Ishii Shrine

I booked this hotel some months ago and I started reading reviews prior to check in. I'll admit I got a bit nervous. That being said we decided to stay the night and try it out. First impressions were that there was more space than many rooms we've stayed in while in Japan. Many features look newish and it has a full kitchen. Then things get weird. The wall paper is peeling off. There's a persistent bad smell. There's roach traps everywhere. I tried to shower and the shower nozzle fell off. My husband tried to leave to do a Lawson run and the latch on the lock fell off. The beds were surprisingly comfortable but it's also loud in the morning with people talking in the alleyway. It was fine for the night but I wouldn't stay here again.

The room was basic and clean. The main issue was that the air conditioning was disabled in the room. There was a sign in the room stating it was controlled across the whole hotel and I wouldn't be able to turn it on. It was quite humid in Osaka when I was visiting, and the lack of AC meant I had to keep the window open the tiny amount that was allowed. This made the primary purpose of the hotel to "Just Sleep" a bit more difficult than I would have liked. If you don't mind being a little warm and sweaty during the night, you might be okay. I found it difficult to sleep and get comfortable in the warm humid nights. I would suggest calling ahead to see if the air conditioning is allowed/enabled before making a trip to this hotel. Or perhaps only go in the cooler months.