Mihara Kokusai Hotel

The old-fashioned feel was what I liked most about Mihara Kokusai Hotel. I had a fun, nostalgic stay, and wouldn’t change a thing, even the dangrous windows. It’s quirky and very Japanese, though maybe you’ll want a waiver. We were on the 7th floor, where the windows opened all the way with no screens or barriers. They felt dangerously low, like even a determined toddler could tumble out. The bed was hard, more like a cutting board, but it took me back to my Japan mission in 2001 and that minimalist discomfort. My back was a little bruised, but I didn’t mind. At one point, the power went out. Someone in another room may have overloaded the circuit with a hair dryer. We sat in the dark, laughing and peeing, until the electricity eventually came back. The traditional Japanese-style bath was nice. There was a free soft drink station too, though we were told very clearly it was limited to one drink a day. The fridge froze our drinks solid, turning them into snow globes. We could have changed the temperature, but kept freezing things for the comedy of it.