Gerry wrote:

> Though not Ken, I'd appreciate a recommendation:  I usually stay in
> Dontonbori, but the one we liked best, the DH, turned love-hotel only,
> so I can't book ahead or for multiple nights.   Then we went to the
> Dotonbori Hotel, IIRC, the one with the 4 big heads outside. A business
> hotel . First time I've encounterd bed bugs since the 70's. A nice
> business hotel is fine with us as, as we usually spend 2 nights in
> Osaka turning our clocks around before traveling elsewhere.  In some
> ryokans they really want your ass out during the day, and it's
> sometimes not as quiet as you'd like.
> 
> Possibly in Shinsaibashi, as we've never stayed there and at least part
> of it looks hip, while the other parts seems a little Mall-intense.
> 
> Medium to low in cost (internationally speaking) in Dotonbori or south
> Shinsaibashi, if possible.  Any ideas?

</unlurk>  If a long term lurker could jump in here for just a minute
... I do a lot of work for really cheap clients who don't want to spend
anything on travel expenses that they don't have to.  I used to stay at
the Oriental Hotel in Namba where they had a "double room, single
occupant" special for Yen 9,800 but Namba isn't convenient for the
places I have to go during the day as it is for restaurants and bars
(you can walk to Shinsaibashi / Dotonbori or take the Midosuji-sen one
stop if you like walking around inside Namba-eki to get on board the
train).

One of the best investments I have made is a Yen 1,000 Tokyu Comfort
Members card which gets you 40%-60% discounts at all Tokyu-run hotels
and resorts.  You can order one on line and pay for it when you check in
for the first time.  They give discounts and points.  I don't know what
the points get you as I've never tried to use them -- probably a
one-meter high plush Pokemon after five years of using the card, or
something.

I routinely pay Yen 5,100-5,800 per night for a single at the Tokyu Inn
Osaka in Osaka / Umeda, which works out to around Yen 7,000 after tax,
optional ADSL connection, and optional typical "baikingu" breakfast
(but, you can buy a bottomless cup of coffee and a couple of decent
rolls at Kobeya inside Osaka Station for less than Yen 500 and not get
sick afterward, instead).  They also have doubles for around ichi man a
night.  Doyama-cho isn't as upscale as Shisaibashi, but most of the
chain restaurants are the same.  If you look at a map, it's the big
shopping area behind HEP 5 and HEP Navio -- maybe ten blocks wide and a
km long, crossing Midosuji and Shin Midosuji.

You can reserve rooms on the Internet at:

http://www.tokyuhotels.co.jp/en/index.html

The site has a seven day reservation limit, but you can usually call the
front desk and they'll accommodate your needs.  I haven't tried that
without a Comfort Member's card, so YMMV.  You can do the on line in
English, but have to go local when you speak to the desk folks.  I heard
one guy trying to Engrish at the front desk and it wasn't pretty.

One thing to remember when shooting for dates in March / April is that a
lot of the juku buy up large blocks of cheap rooms to house students
while they cram for exams.  They bring the students to central meeting
rooms for cramming sessions, then bus them back to the rooms to study.
This seems to be more prevalent in Kansai and Chubu than in Kanto ... at
least in my experience.  <./unlurk>

CL