Hotel 21

We booked seven months ahead, but a week before our stay the hotel messaged us to cancel, citing a facility problem. We were already traveling in Japan, so finding another place at short notice would have been difficult and expensive. When we asked them to arrange alternative accommodation at no extra cost, they said they were full and that staying a day or two later might work. Their reason kept changing, and they never answered our request to book somewhere else. After we contacted the booking agent, the hotel suddenly said a repair company could fix the problem in time for our stay. It left us feeling they may have wanted to cancel our cheaper reservation for guests paying more. At check-in, the owner charged us 200 yen per person for accommodation tax, though we later found the rate for our booking in Nagasaki was 100 yen. The Wi-Fi password in the room didn’t work. When we asked, she said she paid the provider 30,000 yen a month but they weren’t supplying internet, then brought us different login details from the office that worked. We got the impression Wi-Fi was only provided when guests asked. She sounded kind, but after all this we felt the actions might have been deliberate. The room itself was awful. There was no fridge in the room despite one being listed on the website. The only fridge was in the hallway, a shared area, and unusable. The bathroom had no inside doorknob, the toilet doorknob was broken, and the door to the outside maintenance area had no knob or lock, just a piece of wire holding it shut. There was also a big hole in the ceiling where a light should have been, which looked suspicious and could make it easy to see into the room. The owner mentions free parking in replies to other reviews, but we’d rather stay and park somewhere else for a small fee than pay for that parking with our souls. It was cheap and well located, but we’d never return, even if someone paid us. We’d choose a backpackers’ place instead. This hotel should not be operating in these conditions.

Getting around was so easy from here. Urakami station is two minutes away, and the streetcar and bus stops are about a minute away. Daily Yamazaki and Lawson are close by, Gasuto is at the station for breakfast, and Mirai Cocowalk mall is a five-minute walk. The location worked especially well for my mom and brother, who can’t walk far, and the price was very affordable. I think it’s the cheapest hotel nearby with such good transport connections, which is why I picked it. We had a four-person room with a big bed and a bunk bed. The beds were comfortable and sturdy, and the room was spacious and quiet. There’s a lift, plus plates and bowls in the room, handy for heating food or making noodles in the microwave downstairs. The hotel is a little old, and the toilet doesn’t have a bidet, but the owner was cheerful, friendly, and really helpful. Great value, especially on a weekend in Nagasaki, and a good fit for a larger group.

This place was a breath of fresh air after all the tiny, cookie-cutter hotels I’d stayed in around Japan. There was room to stretch out on the couch, and the shower and bath, toilet, and makeup room were all separate. The bed was big and comfortable, and we ended up extending our stay, though I wish we could have stayed even longer. It was quiet, with a heat pump air conditioner and a kettle, and there’s a microwave downstairs. Is everything clean? Hard to say. Do all the bulbs work? No. But you won’t find chandeliers in the elevator, a dial telephone, or a control panel for colored LED strips built into the headboard just anywhere. For anyone with a sense of humor, this is the best hotel of all time.

If you’re after a budget place to sleep while you explore Nagasaki, this is a good deal. The owner was responsive and very helpful, and the room had the amenities listed. Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum are close, as are the bus stop, tram, and train station.