Shinrin Hotel

The room was small, but the staff were good. Everything was new, clean, and well maintained, and I had a comfortable stay.

The breakfast was delicious, especially the scrambled eggs, which were the best I’ve had at a hotel. The fish was well seasoned too. Food went quickly, though, so timing may matter. They serve it fast, but you’ll need to wait patiently. I wished I could have stayed another 2-3 nights! Even though the hotel is right by the station, it has parking, and I had a comfortable stay. You can’t see outside from the open-air bath, but you can still feel the breeze.

Breakfast alone would bring me back. The milk was surprisingly good, and the small fried chicken pieces were crispy, tender, and delicious. The scrambled eggs were just right too. I put them over rice with pickles and the chicken, and it was so tasty. The room was clean, and the front desk staff were friendly. They explained at check-in that toothbrushes were the only amenities, but they could provide more if needed. A toothbrush was enough for me, and there was lotion in the bathroom. I live in western Saitama and chose Shinrin Hotel for a weekday Friday stay after seeing reviews about the breakfast. It was about a leisurely two-hour bike ride away. With time before my 4 PM check-in, I had lunch at a udon restaurant near Shinrin Park that I found on Google Maps, then cycled around the park. From its south entrance, it was another relaxed 30-minute ride to the hotel. I checked the TV for bath crowding before going in, and it showed the bath was free. There were two other guests at first, but they left soon, so I had it to myself. Listening to the nice background music, I really enjoyed the open-air bath and felt satisfied without making a trip to a faraway hot spring resort. I’ll definitely stay again for breakfast. To the front desk and breakfast staff, thank you for a very pleasant stay!

The front desk and cleaning staff mostly speak and act with integrity and goodwill. Their work deserves at least four stars, or 80 points, but management’s planning and character are below one star, or 20 points. I stayed more than 6 nights in February 2026, and I have a message for management: there aren’t enough cleaning staff. I’ve never seen a hotel where the front desk staff were doing the cleaning too. If staffing is short, the number of guests should be limited. At this rate, cleaners may collapse from exhaustion or many may quit at once. Staff, please think about leaving before you get sick. The “eco-cleaning” policy means cleaning only once every three days. That kind of arrangement should thank guests for helping reduce the staff’s workload, perhaps with a free drink. At a self-proclaimed luxury hotel like Shinrin Hotel, guests get no benefit from it at all. To me, this feels like “a hotel where the owner, I, will allow ordinary people to use it.” In Namegawa Town, the minimum winter morning temperature is about 2 degrees lower than in Saitama City, falling below -4 degrees Celsius. At 13,800 yen per night, it’s expensive. Around 2020, accommodation was about 9,500 yen a night, and I think that would be a more appropriate price for a profitable stay. A previous TV commercial used words by Miyuki Nakajima. I don’t know who came up with them: “I’ve worked and worked, and finally made it this far, but is working all there is to life?”