Ryokan Hinomoto

For a private room in busy tourist season, this was good value, and I was glad I found the guesthouse at the last minute without spending my whole bank account. I could walk to Ninenzaka and the canals with the cherry trees. There’s a bus stop right next door and the subway isn’t far either. The room was nice, though the hallways were kind of cluttered and the shower air filter needs replacing. The toilet may have an issue too, since the seat and water heater kept switching off. Check the indicator lights so you don’t get blasted by cold water! I didn’t check the WiFi, but using the fridge was no problem. Check-in hours are a bit narrow, though I was able to leave my luggage, and when I got back late they’d left my room key with a note.

I’m extremely disappointed with this ryokan. At check-in, the first thing I heard was “pay now,” with no please or thank you. I know English isn’t their first language, and it isn’t mine either, but I’d made an effort to learn the basics and felt they hadn’t bothered. Getting to the bedroom meant walking around boxes in the hallways. The whole place was a mess. The room was basic and smelled terrible. There was something slimy under a magazine on the table, dust in the corners, and hair on the bed, even though I’m bald. There was hair on the toilet floor too. I was exhausted, so I didn’t pay much attention when they showed me the bathroom. Later, I went to reception for the WiFi password, only to find WiFi was on from 3 pm to 1 am. I photographed the password, but couldn’t make out the symbols. When I asked the man downstairs, he seemed mad at me. I’ve only used the Roman alphabet for 35 years and couldn’t tell R, L and V apart. Apparently that was my fault, and I shouldn’t have bothered them while they were so busy cleaning up the place. I made the mistake of trying to shower. There was mould everywhere, on the ceiling, walls and door. I wouldn’t shower there again, so my second shower was at a public sento, which was much cleaner and had no risk of fungal infection. I left the window open when I went out because of the smell, with the blinds and mosquito net still in place, and locked the door behind me. When I came back, the window was closed. They’d entered my room while I was away without telling me. I’ve stayed at maybe 15 places during my travels in Japan, and RYOKAN HINOMOTO is by far the worst. It’s a disgrace to Japanese hospitality. Don’t waste your money here.

The room was noisy, with footsteps and talking easy to hear, and the bed was very uncomfortable. They gave me a thin towel the size of a face towel, and the tissues felt like sandpaper on my nose. Shampoo and body soap were nearly empty when I arrived, enough for maybe three washes even though I was staying five nights. When I asked for a bigger towel and more supplies, they hesitated and only brought a tiny amount. It still wasn’t enough for the rest of my stay. They never replenished the toilet paper after it ran out, so I had to find my own. The sink and shower floor had pubic hair when I arrived. I don’t know why they couldn’t clean that up. Staff kept coming in for “cleaning,” but nothing seemed to get cleaned, and I wasn’t allowed in the room while they were at it. The bins stayed full and nothing was restocked. All they seemed to do was open the windows, even when it was cold, and unplug the mini fridge despite my drinks being inside. Why provide one if they keep unplugging it? There was no WiFi or hair dryer, and the hot water wasn’t hot enough. They also switch off the hot water and heating until 3 pm, which I hadn’t been told. It was pouring and freezing, so I came back hoping to warm up, but the room heating and hot water were off. They got upset when I asked to use them because I was so cold. I strongly recommend not booking this hotel. You’ll have a terrible time.

What a terrible night. The place had no WiFi or hot water, barely any tissues, and just one shower room for all the guests. There was no bath, and with the thin walls I could hear sounds from every room. The window looked out onto a graveyard beside the building and wouldn’t lock. I don’t recommend it. 👎👎