This was my first time staying at a hotel like this, as we couldn't get a room. It was a truly fascinating experience. The room was incredibly spacious, with a bathroom even larger than the one we'd booked the night before near Kyobashi Station. It had wooden floors and a TV in the tub! It also had a king-size bed. It wasn't a waterbed, but it was still a 1.8-meter-long bed in Japan, so I was so touched! 😹 Japanese hotels are always immaculately clean, and this one was no exception. It was almost 11:30 when we arrived, and I was worried the front desk would be closed, as the check-in notice stated it was by 11:30. However, since they're staffed 24 hours a day, a late check-in wouldn't be a problem. The receptionist, an elderly lady, said thank you in Chinese and explained everything clearly. She especially asked us to book dinner that night (yes, we could book even at almost midnight) and breakfast the next day. She also reminded us that only items marked ”0” were free, and we had to order one dish per person. For dinner, we ordered a curry rice and a fried rice dish, which were delivered to our room within half an hour. I think the hotel staff had made them fresh and served them on plates. The food was average, but having food delivered so late in the evening was a real surprise in Japan. We chose a Japanese breakfast (miso soup, grilled fish) and a Western breakfast (coffee and toast). We chose a 10:00 AM delivery, and it knocked on our door right on the dot, practically waking us up. By the way, there were free drinks and unlimited coffee near the front desk. We drank a lot of cola, and Japanese cola is incredibly fizzy; every sip was a welcome relief. This hotel is also quite unique, with its unique offerings: the latest Western films with Japanese dubbing and subtitles, as well as Japanese films and TV series, and, of course, educational films about the island nation. There's also promotional material in the room, so you can choose what you like. My wife and I watched the educational film while we had breakfast, which was quite entertaining. Sakuranomiya is next to the hotel, and a little further is Sakuranomiya JR Station. At Sakuranomiya, I saw a stele from 1886, presumably commemorating the flood of that year. It's remarkably well-preserved, inscribed entirely in Chinese characters, even including the Four Books and Five Classics, with titles in small seal script. Even in Guangzhou, it's rare to find such a well-preserved late Qing dynasty stele. There's a temple near Sakuranomiya JR Station, and I saw a notice there that again astounded me with its Japanese calligraphy. I doubt many monks in China today could achieve such proficiency. It's truly heartbreaking that if I want to experience traditional Chinese culture in my daily life, perhaps I'll have to go abroad. As Tang Junyi said, ”Flowers and fruits are falling,” I can only treat a foreign land as my home.
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