I chose the Hotel Route-Inn because of its proximity to the main railway station and bus station since most shops, bars and restaurants tend to be situated around stations in Japanese cities.
Although my room was ready at 12.00 noon I was told to come back at 3.00pm for check in. This is where Japanese efficiency meets inflexibility. It makes no sense to make people wait unnecessarily when their room is already ready.
I wanted to go to a large supermarket while waiting to check in, but three times the girl at reception tried to send me to the convenience store at the railway station that did not sell what I wanted. Eventually I had to go to the information at the station to be directed to the bus station to take a No. 30 to Aeon Mall half an hour away. Here they had all that I wanted and more.
The hotel room was quite small, but the space was manageable and it was clean although I do not understand the Japanese obsession with dark brown carpets and duvet covers. The mattress was comfortable, but the two small pillows were rock hard. They felt like they were filled with horsehair and bamboo. They gave me neck ache and so I had a sleepless night. Also, the air-conditioner was ineffective and so I was hot too. Not good!
There were no Western dishes (fruit, cereal, etc) at breakfast. Only Japanese fare.