Hotel Route-Inn Hirosaki Ekimae

Stayed here as a stop over from the train journey to sapporo. Very close to the train station, with very helpful staff.

Stayed one night as a stepping stone to the rice paddy art (Inakadate/Tanbo) and Hirosaki castle. The reception staff speak limited English and are very helpful including taking care of luggage storage after checkout. Breakfast is quite nice and the vege fritters are a must. To see the rice paddy art, catch the local train (about 30 mins). Even though it's on a private line, the platform is in the same building as the JR Hirosaki, just on the other side. The rice paddy art is in two locations - Inakadate and Tanbo stations (Tanbo ato). I found it easier to go to/from Tanbo as a free shuttle bus operates between both sites and the unmanned station. Otherwise from Inakadate, a taxi is required to the rice paddy art. Best viewing would be in August or maybe early September. Hirosaki Castle can be accessed via 100 yen loop bus which operates from outside the station. Note: due to repair work being done on the foundation, the castle keep has been relocated approx 70m though still worth a visit to see the castle and adjoining park. The hotel also has an on-site onsen open until 2am however I did not get a chance to see it. Hirosaki seems to cater well for foreign tourists and whilst a small town, worth visiting for a day or two.

Excellent location; bathroom is 2 steps higher than bedroom and very very small deep tub but very short and bed is Japanese very hard in terms of US beds; suggest twin room instead of a double bed; but Japanese breakfast was included and made this a great value. Customer Service was good. Warm air was controlled by the air conditioner by bed.