Initially, I only intended to cover Hotel Ocean's famous breakfast.

The restaurant that serves as the breakfast venue at Hotel Ocean is registered with the "Okinawa Food Store" program, which is run primarily by Okinawa Prefecture, and is well-known for its breakfasts that make ample use of Okinawan ingredients.

Since I was going to have breakfast there and had an errand to run near Hotel Ocean the following morning, I decided to stay at Hotel Ocean as well. However, after actually staying there, I was truly impressed by the numerous services that stemmed from their spirit of hospitality.

This time, I'd like to share this surprise and delight in a breakfast report, or rather, a travelogue of my stay!

<Table of Contents>
1. Hotel Ocean Basic Information
2. Check-in: Your hospitality begins in the hotel lobby.
3. Hospitality extends to the guest rooms as well.
4. "The hotel breakfast with the most extensive Okinawan cuisine in the world."
5. Checkout: Finally

1. Hotel Ocean Basic Information

Hotel Ocean is located right at the Asato intersection at the eastern end of Kokusai Street in Naha, about a 3-minute walk from Makishi Station on the Yui Rail. Asato Station is also about a 3-minute walk away, and Sakaemachi, one of Naha's more vibrant areas, is within walking distance. With 82 guest rooms, it is a medium-sized hotel, not particularly large.

While the guest rooms were renovated in 2004, the building itself was constructed over 30 years ago (opened in 1986). Both the exterior and interior show signs of age-related deterioration.

Unusually for a hotel in the city center, they have rooms that can accommodate four or more people, making them suitable for small groups to families.

Check-in is from 15:00, and check-out is until 10:00.
The hotel has a multi-story parking garage, which is available to hotel guests for ¥1,500 per night.

2. Check-in: Your hospitality begins in the hotel lobby.

The lobby of Hotel Ocean is made of glass.

As I walked down Kokusai Street towards the hotel to check in, I glanced inside when I reached the front of the hotel and saw that, despite it being daytime, the lobby was overflowing with people relaxing.

"Is some kind of seminar being held?!"

As I entered the hotel with that thought in mind, I found myself in a cafe space that guests could use for free. I took some more photos when there were no customers, but when I first visited, about 80% of the chairs were occupied.

The free drinks offer an incredibly extensive lineup, including jasmine tea, coffee, black tea, flavored water, and even welcome awamori (!).

Wi-Fi is available, there are power outlets, and you can even borrow a phone charger from the front desk.
The relaxed group appeared to be guests waiting to check in.

The unusual sights weren't limited to the cafe.

To the right of the front desk, you'll find rental items such as microwaves and strollers (reservations required), as well as shelves stocked with diapers of various sizes and types. Five diapers are provided per night.

Just before the front desk, there's a gingerbread house (not edible) handmade by the hotel, and a picture book corner.

To the left of the front desk, shampoo and pillows are neatly arranged on a shelf.

I had only thought about the breakfast's reputation, so I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of free rental items available, which I hadn't anticipated at all.

Anyway, we proceeded with the check-in process. And then, another surprise!
When you check in, you receive a hotel guide, and it's so thick you could call it a bookmark!

The book is visually appealing with lots of illustrations and is full of originality, but the content is also excellent.
The guide includes a list of Hotel Ocean's services and free rental items, as well as breakfast information, discount coupons for various tourist attractions, and a discount ticket for Churaumi Aquarium, among other things.

The unexpected service surprised me more than it made me happy.

3. Hospitality is evident throughout the hotel.

This surprise, of course, doesn't end in the lobby.

Free rental items are also available in the elevator lobbies on each floor.

For those who don't like air conditioning, we offer fans, blood pressure monitors, massagers, irons, and more.
They said I could take it to my room freely and return it when I was finished.

Inside the rooms, you'll find signs featuring the hotel's original character, "Ocean Shisa," everywhere.
The colors, combined with the bed linens, create a very pop and cheerful atmosphere.

One of my personal checkpoints was that there was an electrical outlet by the bedside!
(You can charge your mobile phone while you're using it.)

A mug and a glass.

Mirror and deodorizing spray

Ocean Shisa-chan is everywhere.

And there was another surprise in the unit bathroom.
Unit bathrooms themselves are quite common, but...

Surprise number 1! Apparently, the tap water is drinkable. However, it's hard water, so some people might not like it.

Surprise number two! You can actually choose the hardness of the toothbrush bristles!

Having been warned by my dentist that using a "hard" toothbrush was damaging my gums, I gratefully chose a "regular" toothbrush.
By the way, my shampoo and conditioner are from POLA. I'm somehow happy that they're POLA.

4. "The hotel breakfast with the most extensive Okinawan cuisine in the world."

The original purpose: breakfast!
At the beginning, I mentioned that Hotel Ocean is registered as an "Okinawa Food Store."

What is an "Okinawa Food Store"?
① More than half of the menu items offered throughout the year are locally sourced and consumed.
② A locally sourced menu is defined as a menu using more than half of its ingredients from Okinawa Prefecture. (Processed foods and seasonings are not included in the ingredient count.)
Under the rules described above, this system requires annual renewal.

In Okinawa, a city with many shops, the number of registered establishments in fiscal year 28 was 260, but only a handful of those were restaurants located inside hotels.

The hotel boasts of having "the world's most extensive selection of Okinawan dishes for breakfast," and this is heavily advertised in the hotel's brochures, inevitably raising expectations.
Breakfast is served on the top floor, the 12th floor.

I'm curious about what kind of breakfast they serve at the "Okinawa Ingredients Shop"!

Please have a look!

A wide variety of Okinawan dishes are available, from classic favorites to unique creations!

Even the salad bar becomes this much fun at Hotel Ocean!

They also have Nakami-jiru (a type of soup).

Homemade juice

Drinks also available

And this doesn't even cover everything! There are so many items!

After much deliberation, the breakfast I ended up having was

Okinawan vegetable shabu-shabu
Okinawan vegetable pickles
Gurukun and mozuku tempura
Stir-fried daikon radish and watercress with soy sauce
Fu-chanpuru
Naberanbushi
Rafté
中身汁
Okinawa soba
fresh juice
Jimami tofu
White rice

Even with something as simple as Okinawan soba, you can choose from four different types of noodles.
Vegetable shabu-shabu (a rare dish!) allows you to choose your own vegetables and blanch them yourself, naturally sparking an interest in the names of the vegetables, making it practically a form of "food education."

I'm already more than 100% full, but I feel like it would be a waste not to have dessert, so I eagerly go for round two.
I love Chinpin♪ The cake isn't too sweet and is delicious!

You can even make parfaits!

Awamori in the morning. I didn't have any more because I had another appointment afterward, but I would have loved to do a taste test!

I ate until my stomach was about to burst, but I really wanted to have some rice with a raw egg on top.

I wanted to crack the eggs out of the coral. I regret it.

The breakfast area also had baby food and a kids' play area.

The breakfast was truly satisfying, offering a wide variety of dishes.

5. Checkout: Finally

Actually, there were two things that I found disappointing about staying at Hotel Ocean.

One issue was a small crack in the bathroom sink. It doesn't affect its functionality at all, so it's not a problem, but I wouldn't recommend it to people who are very particular about the physical aspects of a hotel (such as preferring a newer building). It's undeniably old.

The second issue was the noise from the room next door. It seemed like several people were talking on their cell phones on speakerphone, which made the noise even louder, and I could hear the conversation clearly whether I liked it or not.

The next day, I asked an acquaintance who was staying in the room next door about the noise, and they said they hadn't heard anything at all. It doesn't seem like the walls of the entire hotel are particularly thin...
This might just be bad luck, but it was a bit disappointing.

However, the exceptional service, overflowing with a spirit of hospitality, surpassed even that.

I'm sure there are many other hotels that offer similar free rentals.
But that's meaningless if customers don't know about it or can't use it, right?

What I think is great about Hotel Ocean is how clearly they promote their services so that guests can easily take advantage of them.
Furthermore, the attentive service provided for those with young children is something that even I, a childless person, can truly appreciate.

While many new and functional hotels will undoubtedly be built in the future, it's rare to find one that so thoroughly embodies customer-first service.
Hotel Ocean, with its heartfelt hospitality, was a hotel where you could relax as if you were at home.