As I said in my last post, I decided to take a short trip to Osaka, now that the Winter Holidays are upon us. Part of my decision was based on having been to Osaka in the past and the passing familiarity with it from said visits. The bigger factor was price. The bus tickets (roundtrip) were a meer ¥5031, after applying the points gained from my last trip. That should be a little less that $50 USD, I think.
After I purchased the tickets, I googled hotels and hostels in the area I wanted to visit. Since it’s the holiday season, with many people returning to their hometowns, pices were of course inflated greatly, Lucky for me, I’m pretty flexible.
This time, I was saved from another stint in Joysound (karaoke) when I found First Cabin. Their cheaper options were booked solid, but they had some nice rooms for about ¥5700 a night.
This fee was for a room with a lockbox (the partician has no lock, though women and men are seregated by floor, with electronic locks), a pair of PJs to borrow, free Wifi, a public bath (again one for women and another for men) with sauna, and many amenities. It might not be a good fit for people who are shy about their bodies.
Also available were VOD services, food, laundry, and massage services. I did enjoy a light snack before bed (tea and chilled tofu with toppings), as well as the ¥800 breakfast buffet service. Both Japanese and Western foods were available, but I prefer Japanese foods.
For my money I did get a lot, but there were three things that were not quite to my liking, though that’s more to do with me personally, I think. First, the bed was much too stiff, though the provided body pillow helped a lot.
Second, the room was a bit dry, dispite the supplied humidifier, and I woke up with a nosebleed. Thankfully, I didn’t bleed on any linnens. Though, nosebleeds also happen at home.
Last, this is more of a nitpick than anything else, the baths are way too hot. The presoak shower was absolutely fine, but the big tub was very hot. After entering it, I remembered suddenly that Osaka is known for their love of hot baths. I soaked for about ten minutes before getting dressed and heading back to my room.
All in all, it was very worth the price. The location wad great (around the corner from Namba Walk exit 22), the staff were very nice, and I recommend it to those traveling through Osaka and are a bit open-minded about where they stay.
https://first-cabin.jp/en/
2017 is almost over. So what happened this year? What did I do with it?
