Royal Inn Kokubu

Quiet, friendly, and very comfortable.

There’s plenty to eat or shop for within walking distance, including an A-Co-op, a 100-yen shop, and Joyfull. Even with the station and national highway nearby, it was quiet and I slept well. The hotel felt spacious, clean, and comfortable. My room was like a standard business hotel room, but having lots of power outlets was handy. It’s very close to Kokubu Station. If you arrive by train, though, you have to use the free passage to get around to the other side, so leave yourself some extra time.

It’s very clean and pretty average as a hotel, and I don’t see much difference between its facilities or nearby amenities and those at other places. The big draw is simply that it’s the closest to the station. It does seem to cost about 2,000 yen more than the other hotels. If the gap is within 1,500 yen, I’d pick Royal Inn Kokubu. If it’s more than that, I’d stay at another hotel, even if I had to pay for a round-trip taxi.

There’s no convenience store nearby, though the downtown area is walkable. Some people may find it a bit far, and the walk back can feel a little scary because there aren’t many streetlights. Taxis are hard to catch, especially on weekends. The price is reasonable, and I’d stay here again when I’m in Kokubu. It’s a convenient spot right by Kokubu Station, and the hotel is clean and well maintained. Good enough for an overnight stay if you don’t need much. The non-smoking room had no smell, which was nice, though the elevator smelled of cigarettes. The walls are thin, as in many business hotels, so I could hear someone in the next room coughing. One guest kept banging his head against the wall and kept me awake. It really is a guest lottery.