Tateshina Hotel

The service was great during my seven-day stay. They cleaned the room, replaced the towels, and provided fresh amenities every day. There's a microwave, water refill, and free comic rentals, plus a 24-hour family market nearby and the main road just a few steps away. The subway at shinjuku sanchome is only a five-minute walk, while JR Shinjuku station is farther, about 17 minutes on foot, but manageable. The older man who checked me in was friendly and helpful even though he didn't understand English, and we got the room before check-in time. The woman at checkout was friendly too and understood a little English.

The room works if you just need a crash pad, and being in shinjuku is great. It's a bit of a walk away, though. I found the front desk service pretty obnoxious. They also charge a tax on each booking that isn't mentioned in online reservations, and leaving a bag at the front after checkout costs 500 yen. I found the stay pretty inconvenient.

One male staff member made the stay awful for me. I was being friendly and asking about the earthing, and he literally said, “in Japan, use Japanese language…” I politely ask staff if they know English, and if they don't, I can use translation. I don't expect anyone to know or reply in English, but I do expect basic respect from hotel staff when I'm a guest. I was just being kind, not bothering anyone. Save your money and time. They will treat you like garbage.

The service was good, and the rooms were tidy. For the price, my room would have been really good if it hadn't smelled like dirt. I only found the cause on my last day: lots of mold in the ventilation. I think it made me sick, since I started coughing on the second night. Hopefully the hotel cleans the mold and fixes the problem in the rooms.