Kushiro Athlete Inn

The owner is very friendly. Tea, water, and coffee are free, and towels are provided. It's mainly a training camp for sports teams, though tourists can stay too. Train service is infrequent, but the place is very close to the station, so getting there isn't too inconvenient.

It's run by a married couple and has a homey atmosphere. The meals are freshly made and delicious. There's a shared fridge, plus shampoo, body wash, toothbrushes, and towels. The toilets have washlets.

The cigarette smoke was the big problem for me. The shared area in the middle of the building, up two flights of stairs, had a sofa and bookshelf but was also used for smoking. The second-floor hall smelled of cigarettes too, so I had to pass through it to reach the toilet and bath, and the smell got into my hair and clothes. Luckily I had cigarette deodorizer with me. If you hate cigarette smoke, I wouldn't recommend staying here. I spent one night without meals. The staff were very kind, and my Japanese-style room had a TV and clean bedding. There was water, a kettle, and a refrigerator in the shared space. I also liked that I could lock the bath and use it when it was empty.

The noise made this a really hard stay for me. Something rotating in the room kept making a constant, high-pitched sound, almost like ultrasound, though I could hear it, so it wasn't actually ultrasound. It wasn't the room fan. I couldn't sleep or even stay in there, and ended up playing music through earphones to get some rest. Even through them, I could hear the noise whenever the music stopped. I couldn't hear it in the hallway or on the first floor, only when I entered that room, so I can't say how it is in the other rooms. The effects of smoking in the common areas, as other people have mentioned, were awful too. I'm not an athlete, and I don't have that kind of physical and mental strength or insensitivity. I'm not trying to say anything bad. It was just tough for me. Even though I can normally sleep soundly and stay several nights in internet cafes, saunas, or even my car, I couldn't handle it. People with normal hearing might find it tough too.