Time passes too quickly these days, perhaps due to being busy with work. Monday turns to Friday in the blink of an eye, and before I know it, the weekend has passed and it’s Monday again. It feels like the years fly by faster as one ages, a sentiment I’ve heard somewhere before.
Once again, I headed to Nishinari. I’ve often flown with carriers like JAL or ANA due to their campaigns, but this time I chose Jetstar for a change. From Narita Airport to Kansai Airport, the journey was marked by coveted lounge accesses. With a recently acquired Priority Pass, I managed to grab the “Osaka Dotonbori Set” from “Botejyu Yatai” worth 3,400 yen at Narita’s Terminal 3 and a takeaway set from “Botejyu 1946” at Kansai Airport, both at no cost, and carried them to my destination.
In recent times, with a boom in inbound tourism, many international tourists can be seen both at the airport and in the trains of Nankai Electric Railway. Stepping out of Shin-Imamiya station and crossing the pedestrian walkway, the familiar landscape unfolds before me, despite the glittering presence of OMO7 Osaka by Hoshino Resorts on the opposite side through the JR line, presenting a stark contrast to the unchanged scenery, where, paradoxically, the increase in living costs seems to have exacerbated the struggles of the impoverished.
For this visit, I stayed at “YAMATO by DOYANEN”. Situated to the southeast from where the center once stood, just a turn off the main street and a few minutes’ walk into an alley, it lies right in the heart of Nishinari. Although the area has become safer over the years, it’s a place where one should remain alert, especially at night. I had stayed here back in March 2020, before the pandemic hit, when the number of inbound tourists was on the rise, and the front desk was managed by Westerners. The hotel’s name change to “IKIDANE COZY HOTEL” and back again was a little puzzling.
I arrived at 8:35 PM. As before, I tried to enter through the central door, but it was already shuttered. A closer look revealed a QR code, something that wasn’t there during my last visit.
This type of check-in method took me back to an experience in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore, a week before international travel restrictions were implemented in February 2020. That time involved entering a URL rather than scanning a QR code, and I had to register a credit card for a payment that needed to be settled locally, which added some panic to the process.
Having paid in advance this time, I assumed everything would be fine, but was immediately prompted to “Enter your check-in code”, which I didn’t have since my booking was made through Rakuten Travel. After some panic, I called the hotel phone number where a gentleman, with a polite and gentle tone, advised me to use my reservation name if I didn’t know the code. Indeed, this instruction was clearly stated on a notice I later saw. Once past this hurdle, despite a stated final check-in time of 10:00 PM, it seems that with this QR code system, late arrivals are still manageable.
After obtaining the door unlocking password, I felt relieved to finally enter.
No one was at the front desk, but the lobby maintained its previous arrangement with tables, chairs, and a vending machine for soft drinks. Washing and drying machines were also available, albeit only one of each.
The only major change was beside the staircase.
For comparison, here’s a photo from my previous visit. There used to be a space equipped for cooking, complete with a toaster, but it’s been remodeled, and now there’s nothing there, which is a bit disappointing.
Access to the hotel’s upper floors is via stairs or an elevator. Upon reaching the door of my assigned room, I encountered a dial lock with a four-digit code, which I had already received through the QR code process. However, the door wouldn’t open despite entering the code correctly and trying several times, leading to a panicked moment.
Once again calling for help, the same gentleman kindly instructed me, “Did you manage to enter? Great! After aligning the numbers, did you pull to open a box?”
It turned out to be a rather primitive system where aligning the numbers wasn’t for unlocking the door but for opening a box containing the key. “Oh, I see! It’s open. Thank you for your help,” I said before ending the call.
This method was also explained in posters around the front desk and corridors, leading me to reflect on how panic makes things worse.
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
