New Royal Hotel

The staff were all nice, and there are plenty of places to eat nearby. I was staying for work. The building is old and retro, but it’s looked after. I stay in different hotels for work, so the age didn’t bother me much. The coin laundry does, though: it closes at 10 pm, costs 300 yen to wash and 100 yen for each 30 minutes of drying. I wish it stayed open around the clock. Breakfast was the main disappointment. I booked a room with breakfast, at 1,200 yen per meal. I mostly eat Japanese food, so I had the Japanese-style meal each day, but the fish was pretty mediocre. The photos showed salmon on the first day and yellowtail the next, but both portions were tiny. Paying 1,200 yen for that felt disappointing, especially when same-day buffet options often cost 1,500 to 2,000 yen. It was a small set breakfast for the price. I also use my computer for work, and the Wi-Fi was very weak and kept dropping. It might be fine if you’re only sleeping here, but it made working tough, so I’m giving it three stars.

There’s a bar district nearby, and breakfast comes as a choice of Japanese or Western food rather than a buffet. The old building is kept clean and has a Showa-era feel, which should suit anyone who likes that kind of atmosphere.

The one thing I found inconvenient was having nowhere to hang a bath towel, like the hook usually found on a bathroom door. Otherwise, the hotel has that good old Showa-era atmosphere, the sort that feels close to disappearing.

The station is only about a 7-8 minute walk away, so getting there was easy, and I had no real problems overall. Breakfast was included in my one-night plan: I chose a toast set, with Japanese or Western options also available. You toast the bread yourself, and butter and jam come with it. There’s salad too, and drinks, rice, and miso soup are free. Service was generally good. The building is a little old, and the toilet button needed a firm press to flush, which was a small downside.