Toyoko Inn Tokushima Station Bizan

We stayed four nights in two single rooms, and I found the included breakfast and coffee, served from 6-10am, really appealing. The room was small but well equipped, and the bed was very comfortable. The hotel felt better than most of the places we’ve stayed in Japan, modern and simple with some nice touches. There are two clean washing machines and two dryers on the ground floor, each costing 100 yen for 30 minutes, which is handy for travellers. It’s a major Japanese hotel chain in a great spot, close to Awadori dancing hall and Tokushima train station. There are lots of restaurants behind the hotel, a river you can walk along, and a 7-11 across the street.

The hotel is handily placed near the bus terminal, and the staff were friendly enough. But the room let down our two-night stay in a twin. A giant neon sign sent a constant, glaring blue light in around the curtains. One bed was awkwardly tucked against the wall, just below the curtain, and the bathroom felt surprisingly tiny even by Japanese standards. The hotel itself felt outdated and not very inviting. We got to breakfast late on the first morning, and what was left didn’t look appetizing. We skipped it the next day, though when we passed the dining area earlier it seemed to have improved.

The hallway to the rooms was hot and stale, with no air conditioning. We’ve never stayed in a hotel without air conditioning in the hallway before. I also had a very bad experience with Ayashi at the front desk. She’s a woman in her 50s, sometimes wearing glasses and sometimes not. When she scanned my passport on July 10 this year, she folded the page with my photo. She didn’t apologize or say anything, and acted as if nothing had happened. Passports are important documents, and I don’t understand how she could handle a customer’s passport so carelessly. It felt rude and unprofessional.

The rooms felt spacious, and I liked that I could tuck my luggage under the bed to free up floor space, something you don’t always get in hotels around Japan. Breakfast was free, with a small selection of hot and cold food, and it was good. This Toyoko Inn is a little farther from the main JR train station than the other Toyoko Inn, but there’s a free shuttle in both directions, which helps. It’s also very close to the cable car station for Mount Bizan, so head up for a nice city view.