Monzenya

The landlady was friendly and had a great personality, the bath was relaxing, and the spacious, clean room had a fantastic bed. But this place won’t suit you if you need reliable internet. Free Wi-Fi reaches the lobby, not the rooms, and I needed to work in my room. Working in the unheated lobby on a very cold night and morning was tough. There are no vending machines or convenience stores nearby, and the room only has Japanese tea, so buy coffee in advance if you want some.

The innkeeper was friendly and made the place feel homely, which left a great impression on me. Breakfast starts at 8 AM at the earliest, but there were around ten dishes, and the hospitality was so good I didn’t know where to begin. I picked this inn because it’s just over 10 km from Chihaya Castle ruins and Mount Kongo. The building has the feel of a retro restaurant, and my Japanese-style room was spacious. I was disappointed there was no internet. The shared bath is on the first basement floor, but the men’s bath was closed and the women’s bath was only open at designated times. Calls about bath and breakfast times can be received on the landline in the room.

The bathroom was nice, and the bedroom had been cleaned well. The hotel is really old, so I imagine keeping it up must take a lot of work.

Just the facts: the large communal bath was cold, and this place isn’t suitable for an overnight business stay. Since it’s in the mountains, Docomo had no signal and Au’s Pocket Wi-Fi was out of range. There is Wi-Fi in the lounge, but the owner said it could only be used for an hour. They did turn on the air conditioning in advance during the hot August weather, which was good. I think they’re missing out by not providing Wi-Fi.