民泊　太田

The place felt old and wasn’t worth the price. Service was terrible too: we waited two hours before they sent us the room code.

I got a good night’s sleep on the fluffy futon. My room had a Hina doll and a koto, with purple walls that I think foreign visitors would appreciate. The building is an old Japanese house, but they seemed careful about security. I came by ferry to Otaru and left my motorcycle in the vacant lot beside the building. The ground is unpaved, so it’s safer to put something under the side stand.

This was a very comfortable place to stay. It’s a guesthouse made by renovating a 70-year-old traditional house, and the owner, Ota-san, is an energetic woman who can talk for ages, haha. The living room has coffee and tea you can help yourself to. Toiletries included rinse-in shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body soap, toothbrushes, cotton swabs, a hair dryer, and bath and face towels. The front door and private rooms use keypad codes, which are sent by email in advance. We were also told we could park in the vacant lot next door.

We stayed as a family of three, and I was very satisfied with how clean the rooms were. It’s an old house, but the guesthouse is spacious, has the essentials, and felt homey and relaxing. Coffee, tea, and snacks were available. I contacted the owner ahead of time, and they prepared a BBQ set, charcoal, rice, and other things for a small extra charge, which helped a lot. Tell the owner when booking if you want to barbecue. They were kind and shared useful information for visiting Otaru, including the viewpoint. My family would stay here again, and I’d like to bring my daughter next time. I hope Mr. Ota stays healthy. This was my first Google Maps comment in Japanese, English, and Chinese, and I hope more tourists visit Minpaku Ota. With fewer Chinese tourists because of the epidemic situation, my family had a special experience staying in a Japanese-style room in Mikuchi. Some parts of the added translated text were unclear, but they also praised the room’s interior and cleanliness, the owner’s help with directions and barbecue arrangements, and described the guesthouse as practical for their family’s travels in Japan.