HOTEL R9 The Yard Taketoyo

I liked the privacy and the fact that the parking is right outside, which made it easy to come and go. The self-service setup means minimal interaction, and I found that relaxing. The room was perfectly adequate, like a business hotel. Parking is open, so you can leave the car wherever there’s space. The free frozen snacks were a nice touch, and the portion was just right for an adult man as a late-night meal. Get chopsticks from the front desk, since there aren’t any in the room. Razors are there too. Checkout was simple: drop the room card in the box outside the front container. I stayed in a container on the east side facing the back street. The street is narrow but sees a fair amount of cars. They make a lot of noise when they roll over the drain covers. Traffic eases at night, but be especially careful if you’re in one of the separate containers numbered 27-30.

I’ve stayed at this chain in several places because the separate container rooms are quiet and you don’t hear much from other rooms. This hotel disappointed me, and I won’t come back. It has a shared corridor, which can get very noisy depending on who’s walking through it. The outdoor unit for the air conditioner is fixed to the container’s outer wall, and its operating noise travels up and echoes inside the room. Footsteps also send vibrations through the room, making it shake and feel very uncomfortable.

It has the feel of a city apartment for one person, and the large fridge made me happy. There’s a microwave in every room, and the TV is big despite the small space. But the toilet seat is too small. When I sit down to use the toilet, my son hits the seat in front of me. I’ve stayed at other R9 properties and found the same thing. The frozen snacks taste terrible, and the Wi-Fi barely works. With just two washing machines for 30 rooms, there’s a lot of competition, and they’re expensive at 700 yen. Cleaning happens every three days, and you have to take out your own trash.

The container room felt private, was clean, and had enough space. The price was reasonable too. I had a comfortable stay with a large TV, microwave, and a working two-door fridge. Since there seem to be locations in various places, I’d like to stay again.