MOANA

The beach is right next door, so this is handy for surfers who want an early start or people staying several nights. There’s also a convenience store within walking distance. It’s a cheap place in Shimoda that suits riders and surfers who don’t mind a few rough edges, but it wouldn’t suit couples or families looking for a vacation or resort stay. The building feels more like a private lodging than a guesthouse, and it’s old, though the bathrooms were clean. The staff were friendly, and while the service wasn’t perfect, the amount of interaction felt comfortable. It was cheap enough that the flaws didn’t bother me. The toilets are Japanese-style. There are two showers with bathtubs, strong water pressure, and very hot water. You can hear neighbors because of the layout, but my fellow guests were quiet, so it didn’t bother me. The room’s air conditioner is old and takes a while to start, but it worked well enough if given time. There was sand in various places, which I suppose comes with being so close to the beach.

Our family of four tried the empty-handed BBQ. The grilled food was about as good as we expected, so that part didn’t really matter, and we were allowed to bring our own food. I’m not sure whether the people there were staff or helpers who knew the owner. They were considerate enough to suggest we rest inside if it got too hot. But they were drinking with what seemed to be regulars, chatting away, and it made us feel unwelcome with the children. Even ordering felt awkward. I’m sorry to say this, but given the staff, it seemed like they were doing an easy job. I hope they’ll think again about what it means to earn money.

We stayed on August 11th, booking a room only because the meal plan was sold out. It cost 12,000 yen per person, probably because of the Obon holiday. The price felt high, but we accepted it as peak-season pricing. The beach was right outside the back entrance, and there was a bar with a nice atmosphere. The building looked old, which made me a little uneasy, but we went to our room looking forward to a drink and a chat with the staff. The hallway, room, and shared sink were covered in clumps of sand. I can see how sand gets everywhere when people are going between a place right on the beach and their rooms, and cleaning constantly must be hard. We asked for a rag, but the staff seemed busy, so we used our spare towels and water to wipe the tatami. We had no meal, so we went to the bath. It was described as shared, but you could lock the door and use it alone. I don’t mind an old place, but the bathtub had limescale, so I showered instead. I’d been looking forward to a drink at the bar, but it turned out to be for guests who’d ordered a meal. That wasn’t what I expected, though I admit that was my own assumption. The worst part came when I started laying out the futons. There was a huge amount of human hair on all four sets, on the futons and pillows. No obvious stains, but had they even been washed? The comforters and sheets didn’t seem to have hair on them. I borrowed a vacuum and cleaned it off, but I was still worried. I tried to tell myself it was hair that had collected in the closet and floated onto the futons, then went to sleep. Honestly, I considered finding a nearby love hotel or business hotel and leaving, but there were no vacancies. The next day my legs were itchy, maybe mites. The staff were nice and seemed like good people. Everyone enjoys a stay differently, and this might work for people who want to spend all their time at the sea and only sleep in the room. The unhygienic parts didn’t suit me, though. I’ve focused on what bothered me, even though there were good things too. I’m sharing my personal experience in case it helps someone concerned about the same things choose accommodation.

Here’s what happened to our family. This is only our experience, so please don’t take it to mean that the inn is at fault. The location is really great, with the ocean right there, though I found it a little inconvenient that we rarely saw the owner. We played in the ocean until check-in, then went straight for a bath. I got sleepy and fell asleep alone around 5pm. I experienced sleep paralysis, then woke around 7pm still tired. My husband and the kids were going to bed too, so they turned off the TV and lights. Everyone seemed uncomfortable, and morning came. When we talked about it, we realized we hadn’t noticed any time passing since check-in. Our room was a corner room. There was a toilet just to the left as you leave, and because my stomach was bothering me, I’d been going several times. There was a room across from ours, but no other guests were staying there. My husband asked who I’d greeted. I said I hadn’t seen anyone because I’d been in the toilet. He asked, “Huh? Didn’t you go to the toilet on the right?” I told him no, I’d been using the one on the left because of my stomachache. I’d left our room door open to go to the bathroom. My husband said, “A man in just his underwear just walked by from the left. Didn’t you just go and say hello to him?” But the only bathroom was on the left, so there was no way for someone to come from that direction. I hadn’t met or spoken with anyone either. The sleep paralysis the day before also worried me. I’d only experienced it once before, in middle school, never as an adult. It wasn’t scary, but I did think it was a mysterious place.