Poka Poka Onsen Hotel

There's an onsen right next door, and 4500 is a good price!

fine for a business hotel

Finding somewhere for three people in one room over an October three-day weekend wasn't easy. We needed the middle night, so when a room turned up here we booked it straight away. It was Japanese-style, 12 tatami, with smoking allowed, at roughly 6,000 yen each for the night with breakfast. Being able to use the big public bath was a bonus, since the inn also operates as a day-use hot spring. It seems mainly set up for longer business stays, but there were other families besides us, which helped us feel comfortable.

A clean room and a comfortable night's sleep at a reasonable price are what I look for when travelling. The rooms here were quiet and clean, and I slept without trouble apart from the hard pillows. The hot spring wasn't somewhere I could relax, though. It seemed full of local visitors, with quite a racket in the women's bath in particular. Rubbish on the bottom of the tub didn't feel hygienic either. Breakfast was nothing special, not bad or great, but for 500 yen it did enough. It's an affordable place until the busy season pushes the rates up. I wouldn't recommend it around the Tohoku festivals for that reason. I'd be happy paying 5,000 to 7,000 yen a night even in peak season, but those higher seasonal prices make staying difficult.