I was in Sapporo for a couple of nights and found myself booked into the Green 2 Hotel. Was there a Green 1? I have absolutely no idea, but the internet says the Green 3 is somewhere else.

Someone I had never met had booked the hotel for me. He told me that it was "not luxury but clean and convenient". Well it was just across the street from where I was going to be and all I needed was a clean bed, a hot shower and a reliable wake up call, so, “Let's give it a try,” I thought.

From the outside the building doesn't look very promising, it looks rather grubby, tatty and almost industrial from the second floor up. The ground floor entrance, though, looks new, clean, shiny and is reasonably well lit.


LOBBY
Walking in, the reception area actually looks rather grand. Hey, I thought, this is better than I expected. Two long desks, fully staffed by people in a smart uniform. It looked better than the lobbies of many bigger, better and grander hotels!

Off to the right were some public telephones and a machine selling phone cards. You'll need to know this if you plan to make international phone calls, as the phones in the room don't call overseas. Also you may need some help making the call, as the international dial codes have changed and the signs over the telephones are out of date (you have to add 010 inbetween the access code and the country code, as I found out after half an hour of trying at 3am!)

Beyond the phones is a coffee bar (unfortunately not open at 3am) and at the far end, a general shop offering a range of small souvenirs, bathroom products, snack boxes, pens and pencils etc etc etc. Next to that is a small open bar area with half a dozen tables and chairs.

At the opposite end of the lobby is a small pastry shop offering cakes, breads and sweet pastries.


RECEPTION
The people at Reception were unfailingly helpful, even though only one of them spoke any English. They quickly got to know me; on the first afternoon one of them tried asking me something as I came up to the desk and another shushed her up and quickly grabbed my key and handed it over before I could even ask for it!

At 3am when I was trying to make the phone call, one of the receptionists was trying to help me, again even though he spoke no english. He bought the card, tore the corner off (I would never have figured that out) and dialled for me.

Sure, if you want people who speak an international language then go to an International hotel. But the only time I got frustrated at not being able to communicate was in the shop, when I was trying to buy a deodorant and could only find hair spray.


THE ROOM
My room was on the ninth floor near the end of a bland, uninteresting corridor. Near my door was a vending machine selling soft drinks and next to that another one offering TV prepayment cards, to watch the pay channels on the TV, and hair brushes. I'm not kidding.

The room was small but it seemed quite light; the carpet was a light grey and the walls white. Entering the room, on the left was the door to the toilet and bathroom. Beyond that the room opened out to the left with a very wide single bed (or maybe a very narrow double bed) against the wall. A narrow bedside table was squeezed between the other side of the bed and the other wall. On the opposite wall was a small unit with a cramped desk on one side and a TV on the other. There was also a thermos jug with hot water, a small cup and two sachets of green tea. The window had a wooden slide shutter, then curtains to cover that, so it was nice and dark at night.

The highlight was the bed, as for a single bed it was very wide. It was also comfortable enough and for relaxing in the room there was provided a thin cotton bath robe and slippers.


BATHROOM
The bathroom was divided into two. The first room, with a bright orange linoleum floor, had a toilet on the left and the wash basin on the right. The mirror above the wash basin extended frm my chest to my crotch, so I could only see my face when I was sitting on the toilet. I did get a good view though of my stomach.

Through another door was the shower room, with a shower spraying directly onto the floor and a very small, knees up, Japanese bath on the right. This is for bathing Japanese way, where you shower first then get in the tub to soak and relax in clean water. The bath and floor were all a green-tea green and there was a green plastic stool to sit on while showering. There was another mirror, this time from my crotch to my knees, so I could examine my thighs in detail.


FACILITIES / RESTAURANT
The hotel guide in the room was very brief and in Japanese so I don't know what they have. I saw no evidence of a pool, fitness centre or conference rooms but that doesn't mean they didn't have any.

There may be some kind of fitness centre as there was a card in the room offering massage (genuine, fitness massage not a hanky panky one!). I expect there was an internet connection available somewhere, there were some other doors leading off the lobby but I didn't ask.

The restaurant is in the basement, where they serve breakfast 0730-0930 in the mornings- I was given breakfast coupons when I checked in but didn't use them as I slept the first morning and left at 6am the next. There is a 7-11 next door to the hotel where I was able to buy cans of coffee, sausages, and other snacks.


GENERAL
If you want a resort hotel, this is not it! But it is more than acceptable for a couple of days stay, on business or leisure, where you are going to be in the room only to sleep.

Recommended: Yes