Shinmachi Station Hotel

For a business stay without resort hotel comforts, this place works well. It’s a user-friendly hotel right behind Shinmachi Station. Rooms aren’t especially new, but they’re clean, and the free Wi-Fi connection is good. Parking is flexible: there’s space for two cars in front and a private lot next door with room for three. If those are full, you can get a discount at the paid parking lot across from the hotel. Breakfast was a real highlight. I was impressed by the quality for 1,100 yen. You can choose how much rice you want, and there are lots of side dishes. Even the natto comes with chopped green onions as well as mustard and sauce.

The place has an old-fashioned business hotel feel, more like a guesthouse, and I found it comfortable. The woman at reception was very polite and made the atmosphere pleasant. A train passes next door, but it didn’t bother me much. Breakfast was filling and satisfying, with better nutritional balance than piling food onto a buffet. The yogurt dessert was good too. Shops and convenience stores are a bit far away, though you can buy instant noodles at the front desk. There’s free coffee in the morning. There’s no refrigerator in the room, but everyone shares a household fridge in the hallway, with no rules about how to use it. This is the first time I’ve written such a long comment, but I wanted to say it’s a good hotel with a nostalgic feel.

A guesthouse with a hidden-away feel, and a fun spot for taking railway photos. It has a real Showa-era atmosphere: no bidet toilets, bar soap, and a shared refrigerator in the hallway, like an old merchant’s inn. The room is reasonably spacious, so once you get used to the place, it probably won’t feel too inconvenient. Laundry is free, detergent is supplied at no charge, and the dryer costs just 100 yen for 30 minutes. A good fit if you want to travel and “be alone” for a while.

The hotel is conveniently close to the station and has free parking, though taxis aren’t always available at Shinmachi Station. Breakfast costs 1500 yen and is a tasty Japanese meal. The room has adjustable air conditioning, a kettle, and bottled water. Shampoo and body soap are supplied in single-use portions, with other soaps also available. There’s a shared refrigerator in the hallway and a washing machine. In the lobby, you’ll find vending machines for canned coffee and other drinks, and coffee is served there in the morning.