This article is based on a visit made on Tuesday, 15 May 2018.
Previously on Sekai Ichi, I introduced the city of Toyama, where I would be kicking off a series of day-trips across the northern Chubu region. Looking to inject some classical Japanese style into my accomodations, while still remaining accessible for me and my grandmother, I chose to stay at a place called the Concept Hotel WaQ (コンセプトホテル和休,
Konseputo Hoteru Wakyu). The Concept Hotel WaQ, pronounced "wa-kyu" and meaning "peaceful rest", combines the facilities of a Western hotel with the customs of a Japanese inn.
At the lobby, you have to take your shoes off before stepping in. The shoe lockers here have these sliding wood-block keys, labelled with a hiragana letter and a number. Instead of toiletries and other amenities being provided in each room, you have to pick what you need from racks near the front desk, which I actually like. I generally pack my own toiletries instead of using those provided by the hotel, so it’s good to know I’m not wasting so many resources in that regard.
The twin room I booked, while smaller than other twin rooms I've experienced in Japan (which is saying something), was nonetheless manageable. To get a Wi-Fi password for your wireless devices, you will have to get a code from the hotel's info channel on the TV. You have to do this again every day, but the connection itself works well enough.
The beds are regular twin-size mattresses, not futons, and laid right on the floor instead of on a bed frame, but I still had no trouble sleeping on them. These beds, and much of the furniture in this room, stand very close to the floor. I'm sure my grandmother needed me to provide the occasional push or pull to help herself up, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.
The view out of our window faced to the north, over the train tracks. The Sea of Japan is out somewhere in this direction, but there's four miles (6.5km) of urban sprawl in the way, so don't count on seeing it for yourself.
In addition to small en-suite showers in each room, there are shared onsen baths, one each for men and women, which were on the hotter side as onsens go (which, again, is saying something). And, as if that wasn't hot enough for you, they each have sauna rooms as well. I've read that the ladies' bath is less-developed than the mens', basically just a Jacuzzi tub, but my grandmother just stuck to our own shower, so neither she nor I can confirm that.
But gender inequality aside, for what class of hotel this is, the staff goes above and beyond in its level of service. Despite the staff knowing no or little English, they were very helpful in checking us in, introducing its more unique rules, and picking up and shipping off our luggage via delivery service. They also serve Japanese-style breakfasts for free; while we opted to eat our own breakfasts instead, on our first morning, the concierge noticed we seemed to be skipping breakfast, and gave us a couple of Soyjoy bars so we wouldn’t go hungry. I think that says it all.
Speaking of food, here are some things I tried around the area. At Tateyama Soba, a noodle restaurant in front of Toyama Station, we shared a bowl of shrimp tempura udon. I had never eaten any noodles with chopsticks before, and thus couldn't get the technique down. Apparently slurping is involved. Those things on the bottom-left are minced fish patties called
kamaboko (蒲鉾). They were tasteless and rubbery; not something I preferred to eat more than to look at, at least. The ones at this place were decorated with the kanji for Tateyama (立山), a mountain range near Toyama.
I also tried a matcha (green tea) flavoured cookie with white chocolate chips, picked up from a 7-11 store at the station. Now there's a more familiar taste, albeit one filtered through Japanese eccentricities. I kinda liked it. But thinking about it now, this combination makes a lot of sense. During tea ceremonies, you're usually given a sweet of some kind to counteract the bitterness of the tea. It was only a matter of time before someone decided to cut out the middleman and just put the essence of the tea in the cookie itself!
Awkward musings aside, as long as your tastes in accommodation aren't overly discerning, I would highly recommend the Concept Hotel WaQ for anyone staying in Toyama. Its elegant and economical design is a model for other hotels to follow. And its proximity to Toyama Station served us well for the many times we would use it leave and come back from day trips. Find out where we went, after a new Know Your Trains article, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Concept Hotel WaQ
Address: 1-1-1 Takaramachi, Toyama-shi, Toyama-ken 〒930-0007
Access: Concept Hotel WaQ is within 5 minutes on foot from Toyama Station.
Directions: From the South exit of Toyama Station, turn right at the end of the plaza, crossing the tram tracks. Continue straight past the next traffic light. The hotel will be on your right by the end of the block.
Website:
(Japanese)
