For my one week stay in Hokkaido, I opted to buy a Hokkaido Rail Pass and travel to other towns and cities daily. With the daily commute utilizing JR Lines, it would have been ideal to stay near JR Sapporo Station, but Grids Sapporo Hotel + Hostel, though a 20-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station, won me over for the following reasons:
- the dorm (one floor for Mixed Dorm, one floor for Female Dorm; 3150 to 4500 yen per night) had spacious capsules (30 capsule spaces for each dorm). The capsule was like my own small room with an outlet (USB and regular power), lamp, coat hook and towel rack, shoe box, safety box, space inside the capsule for a cabin-sized luggage (for large luggage, there is a common luggage area in the dorm room), and a curtain for privacy. The only downside I can think of is that when you arrive, you still have to make your own bed, which sucks if you arrive after a long flight and just want to wash up and then crash in bed. (Private single/double/triple/quad rooms are also available.)
- the dorm shares a number of shower rooms (soap and shampoo provided) and toilets on the same floor. If all shower rooms are in use, there are three more in the reception area on the second floor.
- towel is provided and a change of towel is allowed for free for stays of more than three consecutive days (otherwise, it's a 200 yen fee per towel change)
- breakfast is available for 500 yen (must pay and inform reception a day in advance) and served between 7am to 10am
- washing machines and dryers (two each) available for a fee (200 yen for washing machine, 100 yen for detergent, 100 yen per 30 minutes for dryer)
- luggage storage is available (they kept my luggage for me for the two days I was out of town)
- the hotel can be accessed by elevator up to the 7th floor (the hotel/hostel occupies floors 2 to 8)
- the hotel is accessible by subway: 4-minute walk from Susukino Subway Station; 6-minute walk from Odori Subway Station
- Tanukikoji Streetcar stop is just a hop and a skip away
- bus stop for the airport is just around the corner
- being located in Tanukikoji shopping street, food was not a problem (it was surrounded by restaurants!)
- the hotel is less than 10-minute walk to places I had planned to visit:
- 300 meters to Odori Park
- 500 meters to Ramen Yokocho
- 800 meters to Sapporo Clock Tower
Grids Sapporo Hotel + Hostel
Chuo-ku, Minami 3jo Nishi 5 chome 32, Sapporo
+81 11 252 7415
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Japanese Summer 2018
Hokkaido: Sapporo Accommodation: Grids Sapporo Hotel + Hostel (you're here!)
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