Hotel Mark-1 Tsukuba

Hotel Mark‑One Tsukuba Research Academy made for a very good stay. It's a modern business hotel only a two-minute walk from Tsukuba TX Research Gakuen Station. That makes it handy for people wanting to visit nearby places like JAXA, Tsukuba Expo Center, and Tsukuba Center Park.

The room was tiny, and soundproofing was poor enough that I could hear my neighbor at 1 a.m. I checked out a day early in the morning, but couldn't get any refund.

The rooms are much smaller than I'm used to in most countries, though they seem standard for Tsukuba. The Japanese-style breakfast was very good, and thankfully I'm comfortable with chopsticks. The hotel restaurant doesn't serve dinner, but there's a mall a short walk away with plenty of places to eat. Vending machines offer a wide range of food and drinks, and there's a microwave for late-night hunger. Self-service laundry is available too. I didn't get a chance to try the warm baths, but they sounded lovely. I enjoyed my stay, even though the facilities were different from what I'm used to.

For a clean place to sleep at a good price, this hotel does the job. The room is small, and it's not a luxury stay, but there's a public bath where you can relax after checking in. Staff were helpful and friendly. Breakfast was cheap, though nothing special.