A Tale of Two Lodgings, Part Deux: Hotel Kabuki in SF

On my last trip to California back in December, I was very interested what I drank and what I wore. The thematic focus of last weekend's trip was more location, location, location. I stayed in a part of the city I'd never seen before. Nothing could have really topped Borg's, but I would also recommend the Hotel Kabuki in Japantown.



That was the view from our room on the 16th floor. Click to embiggen, because that's the motherfrackin' Golden Gate bridge, my friends! Or a very good matte painting that was hung three feet off our balcony. Either way it was nice. The weather was that gorgeous the whole time. And because I am totally getting my Fodor's on, as one of my wonderful readers said, I want you to know that this place is also very affordable if you need a city getaway. I booked on Priceline and paid $110 a night. You can pay less for a smaller bed, lower floor, etc. I didn't know what we were getting, exactly, but we lucked into a corner room. And since I already showcased the bed at the Borg, a "thrilling bedscape" as a friend commented, here's the bed situation at Kabuki.



You know, perfectly nice, kind of generic hotel comfort. The only really Japanese thing about our room was the deep soaking tub in the bathroom, with a little bathing stool and faucets outside the tub so you could get clean before getting in for a soak. This place had two bottles of water on the desk, each wearing a little sign that announced it would cost us $6 if we drank it. Plus a minifridge stocked with things you dare not touch. Um, no thanks. But they made up for that lapse in taste by having excellent bathrobes.

Anyway, the main thing to recommend the Hotel Kabuki is its location. I had never been to Japantown, and it's really nice and not too far away from everything. A few blocks, and you're in the Fillmore, and Union Square is a short bus ride away. Or you could walk there, if you're Matt, because that's what he did. The most wondrous thing of all is that the Hotel Kabuki is practically next door to the Ichiban Kan store. This is like a Japanese Ikea, if everything in Ikea cost a dollar. It's just housewares, tools, paper, dishes, really any kind of small goods. And it is awesome.




I went in this place like three times, and all of the gifts I brought back were from here. They are most famous, I guess, for all the bento boxes and supplies they sell. I picked up these babies, egg molds.
Love! Plus I got like a ton of other stuff--little his and hers rice bowls and chopsticks for the kids, more bento stuff, a silk dressing gown for Betty, donburi bowls and tea cups for my parents, something advertised as "nipple covers" (I'll let you know), bamboo flower holders, paper products, and little candies. Also down the street from the hotel was a Nijiya Market that sold delicious sushi, and there were good restaurants all around. We ate at Dosa one night, which was South Indian, not Japanese, but it was delish.
Japantown in general, and the Hotel Kabuki in particular, have the Suburban Matron Seal of Goodness. This concludes my travel reportage. We are heading to the rainy mountains this weekend. Y'all have a good one and keep it classy.