Takaraya

If you just need somewhere to sleep, this place is perfectly adequate. The price was part of my decision, since it’s right in front of Koubaitei and there’s a noticeable difference in status. The room felt like one for a school trip, with lots of rooms close together. It’s not somewhere ordinary people would usually stay. The meal was home-style cooking, about five dishes, and far too much to finish. It seemed a couple and their child were staying there. Breakfast was ready at the time we planned to leave. The bathroom is a little small, so it’s best to check whether it’s free before using it.

It was inexpensive, and I appreciated having a small hot spring bath. The food was well prepared, though I would have preferred something a little simpler. Decent sashimi is cheaper in the city, so it seemed unnecessary here. The facilities are old, even the beer vending machine feels nostalgic. The inn isn’t exceptionally clean, but it isn’t dirty either. Whether you like the place may depend on how you take the landlady’s character, since the Kagawa dialect can sound quite rough.

My visit was in October 2011. I arrived a little early for check-in and got a warm welcome. The bath stayed open until 10 p.m., so they urged me to take one earlier than I’d planned, which I found a bit funny. Like others have mentioned, the landlady has a certain charm. I thought it was a good stay.

The landlady greeted me warmly and recommended a nearby restaurant with delicious chicken. Up to that point, things were going very well. I’d picked the inn because there weren’t any places to stay near Takamatsu Station, and it was close to where I had a business trip. The room-only rate of 5,000 yen and proximity to Kotohira Station were appealing. Then I saw the room. It felt like a small banquet hall turned into a bedroom, right in front of a smoking area at the bottom of the stairs. People smoked and made noise late into the night, and the cigarette smell kept drifting in and waking me up. I ended up sleeping with a mask on. The bathroom was small, with too few faucets for the size of the tub. The toilet was shared but clean. I know I was trying to find cheap accommodation, but this room was unacceptable to me, and I’ll never choose this inn again. This review is for a room-only stay.