hotel-style reception and (lighter, less frequent) housekeeping with something a standard hotel room doesn’t have: an in-room kitchen on every MIMARU room, and a washer-dryer or mini-kitchen on select Tokyu Stay room types — check the specific room, since not every room at every brand has both
Housekeeping is lighter than a hotel and varies by brand. MIMARU does daily towel/trash service but a fuller clean (bed-making, bathroom) only every 2 nights starting the 3rd night; Tokyu Stay makes even the light “simple clean” opt-in via a door tag, with full room cleaning only guaranteed weekly on stays of 7+ nights. Don’t expect a hotel-standard daily turndown
These chains commonly take 1-night bookings with no fixed minimum stay — unlike a true monthly-lease serviced residence such as Oakwood Residence Shinagawa, which is a rental contract (quoted monthly, commonly ¥300,000+ for a studio) and not bookable like a hotel at all. Always confirm on the specific property and room plan, since availability and any minimum-night requirement can vary by date
Kitchen equipment level varies by brand and room type — don’t assume “kitchen” means the same thing everywhere. MIMARU rooms include an induction cooktop, microwave, fridge, and full cookware/tableware, plus loanable rice cooker/toaster. Tokyu Stay’s mini-kitchen (with IH cooktop where present) and in-room washer-dryer are only in certain room types, not every room in the building — check the specific room type before booking
Nightly rates vary enormously by property, location, and season — there’s no single “typical” figure. A JTB listing for MIMARU Tokyo Akasaka, for example, showed 2-adults-per-room rates running roughly ¥43,500–104,000/night across August–September 2026 dates, while a budget-tier MIMARU location elsewhere in Tokyo can run well under that. Always check live rates for your actual dates rather than relying on a blanket average
MIMARU offers free crib rental at some properties (confirmed at its Ueno EAST and Ueno NORTH locations), but the age cutoff differs by location (under 1 year at one, under 2 at the other) — confirm with the specific property before booking, not just the brand
Genuine multi-bedroom layouts for larger families exist, but capacity varies by unit — check the number, not just “2-bedroom” or “3-bedroom.” Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo’s 3-bedroom suite sleeps up to 6 (a 7th guest chargeable), while Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu’s 2-bedroom units max out at 3 guests and its 3-bedroom unit at 4 — useful for a family of 4 wanting two separate rooms, but not a fit for 5–6 people. Most MIMARU and Tokyu Stay “family” rooms, by contrast, are one large room with bunk beds, not a second bedroom at all

Best Options: Matching the Stay to the Right Format

Your situation	Lean toward	Why
Family of 3–4, staying 5–7 nights, want groceries + laundry without giving up a front desk	Apartment hotel — MIMARU or Tokyu Stay	Hotel-style booking and reception, with a kitchen in every MIMARU room (Tokyu Stay’s kitchen/washer-dryer depends on room type) and usually no minimum-stay requirement
Family of 4 wanting two separate rooms	Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu (3-bedroom, max 4 guests) or Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo (2-bedroom, max 4)	Genuine multi-bedroom layouts — check the max-occupancy number for the specific unit, since it’s lower than the bedroom count might suggest
Family of 5–6, need real separate sleeping areas	Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo’s 3-bedroom Marunouchi Suite (max 6, 7th guest chargeable), or a whole-unit vacation rental	Few apartment-hotel units genuinely sleep 5–6 with separate bedrooms — confirm the exact occupancy cap before booking rather than assuming “3-bedroom” covers a big family
Staying 1 month or longer	A true lease-type serviced residence (e.g. Oakwood Residence Shinagawa)	This is a monthly rental contract, not a hotel booking — cheaper per night at that length but priced and structured completely differently, and not bookable the way a hotel is
1–2 nights only	Hotel	The kitchen and laundry barely get used over 1–2 nights, and a standard hotel room is usually cheaper for that length of stay
Traveling with a baby, need bottle-prep/formula access	Apartment hotel with confirmed crib	A kitchenette for sterilizing and warming bottles is a genuine advantage over a standard hotel room — but confirm crib age limits with the specific property first, since they vary
Want daily full housekeeping like a hotel	Hotel, not an apartment hotel	Apartment hotels intentionally do lighter, less frequent cleaning than a hotel — that’s part of how they keep rates competitive on multi-night stays

If your stay is under 4–5 nights, the case for an apartment hotel over a standard hotel room gets weaker — the kitchen and laundry need repeat use to be worth the (usually smaller) trade-off in daily housekeeping.

The Legal Distinction That Actually Matters

It’s a hotel, not minpaku

If you’ve read our guide to Airbnb vs. Hotel in Tokyo, you already know that a legal short-term rental in Tokyo operates under one of three minpaku-adjacent frameworks, and that the most common one — 住宅宿泊事業法 — caps operating days at 180/year and requires remote identity verification when no host is present.

None of that applies here. A property like MIMARU, Tokyu Stay, Citadines, or Oakwood Premier operates under a full hotel/inn business license (旅館業法ホテル営業許可), the same category as a conventional hotel — so there’s no annual day cap and no 届出番号 notification number to look for. (Japan’s hotel law itself technically permits ICT-based alternatives to a staffed physical desk, the same way the minpaku law does, but every chain named in this article operates with a staffed front desk in practice.) The entire set of minpaku-specific concerns from that article simply doesn’t apply to this category of property.

As of 2026/07 · Source: JLL — What is a serviced apartment? Differences from hotels and residential leases, Japan Tourism Agency — overview of 旅館業法

Two different things share the name “serviced apartment”

This is where it gets genuinely confusing, including for Japanese residential-rental sites: “サービスアパートメント” is used for two operationally different categories.

Hotel-type (旅館業法 license): Accepts bookings from a single night, uses hotel-style front-desk check-in, and is what this article is about — MIMARU, Tokyu Stay, Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo, Oakwood Premier Tokyo, Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu, and Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo all fall here.
Lease-type (monthly rental contract): A property like Oakwood Residence Shinagawa is a legally residential lease, not a hotel stay — no hotel license applies at all, pricing is quoted monthly (commonly ¥300,000+ for a studio), and a multi-month minimum is standard. This isn’t a practical option for a 1–2 week family trip, but it’s worth knowing this second category exists so you don’t confuse a listing for one with the other while searching — brands can run both types under the same or a related name.

As of 2026/09 · Source: Mitsui Sumitomo Trust Real Estate — glossary: serviced apartments, Japan Tourism Agency — overview of the Hotel Business Act

Which Real Brands Operate in Tokyo, and Who They’re For

MIMARU is the brand most explicitly built around families and groups: every room includes a kitchen and dining area, and its Tokyo properties are concentrated around major visitor bases including Ueno, Asakusa, Ikebukuro, Ginza, Nihombashi, and Shinjuku. Baby cribs and bed guards are available free of charge, but quantities are limited and age restrictions apply, so contact the specific property before arrival rather than assuming one will be waiting in the room.

As of 2026/09 · Source: MIMARU official FAQ

Tokyu Stay leans more business-and-leisure hybrid than family-first. Its official FAQ specifies that an in-room washer-dryer, mini-kitchen (microwave and, where present, an IH cooktop), and trouser press are available “on certain room types” — not building-wide — so don’t assume a Tokyu Stay booking automatically includes either; check the specific room type’s amenity list before booking. Select properties do have a dedicated family-room layout sleeping up to 4 with an added studio bed.

As of 2026/06 · Source: Tokyu Stay official FAQ

Citadines (part of the Ascott group) operates Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo, with all rooms at 25m²+ and full kitchens, and no fixed minimum-stay requirement — bookable from a single night up through extended stays.

As of 2026/06 · Source: JTB — Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo rate plans

Oakwood runs both categories in Tokyo under one brand name, which is exactly the confusion worth watching for. Oakwood Premier Tokyo (near Tokyo Station) and Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu are hotel-licensed and take short stays. At Azabu, the 2-bedroom units max out at 3 guests and the 3-bedroom unit at 4 — genuinely two separate bedrooms, but sized for a family of up to 4, not 5 or 6. Oakwood Residence Shinagawa is the lease-type category above — a monthly contract, not a hotel booking.

As of 2026/06 · Source: Discover ASR (Oakwood) — Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu Tokyo room occupancy, Metroresidences — Oakwood Residence Shinagawa 2-bedroom listing

Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo has the widest room-size range on this list: studios from 38–41m² up to a 3-bedroom Marunouchi Suite at 163m², which sleeps up to 6 guests (a 7th chargeable) — the one apartment-hotel option in this article that genuinely fits a family of 5–6 with separate bedrooms. Two-bedroom units here max out at 4 guests. Full kitchens throughout, and select larger units include a tatami room.

As of 2026/06 · Source: Discover ASR (Ascott) — Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo apartment types and occupancy

Booking: What’s Actually Different From a Hotel

Minimum stays are commonly not required — but check the specific property and dates anyway. Unlike the lease-type properties above, MIMARU, Tokyu Stay, and Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo are all bookable from 1 night on the OTA listings and official rate calendars checked for this article, the same as any hotel; longer stays typically unlock a discounted consecutive-night rate rather than requiring one. This is the opposite of what many guests assume going in, since the “apartment” branding suggests a monthly-lease structure — in practice, book it like a hotel room and look for a multi-night discount once your dates are set, while confirming availability for your exact dates since individual room plans can still carry their own restrictions.

As of 2026/06 · Source: JTB — Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo rate plans, Ikyu — MIMARU Tokyo Hatchobori multi-night plan

Cleaning frequency is genuinely lighter than a hotel, and it differs by brand. At MIMARU, daily service covers only towel exchange, trash removal, and vacuuming; a fuller clean — bathroom and sink area (not the kitchen) plus bed-making — happens every 2 days, starting on the 3rd night, with paid add-on cleaning available on request. At Tokyu Stay, even the light “simple clean” (towels, trash, sleepwear exchange) is opt-in via a door-hanger request rather than automatic, and a full room clean is only guaranteed once a week, and only on stays of 7+ nights. Neither is a hotel-standard daily turndown — budget for handling your own tidying most days.

As of 2026/06 · Source: Ikyu — MIMARU Tokyo Hatchobori: room cleaning policy, Tokyu Stay official — notice on multi-night cleaning service changes

What’s Actually Included: Kitchen, Laundry, and Room Layout

Kitchen equipment level is not uniform across brands or even across room types at the same brand — check the specific room, not just the property. MIMARU standard rooms include an induction (IH) cooktop, microwave, refrigerator, and a full set of cookware, dishes, and cutlery, with a toaster, rice cooker, and hot plate available on loan from the front desk. Tokyu Stay’s mini-kitchen — a microwave and, where present, an IH cooktop — is only included on certain room types per its own FAQ, not building-wide, so a Tokyu Stay booking doesn’t automatically come with one. If cooking a real dinner matters to your trip, check the specific room’s equipment list before booking either brand.

As of 2026/06 · Source: MIMARU official — how MIMARU differs from other kitchen-equipped apartment hotels, Tokyu Stay official FAQ

In-room laundry is a genuine differentiator from a hotel, but it isn’t guaranteed at every property or room type. Tokyu Stay’s official FAQ lists an in-room washer-dryer as available “on certain room types,” not automatically; MIMARU rooms are equipped with either an in-room washer or building-level coin laundry depending on the property; and Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo uses a shared coin laundry (launderette) rather than in-room machines. Worth checking the specific listing if a dryer, not just a washer — or an in-room machine at all rather than a shared laundry room — matters for swim clothes or rainy-day laundry.

As of 2026/06 · Source: Tokyu Stay official FAQ, Discover ASR (Citadines) — Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo amenities

Room layout is where “family room” gets misleading. Most MIMARU and Tokyu Stay family-sized rooms are one large room with bunk beds, a loft bed, or an added studio bed — not a separate bedroom. If your family genuinely needs two closed-off sleeping areas, a real 2- or 3-bedroom layout exists at Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo (2BR sleeps up to 4, 3BR up to 6) or Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu (2BR sleeps up to 3, 3BR up to 4) — check the specific unit’s occupancy cap, not just the bedroom count — or as a connecting-room booking at Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo, which lists connecting rooms among its available layouts.

As of 2026/06 · Source: MIMARU official — spacious rooms for large luggage, Discover ASR (Ascott) — Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo apartment types

Price Comparison: Where This Tier Actually Sits

There’s no single “typical” nightly rate for this category — it swings hard by property, location, and season, more than a standard hotel room does. A live JTB rate calendar for MIMARU Tokyo Akasaka (a central, higher-demand location), checked for this article, showed 2-adults-per-room rates running roughly ¥43,500–104,000/night across August–September 2026 dates; a MIMARU or Tokyu Stay property in a less central neighborhood, or on an off-peak date, can run well under that. Treat any figure here as an illustration to check against live rates for your actual dates, not a number to book against directly.

	Hotel family room	Apartment hotel (MIMARU / Tokyu Stay tier)	Whole-unit vacation rental
Typical nightly rate (Tokyo, family-sized room)	¥25,000–55,000	Varies widely — roughly ¥25,000–70,000+ depending on location/season; see the dated MIMARU Akasaka example above	¥18,000–45,000, before fees
Kitchen	Rare	Every MIMARU room; Tokyu Stay only on certain room types — check before booking	Common on family listings, but not universal
In-room laundry	Rare	Varies by brand/room — Tokyu Stay only on certain room types, Citadines uses shared coin laundry instead	Varies by listing
Daily housekeeping	Standard	Light service only — full clean every 2–7+ nights depending on brand	Rare; not included by default
Check-in	Staffed front desk	Staffed front desk (all brands named in this article)	Often unmanned — see our Airbnb vs. Hotel guide
Minimum stay	None	Commonly none, but confirm for your dates	Varies; some listings require 2+ nights

As of 2026/07 · Source: JTB — MIMARU Tokyo Akasaka rate calendar, JTB — Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo rate plans

Luxury-tier properties run well above the mid-tier range above — a JTB rate listing for Oakwood Premier Tokyo’s 1-bedroom units, checked for this article, showed roughly ¥44,000–135,000/night depending on room grade, booking timing, and season, which puts it closer to (or above) a luxury hotel than a budget or mid-range comparison. If your budget is closer to our budget-friendly hotels guide, MIMARU and Tokyu Stay are the relevant comparison points; if it’s closer to our luxury family hotels guide, Oakwood Premier and Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo are the ones worth cross-shopping.

As of 2026/07 · Source: JTB — Oakwood Premier Tokyo rate plans

For a full sense of how this fits into an overall trip budget, our Tokyo family cost guide breaks down where accommodation typically ranks against food, transit, and activities.

What to Check for When Booking With Kids

Crib availability and age limit, confirmed at the specific property. MIMARU offers free crib rental at some locations (confirmed at Ueno EAST and Ueno NORTH), but the age cutoff differs — one caps it at under 1 year old, the other under 2. Don’t assume a brand-wide policy; check the individual property page or ask directly, and book the crib in advance since quantities are limited.
Whether the “family room” is one room or genuinely separate bedrooms, and how many people the unit actually sleeps. Most MIMARU/Tokyu Stay family rooms are a single room with bunk or loft beds. If you need two closed-off sleeping spaces, look at Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo (2BR sleeps up to 4, 3BR up to 6) or Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu (2BR sleeps up to 3, 3BR up to 4) — check the occupancy cap, not just the bedroom count — or a connecting-room booking at Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo.
Kitchen equipment level for the specific room type, not the brand overall — an induction cooktop and full cookware (MIMARU standard) is a different proposition from a microwave-and-basics mini-kitchen (Tokyu Stay’s smaller room grades).
Washer vs. washer-dryer, if you’re depending on same-day-dry laundry for swim gear or rain-soaked clothes — Tokyo’s humidity makes line-drying-only laundry considerably less useful than it would be in a drier climate.
Elevator access, though this tends to be less of a concern here than with a converted-house vacation rental, since these are purpose-built or purpose-converted hotel buildings rather than an ordinary house — still worth a quick check on any smaller boutique property, particularly older buildings in central Tokyo.
Cleaning-service expectations for your stay length, so a lighter service schedule (especially under 7 nights at Tokyu Stay, or the every-2-day schedule at MIMARU) doesn’t come as a surprise mid-trip.

Common Mistakes

Assuming “apartment” in the name means a monthly-lease booking. MIMARU, Tokyu Stay, Citadines, and Oakwood Premier are all bookable from 1 night like a hotel on the listings checked for this article — don’t rule them out for a short trip assuming a minimum-stay requirement that, for most of these chains, doesn’t exist.
Confusing a lease-type property (like Oakwood Residence Shinagawa) with a hotel-type one under the same parent brand (like Oakwood Premier Tokyo). The name similarity is real — check whether the listing quotes a nightly hotel rate or a monthly lease rate before assuming either way.
Booking the “family room” assuming it means separate bedrooms. At most MIMARU and Tokyu Stay properties, it means one larger room with bunk beds or an extra bed, not a second bedroom — check the floor plan, not just the room name.
Expecting hotel-standard daily housekeeping. Full cleaning is intentionally less frequent at this tier — budget for handling day-to-day tidying yourself on most nights of the stay.
Assuming crib availability and age limits are the same at every property under one brand. MIMARU’s crib rental terms vary property to property; confirm with the specific hotel, not the brand generally.
Not checking whether the in-room kitchen has an actual cooktop or just a microwave. “Kitchen” is used loosely across listings — confirm the equipment list for the specific room type if cooking real meals matters to your trip.

FAQ

Is a serviced apartment in Tokyo the same as an Airbnb?

No. Properties like MIMARU, Tokyu Stay, Citadines, and Oakwood Premier operate under Japan’s hotel/inn business license (旅館業法), the same category as a conventional hotel — not under the minpaku law (住宅宿泊事業法) that governs Airbnb-style rentals. That means no 180-day operating cap, no notification number to look for, and hotel-style front-desk check-in rather than remote identity verification.

Do serviced apartments in Tokyo require a minimum stay?

Commonly not, for the hotel-licensed chains covered here — MIMARU, Tokyu Stay, Citadines, and Oakwood Premier were all bookable from 1 night on the listings checked for this article, the same as a standard hotel, though multi-night stays often unlock a discounted rate and specific room plans can still carry their own restrictions. This is different from a true lease-type serviced residence like Oakwood Residence Shinagawa, which is a monthly rental contract and impractical for a 1–2 week trip.

Is housekeeping included every day like at a hotel?

No, and this is one of the clearest trade-offs versus a hotel room. MIMARU provides daily towel/trash service but only a fuller clean every 2 nights starting the 3rd night of a stay; Tokyu Stay’s light cleaning is opt-in via a door tag, with full room cleaning guaranteed only weekly on stays of 7+ nights. Budget for handling day-to-day tidying yourself.

Does MIMARU or Tokyu Stay have cribs for babies?

MIMARU offers free crib rental at some properties — confirmed at its Ueno EAST and Ueno NORTH locations, with limited quantities and advance booking required — but the age limit for the crib itself varies by location (one caps it at under 1 year, the other under 2), so confirm with the specific property rather than assuming a brand-wide policy.

What’s actually in the kitchen — can we cook a real meal?

It depends on the brand and room type. MIMARU standard rooms include an induction cooktop, microwave, fridge, and full cookware/dishes, with a rice cooker and toaster available on loan. Tokyu Stay’s mini-kitchen (microwave, and an IH cooktop where present) is only included on certain room types per its own FAQ, not building-wide. Check the specific room type before assuming either way.

Is a serviced apartment cheaper than a hotel for a family of 4–5?

It depends heavily on the specific property, location, and dates — rates in this category swing more than a standard hotel room’s do. A live rate check on MIMARU Tokyo Akasaka, a central location, showed roughly ¥43,500–104,000/night across August–September 2026 dates — well above the ¥25,000–55,000 typical range for a hotel family room — while a less central MIMARU or Tokyu Stay property, or an off-peak date, can come in lower. Compare actual listed rates for your dates rather than assuming the category is always cheaper.

Can we get a 2-bedroom unit for a larger family?

Yes, but the exact occupancy cap matters more than the bedroom count. Ascott Marunouchi Tokyo’s 3-bedroom suite sleeps up to 6 (a 7th guest chargeable) — the option in this article best suited to a family of 5–6. Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu’s 2-bedroom units sleep up to 3 and its 3-bedroom unit up to 4, which covers a family of 4 wanting two separate rooms but not more. Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo offers connecting rooms as another route to two separate spaces. Most MIMARU and Tokyu Stay properties, by contrast, top out at one large room with bunk beds rather than a true second bedroom.

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Information checked: 2026/05