Pension Himawari

The beef sukiyaki at dinner was delicious, but I didn't like how the staff seemed to favor regulars, tossing them pieces of meat as a “freebie.” The building is old, which I can accept, but everywhere apart from the toilet and bathroom felt dark and dirty. I opened the refrigerator in my room and found brown stains all over it. I only stayed because nowhere else was available over the long weekend. I doubt I'll come back unless something really special changes.

They were kind enough to move breakfast from its usual 7:30 start to 6:45 when I said I needed to leave early, and I appreciated that. The building is old, though it seemed clean, and I was glad to have a refrigerator in the room. The main dinner dish was sukiyaki, but the seasoning was a bit strong. My biggest issue was the cold. The room had pretty much just underfloor heating, and I spent the first night in a thick down jacket from the car and down pants. On the second night, I asked the hostess to turn up the floor heat. It still wasn't very warm, so she kindly lent me a kerosene fan heater. The room was 10°C when I turned it on, and it was probably even colder the night before. Maybe being in a corner room with two windows made a difference. Near a ski resort, it'd be helpful to have more individual control over the heating, and somewhere to dry our gear. Parking right in front is limited. When I got back on day two, the lot was full, so they directed me to the Hakuba Park Hotel lot next door. If there's no space there, it seems the only choice is the fourth parking lot, 500 meters away. The bath is downstairs and very dark. It has a nice atmosphere, but that's a matter of taste. Wifi is available without a password.

The food is delicious. Thanks as always.

A wonderful pension. Thank you very much.