Business Hotel Chuo New Annex

The Business Hotel Chuo New Annex is a great deal for the money, if you are willing to put up with a few minor nuances. The building is a little old, but the place is quite clean, updated, and well maintained. The atmosphere is cheery, although it seems more like a "solo male" or "family" place than a happening, young hostel.

It is located in a very seedy district of Osaka (women traveling alone may not feel comfortable walking around at night), but even with the rows of homeless people lining the streets, it feels relatively safe. The location is actually quite superb. It's located in the Tennoji area, only one subway stop away from many famed attractions, including food culture mecca, Dotombori. The hotel is extremely easy to get to from everywhere, including Kansai Airport as it's located directly on the Nankai Line and the JR Loop Line. To find it, always exit Shin Imamiya Station, take the east or west exit out of the station, and go left -- you'll run right into the hotel.

Free coffee, tea, and internet access are at your disposal. There are four computers, which are continuously busy, but there only seems to be a five- to ten-minute wait before someone leaves and you can jump on. There are multiple vending machines and there is ramen and other fast foods available at the front desk. Breakfast is free, but you have to ask for it at the front desk (don't assume they'll just give it to you). There are washers and dryers available (two hundred yen to wash, one hundred yen to dry). You can rent VHS videos for free, as each room has a VCR. Look hard through the collection and you can find English titles (although only a few).

There are not many "shared" rooms available, but single rooms are cheap and an excellent alternative. Rooms are very small, but clean, with your choice of Western or Japanese style beds. We recommend choosing a Japanese style bed, which consists of a thick floor pad and comforter. They are quite comfortable. You pay more for the Western style beds, and they are simply the same floor pads lifted off the floor onto a metal frame. Each room has a TV, VCR, fridge, good A/C system, and not much else.

Towels, combs, and toothbrushes are provided. Robes are given (pink for women, blue for men) to wear to the communal bathing room. And if it's your first time in Japan, here's where even the seasoned traveler may become a bit squeamish. While there are ample toilets and vanities located on each floor, there is only one communal shower area located on the first floor. It is one large room with four shower heads all in a row. There is shampoo, conditioner, soap, and shaving cream, but no barriers in between you and the others, so your shower experience becomes a very public affair with the other three people. This is very traditionally Japanese, but for those that are not used to it, it can be a bit shocking.

Since the majority of the hotel patrons are men, the "shower schedule" favors the male gender. Men can bathe from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Unfortunately, women can only bathe from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and again from 8:10 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., which is inconvenient at best. If this schedule coupled with the public bathing experience sounds too unreasonable, there is one private shower room also located on the first floor. The private shower room has no schedule and, oddly enough, it doesn't have a line of people waiting to use it either.

All in all (and with the addition of no curfew, twenty-four hour reception, and a helpful staff), this place fits the bill and ends up being a good deal for the money in a very expensive country.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review