Viainn Shimonoseki

The room was modern, with good bedding and the basic amenities. Getting around is convenient only if you have a car, though, and hotel guests are charged 600 yen each time they enter the parking lot. I also wish the receptionist had been more helpful with guests who don't speak Japanese. She seemed annoyed when we asked for information.

There are other hotels in the area at the same price, so I'd suggest trying one of those. I was baffled that they didn't have a simple directions page to send me: finding the way from the train station in Google was very difficult, and my email about it never got a reply. The directions mentioned stairs and elevated crossings that turned out to be unnecessary. Breakfast was another frustration. I checked in at 3:30 pm and asked to sign up, but they wouldn't let me. After dinner I checked again at 8:20 pm, and was told the cutoff had been 8 pm. In years of traveling, this was the only hotel that handled breakfast this way. Check-out is at 10, which is normal in some parts of Japan but unusual at many hotels on the five continents I've visited.

The staff were rather perfunctory, and the car park was a little far away. Still, the location and amenities were great, the bed and room were comfortable, and the hot bath was lovely. I'd come back.

The station is close, but the evening noise and more noise from 5 am made it nearly impossible to sleep. I also found loads of dirt under the bed and desk. It looked like those spots might not have been cleaned in ages.