Uwa Park Hotel

I had a good stay at the Uwa Park hotel. It’s reasonably inexpensive, clean, well run, and has a nice large bath and decent breakfast buffet, which make it a good option for the walking henro. The free wi-fi was slow and less reliable than my data plan, though. Two small annoyances kept me from giving the Uwa Park four stars. The clothes dryer felt like poor value for money. Most places run theirs for 30 minutes at 100 yen and do a good job, but these ran colder than they should for only about 20 minutes at 100 yen. It’s a small amount, but when you’re walking the henro trail and comparing laundry facilities at lots of places in a short time, you notice. No big deal, just a little money grubbing. The beer in the vending machine was shockingly overpriced, the most expensive vending machine beer I saw anywhere in Shikoku. I’ve seen plenty of overpriced vending machine beer, but this was in a league of its own. It’s puzzling when there’s a convenience store just across the street. The rate was about 5000 yen without meals, and I’d budget about 500 yen for laundry.

The staff were very nice, and the hotel was clean and not far from the 43rd temple. They also offer car rentals at very affordable rates.

The hot spring on the first floor is free to use, and laundry costs nothing either. Drying clothes is 200 yen for 20 minutes. Lawson is around a five-minute walk away. Overall, it’s good.

The buffet breakfast and dinner were delicious, with each dish served on a small plate. The building is old, but clean, and the front desk staff were very friendly. For the price, with two meals included, I was very satisfied with my stay during the pilgrimage.