Concept Hotel WaQ

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!

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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)

Introduction to: Toyama

This article is based on a visit made on Tuesday, 15 May 2018.

Edit 10 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

Toyama (富山, lit. 'wealthy mountain') is the capital city of the eponymous Toyama Prefecture, which is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the north and the Tateyama mountain range to the south and east.  It was established as a castle town after the Warring States period, and soon rose to fame for its production of medicines and paper.  From the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Toyama grew further in importance as an industrial port city, its progress temporarily stunted from air-raid bombings near the end of World War II.  For today's travellers, Toyama is an ideal base for making day-trips to popular sites in the northern Chubu region, which is what attracted me to staying in this city, but it also has some unique attractions of its own.

Main Attractions

菅野崇 [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

1) Toyama Castle: A castle with a reconstructed keep tower.

By Asturio Cantabrio [CC BY-SA 4.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

2) Toyama Glass Art Museum: A museum of modern, colourful glass art displays.

By tsuda [CC BY-SA 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

3) Toyama Municipal Folkcraft Village: A collection of craft museums in traditional-style houses.

えむかとー [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

4) Kansui Park: A public park built around a canal, with a modern art museum located nearby.

くろふね [CC BY 3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

5) Iwase: An old-town neighbourhood near the port, lined with museums, craft shops, and pre-war heritage.

Orientation

Toyama is a moderately-sized city, with the major train station, Toyama Station, roughly in the centre of it all.  Its downtown area, including Toyama Castle and the Glass Art Museum, can be reached a 15-minute walk south from Toyama Station.  For those who do not wish to walk, tram and local bus lines are also available.  The following rail companies operate in Toyama:

• JR West operates the high-speed Hokuriku Shinkansen, and the Takayama Main Line (CJ) to the south.
• Ainokaze Toyama Railway operates the Ainokaze Toyama line to the west and east of Toyama Station.  A former JR line, the Japan Rail Pass is not valid on the Ainokaze Toyama line, except for trips between Toyama and Takaoka stations.
• Toyama Chiho Railway, or "Chitetsu" for short, operates three rail lines out of the adjacent Dentetsu-Toyama Station.
• Chitetsu also operates three tram lines, starting from Toyama Station itself.  All tram lines have a flat fare of ¥210 per ride.
• Tram Line 1 heads south to Minami-Toyama station, on the Chitetsu Tateyama train line.
• Tram Line 2 combines the southern route of Line 1 with an west-bound route to the University of Toyama.
• Tram Line 3 makes an anticlockwise loop south through the city centre.
• Toyama Light Rail operates a fourth tram line, the Toyama-ko Line or "Portram", heading north from Toyama Station to the city's port.  It has a flat fare of ¥210 per ride.

The tram lines in Toyama use two unique IC cards: Ecomyca, for the Chitetsu lines, and Passca, for the Toyama Light Rail line.  Using these cards on their respective lines offers a slight discount on fares, lowering them to ¥180 for Chitetsu trams, and ¥190 for the Portram.  The two lines are compatible with each others' cards, but not with any other IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc.).

Access

Toyama is a stop on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, ever since its extension in 2015.  From Tokyo Station, take a Kayagaki (135 minutes) or Hakutaka (150 minutes) train to Toyama; this costs ¥12,960 for reserved tickets.  From Kyoto and Osaka, take the Thunderbird limited express to Kanazawa (135-165 minutes), followed by the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama (all services, 25 minutes); this costs ¥9,040 from Kyoto and ¥9,590 from Osaka.  All of the above options are free with the Japan Rail Pass and Hokuriku Arch Pass.

For those coming in by air, Toyama Kitokito Airport (IATA code: TOY) is 7km (4 miles) south of Toyama Station.  All Nippon Airways runs domestic flights from Tokyo-Haneda and Sapporo-Chitose airports.  International flights are also available from Seoul, Shanghai, Dalian, and Taipei.  There are no rail links to the airport, but buses are available to Toyama Station (25 minutes, 1-2 per hour, ¥410).  More information: (English) (Japanese)

Excursions

1) Takaoka: A neighbouring city with a rich bronze-casting history and one of Japan's largest Buddha statues.
Access: Hokuriku Shinkansen (Hakutaka/Tsurugi) from Toyama Station to Shin-Takaoka (8 minutes, ¥1,210 non-reserved, JR Pass OK); or Ainokaze Toyama Railway to Takaoka (18 minutes, ¥370, JR Pass OK).

2) Kanazawa: A city with multiple undisturbed historic districts and one of Japan's top three garden parks.
Access: Hokuriku Shinkansen from Toyama Station to Kanazawa (20 minutes, ¥3,390 reserved, JR Pass OK).

3) Shirakawa-go: A village famous for its thatched-roof farmhouses, where one can stay overnight.
Access: Nohi/Chitetsu bus from Toyama Station to Shirakawa-go (80 minutes, ¥1,730 one-way / ¥3,120 round-trip).  Schedule: (English)

4) Takayama: A city with a well-preserved old town.
Access: JR Hida limited express from Toyama Station to Takayama (90 minutes, ¥3,420, JR Pass OK).

5) Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route: A multi-stage path through spectacular seasonal settings.
Access: Chitetsu Tateyama line to Tateyama (Limited express: 50 minutes, ¥1,440; Local: 70 minutes, ¥1,230).

6) Kurobe Gorge: A railway-lined canyon with beautiful autumn foliage.
Access: Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen (12 minutes, ¥1,470 non-reserved, JR Pass OK), followed by the Chitetsu Main line to Unazuki-Onsen (25 minutes, ¥640).