Our check in last night at Hotel Wing was not the best experience, and that involved our trikes. We usually suss out the situation in advance as we know the space we need. We found a great spot where staff park their bikes, which has worked well before. Our mistake was asking them. Their standard solution is all bikes go across the street to the city parking tower, no exceptions. We were probably the only cyclists staying there.
The problems began when we rode out through the the barrier, as our dual tires at the front triggered a warning that these were motorcycles…so the 300¥ per trike jumped to 1000¥. Oh, the joys and complications of riding a non-conventional cycle, but they are worth it.
On the plus side, the included breakfast buffet was excellent, and our trikes were ok in the parking garage. Creators of unusual bikes, like trikes, require a mindset of thinking outside the box, and solutions for them require the same approach.
We have had enough of being cold, which means a visit to Montbell. Luckily there is a shop near the hotel. We emerged from shopping there with down jackets, a walking stick for Mary Ellen and warmer socks for Barry
The shops that specialize in making kimonos are beautiful with exquisite choices of fabric and accessories. Kimonos were on display in the middle of this pedestrian shopping area.
Our stay at Hotel Castle in Kumamoto was quite extraordinary. Hotel Castle has a storied and long history…it was the first hotel granted the right to build a hotel in a location so close to the Castle with such lovely views from your room. The level of service is .extraordinary with a fleet of well trained staff dedicated to your needs. The fellow on the right is assigned to us and will be working through the night should we need anything and his shift ends when we check ends at 11. We’re pretty sure that they had never handled panniers before.
We might have booked a second night, but the reasonable price we paid jumped for a second night. We want to tour the castle tomorrow and will decide later if we will stay longer or head out.
The common rooms are grand with beautiful furnishings and lovely art work and ceramics. The large painting is from a Kurosawa film.
There are beautiful department stores here and based on our experience in Osaka, we know that the food floor is excellent. This shop offering beef and potato croquettes has had a massive line up. We were able to get some for our dinner in our room.
