We have come to the last accommodation of our inaugural trip to Japan; UNIZO Inn @ Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido and fifth largest city in the land of the rising sun!
Along with our arrival also marked the return of the rental car that has been our convenient and main mode of transportation for the past five days! Therefore, i had a hard time choosing a hotel / inn for this Sapporo leg; it's has to be near a subway station yet wouldn't make us pay through our noses!
Checking in at the bright reception counter.
The lobby was decked out in white sofas which wouldn't be my preferred colour as it would be extremely noticeable once someone accidentally dirties it.
Hotel card was passed to me and at the same time, the receptionist brought out two large bags of mineral water and put them on the table. I was bewildered for a while and realized they were the so-called complimentary bottled water for our 3-night stay!
Room 903 - located right opposite the lift, my jaw dropped when i stepped into the room; it was tiny compared to the other accommodations we had in the last four days (i.e. airbnb in Furano, airbnb in Otaru, Daiwa Ryokan and Takimoto Inn).
Our window view.
Despite the cramped interior (13-14 square meters), it was surprisingly 'well equipped'; there's a safe, a mini fridge and an electric kettle for me to have a cup of 3-in-1 white coffee every morning.
Free WiFi; speed was decent!
Since UNIZO is largely a business hotel, the services were skewed towards those on business trips. Hence, i found a LAN cable (for laptops) which isn't that commonly found in smaller hotels.
Double bed that appeared narrower than my queen-sized bed at home; to be exact, the information on the website indicated a width of 125 centimeters! Loving the simple clock at the bed frame and the conveniently placed USB ports for us to charge our phones while we sleep!
What's on the bed? A laptop tray for you to work on the bed as there's not much space for you at the dressing table! Honestly, i did manage to squeeze in my ASUS laptop although it's a hassle when using the mouse.
Pyjamas?!?! Well, i don't have a habit of wearing pajamas and prefer to sleep topless most of the times unless the weather was sickening cold! The thickest i have ever worn to bed was in Lijiang, Yunnan when the radiator broke down and night temperature dropped to zero degree celsius outside the hotel.
Television on the wall perpendicular to the bed - no way to watch the programmes until dozing off. Not an issue to me since i can make do without television; can't survive without my smart phone though.
No physical wardrobe by the way; just some bars with hangars for your clothes. However, I was impressed with the little thoughtful items like the lint remover and the fragrant spray for the clothes.
Instead of the irritating tags to hang over the door knob, UNIZO Inn uses magnetic tags (same as Taipei CityInn) that we can just throw literally on the door if we were to need the housekeepers to make up the room or steer clear from it.
Let's now explore the all-important washroom!
The usual toilet amenities; toothbrush with toothbrush, comb, cotton buds, shaver etc. There's also a dryer and I think a pack of cotton pads and shoeshine paper (obviously not for sneakers and i regret not bringing it back for my leather shoes back in Singapore).
*Gasp* remote control for the bidet and it came with a dryer version! I am so impressed with the toilets in Japan but given my small washroom cum bathroom; only a non-electronic bidet is possible.
Wait, nothing is impossible; especially when UNIZO Inn managed to squeeze in a Japanese soaking tub! I am not a big fan of long bath but the Japanese tub is something i enjoyed throughout my stay in Hokkaido!
Shiok to take a soak after a full day of walking! In case you have missed out the previous photograph, the inn provided three large bottles of shampoo, body soap and conditioner. No more having to ration the usage with those typically small bottles that's more than half gone after one usage.
We shall proceed to check out the rest of the hotel and hey, there's a ticket dispenser outside the lift of our floor. At 1,000 yen a ticket (more than S$10), the video on demand wasn't cheap and filled with titles of the triple-X nature.
Internet corner (with computers) was located on the first floor with vending machines and water dispenser. Those who wish to smoke may be pleased to know that there's a smoking room in the inn (opposite the vending machines).
Too many days in Japan and it's high time for you to wash your clothes?! Get it done at the laundry room where there were two wash and dry machines.
p.s. instructions in English were provided but you may wish to note that there's a fee; from the display, i think it's 3 kilograms for 500 yen (120 minutes) to wash your dirty clothes (detergent is automatically added) and another 100 yen to dry 3 kilograms for 30 minutes. To save the hassle, you can also request for laundry service!
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Location
3-3-10 Kita1-jonishi, Chuo-ku,
Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido, 060-0001,
Japan
Location Map
Check out under the label for "UNIZO Inn" under header "Sapporo (08-11 Aug)"
Exit from Underground Passage
The passage connects Sapporo Station and Odori Station and the nearest exit is number 7. However, if you need to take the lift, exit number 9 is the best!
Website
Pricing
Twin Room - S$129.50 via Hotels.com
(we didn't opt for breakfast)
For my 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.