Sumiyoshiya by Oyo Rooms

I was able to get a comfortable rest here, and the food was great. The belly-panned sweetfish with roe was especially good, and they even served ozoni (rice cake soup) on New Year's Day morning. I started the climb from Morera Gifu. The accommodation is old and can feel crowded when it’s busy. If you’re a bit of a germaphobe, you might be better off sticking to the dining area, but that didn’t bother me.

The staff made the stay special. They were all kind, friendly, and easy to talk to, and there was plenty of hospitality. Laundry was free, too. My room didn’t have a refrigerator, but they let me use one in another room after opening it up for me. The inn is old and rundown, with a real Showa-era feel, and it wasn’t exactly clean. Still, it wasn’t dirty either, I had no issues, and I was comfortable there.

I stayed several nights for work. The room’s bedding was fine, and the Wi-Fi worked well, possibly because there weren’t many guests. The food was home-style and okay. The place was cheap, and I think the innkeepers are doing their best, but the facilities are old and poorly maintained, and it felt like there weren’t enough attentive staff. There are no convenience stores nearby, though there are shops and a gas station. The station is closed Sundays, so I asked the innkeeper to provide lunch. Parking is small, and even tighter because the innkeepers park there. The building smelled old, with moldy spots, and didn’t seem to be cleaned enough. Some rooms had broken air conditioners and leaking refrigerators. My room had a new air conditioner that wasn’t working well. When I took out the filter, two dead stink bugs were stuck to it, and it looked as though it hadn’t been cleaned in years. I cleaned it myself. There were no tissues. There’s a shared kettle on the second floor, but I hesitated to use it, so I asked for hot water with meals. A cockroach showed up and I exterminated it. The third-floor toilet is Japanese-style with a Western-style lid, while the first floor has a washlet. The dining area toilet was clean but quite smelly. A paper wasp had built a nest in the window and was getting inside, so I exterminated it. The bath tub was a little rough. The faucet was left running with a note saying hot water would come out, but it didn’t seem to. There are two household washing machines and they’re free, but the dryer costs extra. They said detergent was free, but I had to tell them several times the dispenser was empty before they refilled it.

The owner and staff were kind and cheerful, and dinner was very good. Breakfast was average. Still, I personally would never stay here again, and I don’t think I could. My clothes smelled so bad afterward that I had to wash all of them. The building is dark and gives the impression that there might be ghosts. It’s extremely old, with wallpaper peeling in several places and a strong mold smell. My wife said it smelled like cat poop mixed in. People with allergies would probably sneeze badly. The place is so unpleasant that you wonder whether it should be hosting guests. Cleaning wasn’t thorough. The bathroom itself was clean, but there were cobwebs around the changing room and a moldy smell. There was no hot water for the shower or anything else in the bath, and no bath towels were provided. The yukata had been washed, but it was yellowed. Normal people should never stay here, especially domestic tourists in Japan with a closed-minded, isolationist attitude or people who have only stayed in proper hotels overseas. That’s what I wanted to say first.