Hotel Oriental Express KOJ Tenmonkan

I was really upset about the welcome drinks on the 13th floor. Nobody told me about them, and I only noticed the small note on the check-in paper while checking the onsen hours. It was already after 6, the drinks end at 6, and the man upstairs said they weren’t available and told me to go downstairs. I could see teas that weren’t downstairs, and I had one in my hand, but he made me put it back. I complained at reception. The woman there went upstairs and eventually brought down one tea already made, since it needs a special machine, but I wanted to make one myself. I threw it out after that rude interaction, because I didn’t want tea prepared by someone I hadn’t seen. The information should have been given, and the whole handling of it felt unprofessional. The return with the prepared tea also took a long time, and I didn’t want it by then. I wouldn’t recommend this place or stay again. The room and bathtub were spacious, and the blue lighting by the lift set a nice mood. But the onsen was poorly arranged, with just one pool and nowhere to rest your head, and the mist sauna wasn’t available. I’m learning that hotels in Kagoshima tend to be low quality compared with the rest of Japan. This was my fourth hotel, and each had been worse than the one before. Sakurajima is right next door, and the only places available there have incredible quality, so I don’t understand why Kagoshima can’t deliver the same.

The room temperature is controlled for the whole building, so there was no way to adjust it, and we were hot the entire time. The bathroom was dirty at check-in, we kept finding hairs in the bed, and our curtain was broken so we couldn’t open it. Laundry was outrageously priced: 600 yen just to wash, then 200 yen for 30 minutes of drying, which barely dried the clothes at all. The machine said detergent was dispensed automatically, but our clothes came out smelly. We also saw an offer for free breakfast in exchange for a 5-star review, which felt a bit sneaky.

We got a great view of Sakurajima and a good deal with the half-price hotel coupon campaign. The room’s all-white lighting felt a bit like a hospital, and I’d have preferred the warmer kind used in the corridors. The duvet was also much too thick and hot for a comfortable sleep.

Ms. Nishimura speaks fluent English, and her help getting me medical care made a huge difference. Thanks to her, I could walk again and enjoy traveling around Kagoshima with my family. Ms. Ayasaki was also a great help when I still couldn’t walk the next day. She arranged a larger room for when my wife and son joined me. Both Ms. Nishimura and Ms. Ayasaki helped contact the hospital to collect the medical documents I needed for my travel insurance claim. I didn’t catch the names of all the front desk staff, but everyone was kind, informative, and helpful throughout our stay. I’m truly grateful for the team’s kindness and professionalism. They made our stay much more comfortable and memorable, and I hope to visit again soon. Warm regards from Canada.