The Super Hotel by Lohas is a Japanese chain providing budget accommodations for business and leisure travelers across Asia.
They keep the cost down by providing tiny rooms in many convenient locations. The Yokohama-Kannai branch is walking distance from the Osanbashi cruise passenger terminal, the stadium and Japan's biggest Chinatown.
I handed my prepaid hotel voucher to the reception clerk and without even looking at it she welcomed me in English "Good afternoon Ms. Rogue Wave"… I guess they don't get too many Canadians.
They had been running a ridiculously cheap deal: $45/night. I was given an electronic PIN to access the room and an amenity kit with really nice products including a face mask, cleanser, toner, moisturizer and herbal patches to relive sore muscles plus the usual shampoo, conditioner & tooth care set.
The clerk put me on the top floor which is for women only and nonsmoking. Since there is no room key, you simply punch the code into a keypad and voilà…well not quite voilà.
It seems that the nice products in the kit were actually provided to lubricate one's body sufficiently to squeeze through the narrow entrance!!!
It was like doing one of those wolf-goat-cabbage in a rowboat puzzles. You had to carefully position yourself in order to take off shoes, to get the bags and yourself in and be able to close the door. Then, you had to move the bags to block the front door in order to open the bathroom door. It was a tight fit!
There was a high step into the bathroom and my knees grazed the toilet roll on the wall opposite the toilet. The bath was deep so you had to lift your legs high to step in.
The faucet swiveled between the sink and the bath and was controlled by a single set of taps. There was also a switch to direct water to the faucet or the shower nozzle. Hot water came out so instantly scalding, that they had to put a warning!
You were also warned to shut the bathroom door while bathing because steam sets off the smoke detector.
The main part of the room was the bed with a desk, chair, TV, kettle and oddly…a face-steamer like the kind you see at the esthetician.
Mattress and pillows were really hard but I prefer that. All this to say that I liked the room but most North Americans would have left after seeing it.
After a nice bath, I chose to sleep and woke up at 4:30 am. I watched local morning news which has weather, traffic and sports plus some interesting segments unique to Japan.
They have the flower viewing forecast, the laundry-drying forecast, the announcers bow to the audience and according to a guy I met on the ship, living room viewers sometimes respond in kind!
Any cut-away segments are broadcast with a sidebar so that you can watch the reaction of the anchors. For example, on the big part of the screen, you see highlights of the Baystars' baseball game and in a little inset window, the host smiling when they score a home run.
It got weird when they did a segment on infertility and both presenters had to silently emote sympathy for the childless couples featured on screen.
Tokyo TV Shopping Channel was also fun to watch. Japanese people don't usually get hyper-excited about anything but they try to copy the Sham-wow/QVC model of television marketing. Hilarity ensues when they use every possible facial muscle to convey their elation at the plastic microwaveable steam cooking storage containers.
They make the best faces when tasting the three-minute meals made in real time and squeak out the word 'delicious' in tones ranging from normal to something only a Shiba Inu could perceive.
After a shower, I visited the nice breakfast spread in the lobby cafeteria which was included in the price.
I had natto and rice with a raw egg, mustard and soy sauce. They also offered a generous selection of fresh breads and pastries but I can get croissants any day.
Soup, boiled eggs, sausages, pickles, tea & coffee were also available.
I wanted to get a coffee to go but they didn't have paper cups. Instead, I visited the 11th floor vending machines. As soon as the elevator opened, the smell of tobacco was overpowering. This was a smoking floor. Oy. I grabbed two cans of coffee, one hot, one cold and quickly returned to my room.
It was around nine-thirty am when I collected my stuff and left the hotel. The weather was sunny, around 15°C and the streets of Yokohama were not crowded at all. It was a very short walk to Osanbashi pier, maybe ten minutes. The sidewalks are well-maintained and flat for rolling luggage. You don't see any dog poo, garbage or even dirty water on the sidewalks.
Crosswalk signals are at every intersection and pavement is raked for wheelchairs, strollers and luggage to roll along easily. I did smell and see some sakura cherry blossoms but most blooms had already peaked and fallen off.
You could also smell the fresh salty seaweedy air approaching the cruise terminal.
Next, I explored the park next to the baseball stadium. There was a tulip festival happening. Every color was in bloom from white to deep purple. There were duck ponds and cute little paths to follow. The park was filled with people from all walks of life. It was lovely and it smelled great.
Next, I stopped into a sports shop to buy some gloves for chilly Hokkaido and Alaska and leisurely made my way back to explore Holland America Line's MS Volendam.
Crosswalk signals are at every intersection and pavement is raked for wheelchairs, strollers and luggage to roll along easily. I did smell and see some sakura cherry blossoms but most blooms had already peaked and fallen off.
You could also smell the fresh salty seaweedy air approaching the cruise terminal.
The Osanbashi cruise ship terminal was designed to give visitors on board a great view of Yokohama and landlubbers can easily see the ships from a nearby plaza.
The passenger terminal is in a low building with underground parking and a rooftop viewing area. Floor surfaces are decked with a weather-resistant hardwood. It looks very elegant. Visitors can also see the ships from the grassy roof garden.
It was only around 9:45 am when I arrived. Passengers from the previous Volendam cruise were still disembarking. I noticed that they were all Japanese. It turns out that the group had chartered the sailing.
I chatted with Carol from the UK, a solo lady who was a bit nervous but nice.
The crowds thinned out and the small number of early-birds were invited to drop our luggage off at the counter. We were given an embarkation number and sat in a waiting area until about 10:45 am when my number was called.
I did the entire embarkation in Japanese and the clerk was very pleased. She read my name off my passport. (My name in Japanese sounds like isaribi, the word for the lights that fisherman hang from their boats to attract squid.) So I said that word to her..."Yes, I am squid-light." It was really funny but I guess you had to be there. It only took about five minutes to finish the process and receive my keycard.
Next came the embarkation photo, security, standard cruise-ship baptism of Purell hand sanitizer and finally the trip up the gangway. The dinner reservation guy was right at the entrance so I booked anytime dining for 5:15 pm. Then I asked an officer when the muster drill would be and he said "tomorrow."
Wonderful news! I turned on my heel and walked right back out to Yokohama for lunch. By now it was 11:15 so my room wasn't even ready yet.
Even though it was windy, it was sunny and warm. The entrance to Chinatown was a short walk away and there were tons of choices of restaurant. I chose a sit-down place with a fixed price for any three items from a 70 item selection.
The passenger terminal is in a low building with underground parking and a rooftop viewing area. Floor surfaces are decked with a weather-resistant hardwood. It looks very elegant. Visitors can also see the ships from the grassy roof garden.
It was only around 9:45 am when I arrived. Passengers from the previous Volendam cruise were still disembarking. I noticed that they were all Japanese. It turns out that the group had chartered the sailing.
I chatted with Carol from the UK, a solo lady who was a bit nervous but nice.
The crowds thinned out and the small number of early-birds were invited to drop our luggage off at the counter. We were given an embarkation number and sat in a waiting area until about 10:45 am when my number was called.
I did the entire embarkation in Japanese and the clerk was very pleased. She read my name off my passport. (My name in Japanese sounds like isaribi, the word for the lights that fisherman hang from their boats to attract squid.) So I said that word to her..."Yes, I am squid-light." It was really funny but I guess you had to be there. It only took about five minutes to finish the process and receive my keycard.
Next came the embarkation photo, security, standard cruise-ship baptism of Purell hand sanitizer and finally the trip up the gangway. The dinner reservation guy was right at the entrance so I booked anytime dining for 5:15 pm. Then I asked an officer when the muster drill would be and he said "tomorrow."
Wonderful news! I turned on my heel and walked right back out to Yokohama for lunch. By now it was 11:15 so my room wasn't even ready yet.
Even though it was windy, it was sunny and warm. The entrance to Chinatown was a short walk away and there were tons of choices of restaurant. I chose a sit-down place with a fixed price for any three items from a 70 item selection.
I got some spicy tofu, fried eggplant and shu mai.
Next, I explored the park next to the baseball stadium. There was a tulip festival happening. Every color was in bloom from white to deep purple. There were duck ponds and cute little paths to follow. The park was filled with people from all walks of life. It was lovely and it smelled great.
Next, I stopped into a sports shop to buy some gloves for chilly Hokkaido and Alaska and leisurely made my way back to explore Holland America Line's MS Volendam.
