Korean Job Discussion Forums

[southboca]

Info corrrect as of April 12, 2006
I found a Korean run guesthouse (Osakahouse) about a 15-minute walk from Namba Station. Cost was less than 3500 Yen a night. Check-out time was 11am--but it felt like there was flexibility. Walking time to Korean Consulate 20-30 minutes.

What's in the room: A thick mattress on the floor. Clean sheets. Korean syle sheet/duvet cover. Foam pillow. A sink. A hotplate gussied up to look like a stove. A very nice metal rack to hang your clothes. A very small tv with programming in Japanese. A/C. A window. Mine had a view down into what looked like a family-run shoe factory. A mirror. Your own roll of toilet paper. (Don't forget to take it with you to the bathroom.)

The communal bathroom, set up in three rooms, is also very clean. Room one is the showers. It has warm water and a lock so you don't have to share. In our shower, (floor 5) there was soap, shampoo, and toothpaste. Room two is the restroom. It has three stalls -- two sit-down toilets and one urinal. Two or three sinks. No toilet paper!!! Room three has a bathtub.

Other perks: Hot/cold water dispenser in the hallway. PC room downstairs (200Y/hour). Lobby vending machine with beer (230Y for a can of Asahi Dry). Bowls of ramen for sale. (Sorry, I didn't ask on price.) An elevator.

Directions:
1. From Namba Station EXIT 8 WALK STRAIGHT.

2. When you get to a major intersection with a crosswalk GO LEFT. (You should be standing in front of Gallery Memoria). You will walk straight on this road for about 10 minutes. You will cross Den-Den Road, which sells electronics. You will cross a major road with stoplights and a crosswalk. (You should be standing in front of a story that looks like a 7-11 but is called 7&iholdings.) Keep walking straight.

3. You will come to a small road. Corner 1 has a coffee shop called My Way. Corner 2 has a balloon shaped "H" logo. Corner 3 is a shoe store. TURN RIGHT.

4. You are walking down a small side street. (There will be a small playground on your right.) You want to take the 2ND LEFT on this street. The guesthouse is ON THE LEFT. (Hint: If you have to ask the locals for directions -- tell them it is a Korean motel.)

The entrance has sliding doors whited out to keep light out of the PC room. Top part of the building is off-white. One section has block glass windows surrounded by red trim.

Idiocyncrasies:
#1 They will lend you an alarm clock if you ask. It only works in 12 hour increments. Example: If you want to get up at 8AM, you must turn the alarm on sometime after 9PM. If you do it earlier, the alarm won't work.
#2 Don't forget to take off your shoes just after entering your room and the shower room.
#3 If you have to leave early in the morning (before 8am), leave your key in the room, door unlocked.
#4 Tilt coins down to insert in vending machine -- straight in doesn't work.
#5 Leave your key at the desk when you go out.
#6 The blue arrows on the entrance doors are to show that the doors slide, not to direct you to the next door.


Contact info: 001-81-6-6633-7789 (Korean/Japanese language is your best bet.) Reservations looked like there were very optional.

[the eye]

that's alright.

the JR NAMBA train station has an info desk with a map of all the hotels with pictures and their prices. they will also check availablity and make reservations for you.

i stayed in a sweet business hotel two blocks east of Shinsaibashi...and about 3 blocks north of the canal. It is a very thin dark brown building with a sliding glass door. very inconspicuous.
of course i can't remember the name, but it was 5,200yen... free western or japanese breakie, big room with kitchenette, TV, radio, alarm clock.

also turned out to be 10 minutes walk from the korean embassy

[jajdude]

As on the visa run for Osaka thread, there is a "capsule" hotel (or two?) near the consulate - just go up the road and turn on the first left on the same side as the consulate, walk down a bit, and voila. Under 3000 yen. Got to be out at 10:30 am.