New Royal Hotel Shimanto

This was my first trip to Kochi and I stayed here for several nights. My impression from when I arrived...I didn't know where the hotel entrance or parking lot was... Maybe it was because there was a festival going on, but I got lost for a while. Next was the bath. A rotation system? What is that? Also, the time setting is, when you arrive. 4pm-8pm for men. After 8pm for women. In the morning, 6am-7:20am for men, and 7:30am for women... The rotation system alone is questionable, but isn't the time setting for women strange? When you arrive at the hotel, you can't take a bath until after dinner. The time setting is such that you can't take a bath until you've eaten breakfast. Is this the Showa era? In addition, the yukata prepared was extra large. The next day after I changed it to a large, a medium one was prepared for me (lol) Furthermore, the refrigerator was turned off when you checked in. Even though there were two of us, we only got one card key, which I felt was just the level of service. The restaurant in the hotel was also... hmm.

This is the hotel I stayed at when I visited Nakamura, Shimanto City, Kochi Prefecture. It's about a 20-minute walk from Nakamura Station, but it's in the center of Shimanto City and there are many restaurants nearby, so I had no trouble finding food or sightseeing. Breakfast was a buffet at the restaurant on the first floor, and it was relatively tasty. There is a large hot spring bath on the fourth floor, and when you soak in the water, it's so slimy you feel like an eel in the Shimanto River. As there is only one bath, men and women are rotated depending on the time of day, which was a bit inconvenient.

This hotel must be the biggest building in Shimanto City, with 10 floors. It’s super easy to find - right next to the communications tower and close to the outdoor shopping mall. Inside it’s calm and quiet. The rooms are plenty spacious enough, with crisp sheets and thick towels. AC works great. Only complaint would be the small pillows, just one per person, but that’s standard here in Japan. The breakfast buffet was top notch with a blend of Japanese and western options.