Kounso

The hotel is old, but that can be fine, since plenty of older places feel cozy. The problem was the heating in winter. There's no central heating, just an old heater that shuts off after reaching its set temperature. The room went from 26 to 14 degrees in about two hours, so I woke up freezing and had to turn it on again. The washroom is separate and stayed cold even when the room was at 26. I caught a cold the next day, and the runny nose and poor appetite spoiled the rest of my trip. I don't know what it's like in summer, but don't come in winter. You'll regret it.

There were plenty of bikes to borrow for free, and they were in excellent condition and well looked after. The woman working there was very kind and accommodating. Even with the language barrier, she went out of her way to help us.

The people running the place were good to us. The hotel isn't modern, but it offers a traditional Japanese living experience. It could be improved with some care and money for renovations. It was okay and already worth what we paid, though there's room to make it better.

The place was clean and well located. We stayed three nights and didn't get fresh towels. There are no lifts, and the in-room heater seems to run on some kind of liquid gas that smells when switched on.