I recently took a trip to Hiroshima. Rather than stay in the city, I decided to stay down in Kure, a town famous for the Yamato Museum which shows the history of Kure during World War II and the Battleship Yamato which was also the inspiration for the Yamato Battleship turned spaceship in the old Japanese cartoon series “Star Blazers”.
When we were looking for a hotel, we wanted something that would feel high quality, but still come in at around a hundred dollars per person per night. We found the Clayton Bay Hotel in Kure (note: the homepage uses background music) and decided to give it a try. All of the reviews of the hotel were positive.
We drove down, taking advantage of the discounted highway tolls on weekends. You can also get to the hotel by public transportation. The nearest hotel is about 45 minutes from Hiroshima City by train. It may sound far, but Kure is definitely worth visiting if you are interested in World War II history. It also has a more “local” feel to it than the hustle and bustle of downtown Hiroshima.
Our first pleasant surprise was when a young female hotel clerk dashed out to our car with a cart for our luggage, which only consisted of two backpacks and one overnight bag. She was very friendly and quick. She led us to the front desk where we checked in, then the same woman brought us up to our room.
There is no custom of tipping in Japan so she left as soon as she had verified that we were satisfied with the room.
Below is a picture of the room which consisted of tables and chairs, as well as two double beds pushed together and held together with sheets and bedding the combined size of the beds.
Check out the photo of our room below:
There was wireless internet on a secured hotel network with instructions in English and Japanese. I was online in about a minute. There were several restaurants in the hotel, and a big shopping mall and tourist area (with the Yamato Museum and other attractions) a short bus or taxi ride away. The shopping mall, Yume Town Kure includes several shops, a supermarket, a food court, and other restaurants including a very good Kaiten or Revolving Sushi shop.
There was a nice breakfast buffet in the morning with coffee, bacon, eggs, and traditional Japanese fare such as broiled fish, rice, and natto.
All in all it was a great stay, and I believe the hotel should actually be ranked higher than Japanese hotel rankings place it. The service, size of the room and bath, as well as the amenities place it high in my book and we definitely are looking forward to staying there again sometime.