Iwaya

The location is a little far out, but the rooms are clean and spacious, with a private bath overlooking the ocean. You can see the whole bay, and the view is beautiful. I ended up bathing three times, in the evening, at night, and again at dawn. The sashimi was delicious too, alongside the crab feast, and I was completely full. They’ll chill any leftover boiled crab so you can take it home. The beer is good, and the sake is excellent as well.

I’ve used this service every year and was looking forward to coming again, but some money may have gone missing from my wallet while I was out of the room. I noticed after checking out, in the souvenir shop outside, and called to let them know. I said it might have been stolen, but I could also be mistaken. I wasn’t asking for money back or planning to involve the police, and I didn’t want to keep it. I just wanted the staff to be aware, so there wouldn’t be any trouble or misunderstanding later. I told them I’d stayed several times and thought it was a great inn, and that I didn’t need anything from them. While I was explaining, I kept getting interrupted with things like “I’m going to record this,” “I’m going to report this to the police,” and “What do you want to do?” The conversation went nowhere. Each time I thought they were listening, they didn’t respond properly and interrupted again. It felt like the low-voiced male staff member, possibly the owner, had no intention of hearing me out. The female receptionist did apologize politely, and the staff on site and the food were great, but his behavior shocked me. They need to start with the basics of customer service. When I went to pay, they’d also left off a discount I’d used. I pointed it out and they corrected it, but nobody apologized. I’m astonished by the poor service. People should keep their wallets with them when leaving the room, check how much they took, and make sure the final bill is right. I still haven’t received a response since my call.

The stay was really enjoyable. Shibayama is a quiet village without much going on, but the JR station is fairly close. It’s uphill on the way there, and the trains don’t come often, but Kasumi is less than 10 minutes away by train, with great seafood and drinks. The ride itself was fun too. It was a museum-quality JNR car, rattling along with a melancholy feel. There was only one stop, but the stations were far apart. The air conditioning and big electric fan felt comfortable and nostalgic. I was looking for an affordable place near the sea for swimming, and finding one with a panoramic bath surprised me. Maybe it’s because this is crab town and summer is the off-season. I booked right away, though the special deal seems to be available only through official reservations. I stayed on the third floor in the Umi section. The room was huge, right in front of the ocean, very comfortable, and had excellent facilities. The hotel and room have a stylish, distinctive atmosphere that seems especially popular with women. They lent me a bucket and lighter for fireworks. The bed felt a little small for such a spacious room. Since we were there to swim, I’d have liked a laundry room, and the parking lot was a bit far away. The location is pretty good.

I found the hotel while searching for somewhere with an ocean view to clear my head. There’s hardly anything around the nearest station, not even many convenience stores, but getting away from everything was really nice and made for a good detox. The room was mostly wood and white, with cute little touches of color here and there. The staff were very polite, and I felt comfortable. I’d love to come back.