MIMARU OSAKA SHINSAIBASHI WEST — Hotel in Osaka

I checked into Mimaru Osaka Shinsaibashi West on the 22nd of July as my flight got delayed. My first impressions on this hotel was the fact that it was very clean and hygienic which I like a lot as I am a germaphobe.

The room type I got was equipped with a bunk-bed and two single beds (when combined substitutes a queen-sized bed). The bathroom was also exceptionally clean and hygienic which was another benefit. Also, the staff/hotel employees were very friendly, supportive and outgoing and always were up to make sure that we knew our addresses and where to go.

But sometimes, you have to write on a piece of paper to remind the hotel staff to replenish your bath towels and toilet paper or else they may forget. This is something that me and my family always does whenever we go abroad to another country and stay in a hotel for more than a few days.

And conveniently, there is a train station just a few minutes' walk from the hotel itself. But, me and my family opted to take a taxi instead as the places we were going to weren't really close enough to a train station so it wasn't convenient for us to take a train. I guess, it just depends on what your preference is (if you want to be comfortable, take a taxi. If you want to get to a location fast, take a train and it's more cheaper if you take a train).

SUGGESTION/RECOMMENDATIONS:

Buy/purchase an ICOCA metro card which you use to validate your fare payment before entering train stations and it just makes taking trains less of a hassle.

Make a list of the places that you want to go to, so that you don't have to dedicate any of your 'holiday-time' to planning or setting things up (for example. like online reservations and verifications for entrance into Japan)

Make sure you bring more than just one luggage, trust me, you'll be leaving Japan with more than four huge bags of souvenirs, plushies, confectionery and snacks to bring back home (just trust me, you'll thank me even though you physically can't)

Also, make sure that your smart-phone has an 'interpreter' setting which will definitely help you out during your stay in Japan. It'll make communication much more easier, instead of just trying to assume what Japanese people are saying to you right then and there.

For Samsung users, you swipe down two times and you should immediately see the words 'interpreter'. Click on it, then make sure you download the vocabulary package for 'Japan'. Then, go to town using the interpreting function.

If your spoken language does not immediately appear, do not worry, simply just tap on either top or bottom buttons. Then, you should see 'add language'. Click on that, then simply just swipe until you locate your language and then download it.

For IOS/Apple users:

To use Apple's built-in translator, you can follow these steps:

Open Safari on your Apple device. Navigate to a webpage with text that you want to translate. Tap the Share button in the address bar. Select Translate. Choose the languages you want to translate between. The webpage will be translated into the selected language.

Also, remember to buy a SIM card for the amount of days you'll be staying in Japan for. So that you can always access Instagram, messages, YouTube and Spotify whenever and wherever in Japan.

This should be an obvious one, but let me just remember you one more time. Remember to download any Netflix shows that you want to watch during your flight, as it'll get pretty boring depending on how long your...

The family room (two twin beds plus a bunk bed) was perfect for a family of four with two "children" in their late 20's. So very comfortable for four adults. The toilet was separate so that helped with the queue to use the bathroom. There was a dining table which was so useful for breakfast (there is a large grocery store just around the corner). The table also came in handy where the four of us sat around after dinner catching up with a bit of work on our laptops.||The bathroom was bright with ample hooks/bars to hang wet towels (we recently came from Kyoto where our hotel had NO hooks in the bathroom to hang wet towels). The kitchenette had recycling bins under the sink which we wish we saw more of in hotels. The fridge with separate freezer was of a decent size.||And the room had windows that you could look out of and open for fresh air! Our Kyoto hotel had frosted glass windows that you could not see out of let alone open.||The neighbourhood was ideal. The hotel itself was on a quiet side street, but just a couple of blocks away was the main road. Stores, large and small, and restaurants were within a fairly easy walking distance. There is a Family Mart directly next door to pick up snack and necessities. ||The staff were very friendly and helpful. There is coin laundry on the ground floor but we didn't need to use it.||In the lobby they also had a binder of restaurants in the 'hood. It was so helpful and we had some very good meals found in the binder.||We would highly recommend this hotel and would stay here again. Clean, friendly,...

We wanted to stay in a family friendly hotel because our youngest has a tendency to fall off hotel beds, and Mimaru was the perfect choice.Nestled in a quiet neighbourhood, just under 10 minutes (whilst dragging 2 children) walk to the hustle and bustle of Shinsaibashi - we loved how there was a Family Mart right next door, and just 80 metres away was a 24-hour supermarket. The Yotsubashi line was also a stone’s throw away, and if you wanted to get on the Chuuo line it is only a 800 metre walk.Staff were extremely friendly and welcoming when we first arrived and every time we walked past the reception.If you’re expecting a traditional hotel stay - this is not for you. Cleaning is not daily, and refreshments like coffee/tea need to be obtained from the lobby, which was absolutely fine for us. The only thing that was baffling for us was the cleaning services. We were briefed about the cleaning frequency at the beginning but didn’t quite get how it worked as days where we expected to have someone wash up the dishes it was still left in the sink when we were back at the end of the day. During the last day, we didn’t even have clean bath towels in our room. I think it would be best if they had specified the cleaning cycle in the room as information so that people can have expectations managed.The hotel is also right next to a fire station so expect occasional sounds of sirens in the middle of the night.We enjoyed the stay very much, although we paid premium for the room due to it being high season. We would still recommend this hotel...