Welcome! Mutsu Park Hotel from outside (Photo: Peter Sidell)

Mutsu Park Hotel

A comfortable base for exploring Shimokita Peninsula

Welcome! Mutsu Park Hotel from outside (Photo: Peter Sidell)
Peter Sidell   - 3 min read

If you're heading to the Shimokita Peninsula to explore the rocky coastline, inland scenery or the sacred mountain of Osore-zan, then you're likely to pass through the small, agreeable town of Mutsu. A good place to stay while you're there is the Mutsu Park Hotel, which provides decent comfort and friendly service at an eminently reasonable cost.

I arrived very early and the staff allowed me to leave my bags while I went to Osore-zan for the morning, then I came back and checked in. I'd chosen a standard single room instead of the economy single, and was glad of the extra couple of square meters, though it was still pretty boxy in usual business hotel style, and I imagine an economy room would have been very poky indeed. My room boasted the usual fixtures and fittings - TV, fridge, kettle - and a pleasant, if not outstanding view over the town and its surroundings.

Elsewhere in the hotel, there are comfortable couches to rest on in the lobby, which is decorated with a striking, colorful glass mosaic on the ceiling. There are also a couple of free-use PCs, laptops available for rent, a coin laundry and a Tea Lounge open from 11:00am to 8:00pm.

Rooms available are singles, doubles and twins, ranging in price from about ¥5500 for a single to ¥9500 for a double or twin; the hotel's website, while mostly in Japanese, has an English reservations page which also allows you to reserve a double for one person only, for roughly ¥7000. For an extra few hundred yen you can also have breakfast, choosing between continental or Japanese food.

Mutsu isn't a big town, so the hotel is convenient for everything. There's a supermarket immediately next door, the bus terminal for buses to Osore-zan and nearby stations is only a short walk away, and it's close to the town's lively few blocks of bars and restaurants. The friendly, cheery staff, who spoke a little English, furnished me with information on transportation, recommendations for places to eat, and a booklet with some discount coupons. There are no must-see sights in the town itself, but there are a couple of pleasant temples, and I spent a relaxed half day poking around them and the shops.

I enjoyed my stay at Mutsu Park Hotel. For the level of comfort, the welcoming staff and the very convenient location, it definitely represents good value for money.

Peter Sidell

Peter Sidell @peter.sidell

I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.