Hotel Ginsui

The checkout message came a little later, saying I hadn't checked out. It was entirely in Chinese. I had left before 10am and dropped the key exactly where I was told to. I'm Chinese and can read it, but I'd been communicating in English the whole time and was traveling on a U.S. passport. Getting that warning in Chinese out of nowhere made me feel they'd ignored how I'd been speaking and assumed I hadn't followed the rules based on my background. It felt like stereotyping, and I found it disrespectful. It wasn't the language itself, but that they switched languages to accuse me without even trying English first. Earlier, I'd booked one night on Airbnb for $53 and wanted to add another. Airbnb showed just $25 extra to extend, but the host said I couldn't change the booking on checkout day and told me to book again. That meant another full $53, so I checked other platforms and found the same room on Booking.com for $33. Obviously, I booked there. It took a while, but they eventually let me stay in the same room. Everything seemed fine until checkout.

The Shinkansen was delayed, so I arrived after 10 pm without having contacted the hotel first. I was nervous after reading the comments, but once I got there, everything went smoothly. I just had to call from the front desk, and customer service in Japanese, English, or Chinese guided me through check-in and getting the keys. The facilities are a bit old and there was no toothpaste, but the price is low and the location is good. I think they've done what they can to provide good service.

The best thing was how close it is to the beach and places to eat. The check-in system was awful, though. The information lady wouldn't help us or anyone else, and just hid in her room even when we called for her. The rooms were pretty mediocre too. Other guests were incredibly loud and made it impossible to sleep, though that's not really the hotel's fault. 2/5 stars.

The location is amazing. Check-in was super easy and convenient, and the room was clean and comfortable. My only issue was the WiFi: it didn't work in the room, though it worked properly in the front hall where we ate our meals.