Hotel View Kuroda

A hotel with a traditional Japanese style.

The meals were varied set menus for both breakfast and dinner, and the quality was acceptable. The hotel has a retro feel, though sound carries easily. Our room at Basho-kan was extremely dark when we arrived. We found a cluster of switches by the door, but none worked. A staff member brought a bulb, but the overhead light was already broken and they couldn’t fix it. They kept apologizing. The light by the TV had a dead bulb too. The TV and refrigerator weren’t working at first. The TV needed to be plugged in, and there weren’t many channels. The fridge needed its temperature set manually or it wouldn’t work. The bathroom was the usual Japanese layout with a tub, sink, and toilet, but the toilet area was small and raised above the room. Its shelf was too high and too small to store clothes conveniently. There was a note asking guests to flush, but it wouldn’t clear, so we had to flush at least twice.

We stayed one night and found the hotel clean and nice. Shogi details show up throughout the building, from the room keys onward, fitting for a town known for Japanese chess. There’s a shogi set by the entrance that looks available to use if you want to play. A microwave sits by the first-floor elevator, handy if you bring a bento to heat up.