Kaneyoshi Ryokan — Hotel in Osaka

I would never stay at this hotel again for two reasons: (1) It is located in the heart of the Dontonburi bar district and at night the music and crowds are very loud and it is very difficult to sleep; and (2) I had a very unprofessional experience with one of their staff members.

When we checked in, I asked the manager if there was a laundry service nearby and he told me I could do my laundry at the hotel. He then took me up to the sixth floor, where there were a stacked washer/dryer in a closet. He showed me how to use the washer and helped me start washing a load of clothes. I went back in a couple of hours and took my laundry out of the dryer, folded it, and took it back to my room.

Two days later, which was the night before we checked out, I washed another small load of laundry in the washer. When I went back to put it in the dryer around 8:30pm, the door to the closet containing the washer/dryer was locked. I went down to the front desk, and there was a man working there that I had never seen before.

I explained that the door was locked and asked him to unlock the door so that I could dry my load of clothes. He said "Laundry service ended at 8pm and you cannot dry your clothes now." I said "No one told me there was no laundry after 8pm. We are checking out and leaving Osaka at 7am tomorrow morning and I need to dry my clothes." He again said I could not do it. I told him it was my fault that I didn't know I couldn't do laundry after 8pm, and I asked him to please make an exception so that I would not have to carry a bag of completely wet clothes in my suitcase when we left in the morning. I told him I was happy to pay extra if he would just let me dry my clothes. He again said no.

I then said "Okay, then let me just get my wet clothes out of the washer. I'll hang them up in the bathroom overnight so they can at least dry a little bit before we leave in the morning." He said that I could not get my clothes as it was after 8pm. At that point I got a little frustrated and started arguing with him a little more forcefully. Eventually he agreed to let me take my clothes out of the washer to hang in my bathroom overnight, but he made a big production out of how much it inconvenienced him to allow me to get my clothes. His attitude was very rude and condescending, and he did not seem like someone who should be in a customer service position.

When we left the next morning the clothes had unfortunately not dried at all, and I ended up having to pack a plastic bag full of very wet and very heavy clothes in my suitcase for our trip to Hiroshima.

I try to be very conscientious about following the rules - especially in a culture with which I am not familiar and in a country where I do not speak the language. It is my fault that I did not understand that I wasn't allowed to do laundry after 8pm, but under the circumstances the hotel staff member could have made an exception. All he had to do was unlock the closet door, let me dry my clothes for an hour, then lock it back. He ended up opening the door for me anyway - all he had to do was let me turn on the dryer for an hour and the problem would have been solved completely.

Between the noise issues and that staff member's horrible attitude, I would never stay in the Kaneyoshi...

It was a very disappointing stay for the following reasons:||1) The traditional Japanese room we stayed in hasn’t been renovated for many-many years. No air-conditioning, very thin futons, very dated decor, tiniest bath you’ll ever see, which is impossible to fit in.||2) Very expensive! For £130 (19,500 JPY) a night you can stay in amazing Swissotel nearby or another reputable Western hotel. ||3) There is a curfew in this hotel and it shuts at 1 am, so if you want to enjoy Namba night life, not a place for you. ||4) Last sitting for very average Japanese breakfast (no Western breakfast option available) is at 8 am and you are expected to finish by 8.30, so forget about lie-in on holidays. When we went for breakfast for 20 minutes, someone came into the room and took all the bedding out, so we couldn’t go back to bed on our return. Not my idea of a holiday!||5) No kettle in the room. There is a thermos and a few tea bags. I asked the reception to bring some hot water, so we could have some tea in the room. The man at the reception said he would bring it right away himself; however, nothing came.||6) Check-out is at 10 am. One minute passed they started calling our room and five minutes passed there was a man outside the room to see us out. Forget about late check-outs.||Overall, do not stay in Kaneyoshi Ryokan and have a fantastic...

It was a very disappointing stay for the following reasons:||1) The traditional Japanese room we stayed in hasn’t been renovated for many-many years. No air-conditioning, very thin futons, very dated decor, tiniest bath you’ll ever see, which is impossible to fit in.||2) Very expensive! For £130 (19,500 JPY) a night you can stay in amazing Swissotel nearby or another reputable Western hotel. ||3) There is a curfew in this hotel and it shuts at 1 am, so if you want to enjoy Namba night life, not a place for you. ||4) Last sitting for very average Japanese breakfast (no Western breakfast option available) is at 8 am and you are expected to finish by 8.30, so forget about lie-in on holidays. When we went for breakfast for 20 minutes, someone came into the room and took all the bedding out, so we couldn’t go back to bed on our return. Not my idea of a holiday!||5) No kettle in the room. There is a thermos and a few tea bags. I asked the reception to bring some hot water, so we could have some tea in the room. The man at the reception said he would bring it right away himself; however, nothing came.||6) Check-out is at 10 am. One minute passed they started calling our room and five minutes passed there was a man outside the room to see us out. Forget about late check-outs.||Overall, do not stay in Kaneyoshi Ryokan and have a fantastic...