Shizuoka Castle Hotel Sanoharu

We slept poorly because the soundproofing wasn't great. We could clearly hear a baby crying next door, which was frustrating in an otherwise comfortable room that was reasonably spacious by Japanese standards. The hotel is small, but the staff were welcoming and friendly. It's also handy for getting around, about a 15-minute walk from the train station. One thing I found a little inconvenient was having to leave the room key at the front desk whenever we went out. That may suit some guests, but it wasn't my preference.

For a very reasonable price, you get a clean room and really friendly staff. There aren't many amenities, but I thought the price was fair for what was provided.

The room had a comfortable, spacious bed and a TV, and I chose this place because I wanted an inexpensive stay near Shizuoka Station. Walking here quickly takes about 10 minutes, which felt tiring with heavy bags. I booked a cheap cash rate through Rakuten. Toiletries use the self-service toothbrush setup that's common these days, and razors apparently aren't included, they cost 50 yen. There was no breakfast service. I was tired and went to sleep around 10:30 PM, but noise from the next room woke me. Thankfully I had earplugs with me. I heard you can get a lower rate by installing the official app on your smartphone, but it seemed like too much hassle, so I didn't.

I've stayed here twice, five nights the first time and four nights later, and I really like the human touch. At check-in and checkout, the front desk staff greeted me politely, which feels reassuring. Fully automated hotels with card check-in can feel strangely unsettling to me. The other guests there seemed expressionless and indifferent, without even greeting one another. On my later stay I was on the 4th floor, and the repeated noise from upstairs bothered me. It sounded like a ball bouncing and being dropped, continued until around 10 pm, and stopped by midnight. I can't imagine it's the outdoor unit of an air conditioner. On the first stay I heard a constant drumming outside my window, a bit like rock music, until about 10 pm, then it got quiet. There was also occasional noise from the next room, like sneezing, but that didn't bother me. The building is old, but the room was spacious and very clean. I liked having a closet to separate the living area instead of hanging clothes on the wall. I had requested the room at the very back of the 4th floor by phone, and they gave it to me. I heard the 3rd floor can smell of cigarette smoke. The Wi-Fi worked well. The bathroom was small, but the water pressure was easy to adjust using the markings. The bed was low and wide, the TV was large and had a blue light filter that was easy on my eyes, and the quiet fridge held about three 500ml water bottles. There was a slight perfume smell when I first entered, but it soon faded. Towels were replenished daily. I told the front desk I didn't need them every day for environmental reasons. You need to bring your own amenities and cups. I only noticed the free drink station and soup tucked into a corner of the first-floor lobby when I checked out. I'll use it next time. Even in the rain, I could get almost all the way to Shizuoka Station dry by taking the arcade on Gofuku-dori and then the underground shopping area. Capsule hotels can be cheaper, but shared toilets and bathrooms are a pain. After all my travels, I'd rather have a private toilet and bath. The toilet seat here is small, though, and might be hard for larger or overweight people to use. Added on 5/31: I stayed four nights and really liked it.