Fujita Kanko Washington Hotel Asahikawa

“Classic old hotel in the middle of the city”

Guests with tattoo/s aren't allowed to use their onsen and gym. But the are selling cover pads for those who have small tattoos. The room is ok except the carpet is dirty. Breakfast buffet is ok though during our first night the restaurant upstairs closed early and we end up buying dinner in the … more

Guests with tattoo/s aren't allowed to use their onsen and gym. But the are selling cover pads for those who have small tattoos. The room is ok except the carpet is dirty. Breakfast buffet is ok though during our first night the restaurant upstairs closed early and we end up buying dinner in the nearby 7 eleven which is also ok.

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“Ok for the price but many niggling issues that don't have easy solutions to”

Booked early and managed to score the deluxe/executive king for a reasonable price for two nights during the Asahikawa winter festival. When we checked later the hotel was fully booked out. As others have mentioned, the onsite car park (one of those automated tower things) was designed before the … more

Booked early and managed to score the deluxe/executive king for a reasonable price for two nights during the Asahikawa winter festival. When we checked later the hotel was fully booked out. As others have mentioned, the onsite car park (one of those automated tower things) was designed before the advent of SUVs/MPVs, so you'll have to use one of the many partner car parks if you drive anything larger than a sedan. These aren't too far away, but the downside is that you'll have to clear the snow off your car every morning. The deluxe king is a great size and fits two comfortably, with space leftover for two large suitcases. My quibble with the room is that there are no power outlets near the bed at all for charging mobile phones. We had to request for an extension cord. The room is also rather old, and can do with a renovation. As others have noted, the windows do not open at all (they are completely sealed, and cannot be unlocked by staff). So it does get a bit hot and stuffy at times. We mostly turned the system off. More positively, our room, on the 13th floor, had great views of the city (including its sole roundabout!), the winter festival site, and the Ishikari River that wends through Asahikawa. We made use of the independently run spa downstairs at the discounted guest rate of ¥700 (vs ¥2,260). The water wasn't natural spring water but did the job of warming up cold bodies after a day out in the -15°C weather. Earlier on in the reviews, someone complained that about the availability of laundry machines, so while we were in the basement we checked out the laundromat, which appears to have gained two new all-in-one machines (¥600 for a complete wash/dry including detergent). They join the older two washers (¥200 a wash) and two dryers (¥100/30mins). Detergent costs ¥100, and is required only for the standalone washer. Also mentioned earlier, the entire hotel (which has around 20 floors including basement levels) is serviced by two lifts. Which is inadequate, especially since the hotel caters to group tours. We faced a huge line once when a tour group checked in. On a more pleasant note, the online chat function links to an actual human (and from my experience over two chats, the one and only same human) who was very helpful in sorting out some reservation issues and answering some of my questions about the hotel in English. Unfortunately the function seems to be missing now. The bottom line is that the hotel is way past its prime. The problems such as the insufficient number of lifts, the centrally controlled air-conditioning system (you can't set the temperature) and the antiquated carpark, all cannot be easily fixed without tearing the whole building down and starting afresh. So for now, the hotel and you, the guest, will just have to make do.

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