After staying at the Tokyo Dai-ichi hotel in downtown Matsuyama, I’d like to offer this review. It’s an older hotel but it’s kept modern and up to date. The staff who greet you are courteous and helpful. If you contact them in advance for any special requirements you may have, you’ll find them quite accommodating.
The rooms are big for a Japanese hotel. Tokyo Dai-ichi is a business oriented hotel, but it’s also eminently suitable for tourists. And if you want to get married in Matsuyama, it also hosts wedding ceremonies, with a wedding chapel on its roof. The hotel is a one stop destination for planning a wedding ceremony from renting wedding attire, hosting the wedding, entertaining the wedding party, as well as giving guests a place to stay before and after the ceremony.
The hotel has its own parking garage, which is situated behind the hotel. Parking is free as long as you are staying at the hotel. It’s a Japanese style carousel parking garage. The hotel car manager guides the driver in and out. After you back the car out of the carousel, the floor has a circular metal disk that the car sits on. The disk reverses the car so it can be driven out.
The dining area is a major feature of the hotel, and breakfast is part of the package. It’s advisable to get there when they open as it does fill up fast during the busy season. The breakfast is outstanding. Both western style and Japanese style are available and you can choose between the two. There are hot and cold selections. You present your breakfast coupons to the staff, then they will either seat you or you can seat yourself.
The hotel features a top floor meeting room that overlooks Matsuyama Castle. Matsuyama Castle is one of the top ten castles in Japan and the view from the top floor meeting room is breathtaking. The castle is within walking distance from the hotel. Visiting the castle is like traveling back in time. For a small fee you can go inside the castle itself. You can walk up the castle hill or take either the cable car or chairlift for a ride up the castle hill.
When visiting Matsuyama on Shikoku Island, I highly recommend staying at the Tokyo Dai-ichi hotel. Plan ahead and make your reservations. The hotel does book up in advance.
