APA Hotel Takaoka Ekimae

The trains are so loud here that sleeping with the window open means hearing horns, brakes, and screeching tires. Keeping it closed leaves you sweating, since there’s no air conditioning, only heating. It’s not even that cold now, and some days reach 25 degrees, so I don’t understand why heat is still the default. If you need AC to sleep, DO NOT BOOK THIS HOTEL.

The bed and pillows were surprisingly comfortable, even for my usual neck issues. I liked them enough to consider buying them online. The bath was spacious and still felt comfortable with lots of people in it, and even the tap water tasted better than the bottled water provided. It’s about two minutes from the train station, with plenty of food nearby. There are only a little over 10 parking spots, but the staff kindly shared nearby parking options in advance, which helped a lot. Check-in and checkout were very smooth.

I come back whenever I need a place to stay in Takaoka. It’s clean and brand new, with a nice onsen and a fair price. The staff are also very friendly to foreigners.

The air conditioning was inconsistent. On our first night they switched it to cold air, but the second night it stayed warm. They were nice about it and brought us a portable air conditioner. I think they keep the heat on through this cold season. The location is great, right beside the train station, but I had expected more from the concierge given the 4.1 average rating. We were driving through the Chubu region with my family, and when I asked for recommendations or directions, I was told “I don’t know.” One concierge even asked, in a very shocked way, “you don’t know Toyama station??” He spoke great English. I think he also told us to google it ourselves. We did try that, but thought asking a local concierge would be more helpful.