Hotel R9 The Yard Hitachinaka Ichige: Complete Review (2026)

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored for this post. I decided to stay at Hotel R9 The Yard Hitachinaka Ichige because it looked interesting.

In April 2026 I stayed at the R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige and it was a little bit like going camping but instead of using tents it was containers instead. Because each room is a separate container

The R9 Yard Hotels are a chain of budget hotels that use 20 foot shipping containers as individual hotel rooms and they are usually arranged like a shipping yard. It may seem quirky  and unusual at first but after a night it just feels very a like very practical, functional and affordable place to stay.

Anyway, I will let you know what my experience was like staying at such a hotel and why you might want to consider staying at one the next time you visit Japan.

All photos on this page are mine, shot on an iPhone 11 pro.

Disclaimer: While the R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige experience is quite similar to the other franchises in the chain, do take note that there might be slight differences to the rooms, amenities and overall experience.

How do I to R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige?

R9 the Yard Hotels are usually quite a bit further out from the city centers, so it is usually recommended to drive to them instead of taking public transport. If you are exploring this area of Ibaraki, chances are that you would be on a driving holiday.

Also it is recommended to drive from Narita Airport instead of Haneda Airport as it will save you about 45 minutes in drive time.

Parking at R9 The Yard Hotel

There is plenty of parking at the hotel itself. When checking in, the staff will get your car number plate to make sure that the cars parked there are the hotel guests.

R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige Cost

So we stayed at the hotel for 8 days and it costs ¥98,839.

Here is a day by day breakdown:

How to check into R9 The Yard Hotel

When you first book the hotel, you would receive an email asking you to fill in your particulars and travel details, as it is a Japanese government requirement. Doing this will speed up the check in process a bit.

When you arrive at the hotel, the check in process is similar to any other hotel. For our case the staff did not speak English, so they will use a lot of instructions that are on laminated cards and Google translate to communicate with you.

After which you will be given the pass code to your room door and meal tickets for the free meals. You will receive one ticket for every day that you are staying there.

The check-in time is at 3:00pm and check-out time is at 10:00am. It’s the same for all their outlets.

R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige Room

When you enter the room, there is a small genkan (玄関) for you to put your shoes and change to the nice slippers that they provided. In this area there is a mirror, clothes rack, shoe horn and refresher.

The bed (a double bed I believe) is 140cm x 200cm and there is a medium sized television, fridge, microwave, kettle, hair dryer and air purifier. The rooms are really clean and I did not experience any nasty surprises. The carpets are still really clean and they don’t feel “sticky” like some older hotels might feel.

The room size is big enough for two people and definitely more than big enough for one. There is more than enough space for suitcases and shopping bags. I only got one pillow as a solo traveler but you might get two pillows if there are two of you.

The bed is comfortable enough for me, it’s not too hard and stiff but also not too soft and “springy” like older hotel beds. I was able to rest well enough after a long day of traveling and driving.

The hotel rooms are not next to each other so you don’t hear noise from your neighbours. But I will talk more about noise later below.

R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige Toilet

The toilet has a similar modular style layout like a lot of smaller Japanese apartments. There is a Japanese style toilet on the right with a shower bath area on the left. The bath and sink share the same system that switches between tap and shower head. There is a really small rack above the Japanese toilet to hang towels.

Bathroom amenities include: shampoo, body soap, conditioner, hand soap, two cups, bathroom floor mat, hand towel and bath towel.

The toilet is small but it was big enough for me. I would imagine that it may be slightly small for families with small children. The only thing is that there aren’t a lot of places to hang stuff (clothes etc) or place stuff.

Room & Toilet Cleaning

The room and toilet cleaning is scheduled for every Monday and Sunday. But they would change the bath towels, hand towels, floor mats and clear the rubbish every day.

You can request full room cleaning (besides Mon & Sun) for an additional fee. If you have extra rubbish you can also take them to the reception for disposal (free of charge).

R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige Room Downsides

Room Layout and Road Noise

So one thing to note about this outlet is the layout of the container rooms itself. The rooms are spread out in two rows with space and the car park in between them. So you get a lot of noise directly from the main road.

The road that is on (National Route 6) is also super super busy and noisy, often with traffic as early at 6am and as late as midnight. So you can really hear a lot of the road noise, especially the trucks that are going pass.

Also the container rooms are placed on a “trailer” instead of the ground itself. Which is fine for the most part. But if a really heavy truck is driving pass you can definitely hear and feel the vibrations.

Rain

Another thing to take note of is the noise from the rain. There were a few rainy days in the time that we stayed there and on some days it rained throughout the night. As it is a metal container, you can actually hear the rain quite audibly.

It was not terribly loud where it disturbed my sleep but it is definitely more audible than a normal hotel made out of bricks and concrete.

Amenities at R9 The Yard Hotel

Here are some of the amenities that you can find at this hotel:

Coin Washing Machine

The hotel has it’s own coin washing machines, they only accept ¥100 coins and do not require any washing detergent. There are different modes that you can choose like wash, wash + dry and just drying. Three are English instructions and pictures so it is easy to use.

There is even a 4 digit combination lock that you can set so that people don’t anyhow open your washing machine. Unfortunately I’m not sure why but the washing machine at this outlet just skipped that step and went straight to washing.

Coffee Machine + Frozen Light Meals

In the main reception area there is a coffee machine that you can use free of charge. There are instructions in English but the staff are more than willing to help you if you are stuck.

There is also a freezer with frozen meals that you can redeem with your tickets. There are instructions as well for using the microwave to heat them up. They generally taste like airline food, and are convenient for a quick dinner. That being said if you have flown all the way to Japan you probably would want to try the local food places instead.

But since you have traveled so far you might want to eat something else instead.

Here are the meals that are available:

Vending Machine

The hotel also has a vending machine, it is similar to vending machines that you would find across Japan.

Food Places Nearby

There are plenty of food places nearby the hotel. If you don’t mind driving a bit more, here are some of my favourite picks:

AEON MALL Mito Uchihara

If you are unfamiliar, AEON Mall is a chain of really big shopping malls found outside the main cities. They have almost everything including a supermarket, food court, cafes, restaurants, departmental stores, movie theaters and so much more.

It is a 30 min drive from the hotel but if you need supermarket stuff or utility items it is a great place to find everything you might need.

AEON Style Mito-Shi

If you just need supermarket stuff nearby, you can check out Aeon Style Mito-Shi. It is just the supermarket of Aeon Mall. It’s slightly smaller than the supermarket in the mall itself, but it has more than enough things and is only an 8 minute drive from the hotel.

Fashion Cruise Newport Hitachinaka

If you need another big shopping mall, there is one about 20 minutes drive away. Fashion Cruise Newport has lots of cafes, restaurants and shops making it a good shopping place to visit nearby. There is even a really large stand alone Muji outlet next to it.

It does not have a supermarket itself but it there is one next door at the Joyful Honda. The supermarket does not have as much variety as the Aeon Mall supermarket but should be sufficient enough.

Some Tips

– Highly recommended to stay here if you are on a driving holiday. It is quite inaccessible by public transport.

– Don’t expect them to have good English. But they are well prepared for non-Japanese speaking guests with the laminated card instructions. Broken Japanese is good enough in most cases.

– Bring a travel pillow if you are a solo traveller and need more than one pillow.

– Bring a glass Tupperware to microwave the hotel food (or supermarket bento) if you don’t want to microwave the plastic containers.

Would I Recommend staying at R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige?

Yes I recommend staying at R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige if you are on a driving holiday and want something affordable yet modern and clean.

I do have some concerns with the road noise due to the layout and the noise from the rain. But I think this can be mitigated by staying at an outlet with a different layout.

I won’t recommend this hotel however if you are a small family with multiple young children. You might want to look for a hotel that has a bit more space, comfort and is able to readily able to accommodate the extra needs of a small family. 

There are a few other R9 The Yard Hotel outlets in the area so there should be plenty of vacancies if you can’t get any at this particular outlet.

R9 The Yard Hotel Tsukuba

I also stayed at another R9 The Yard outlet at Tsukuba. It is pretty much identical except for some room appliances being different.

However the layout of the container rooms are different, so there are a few rows of container rooms between your room and the main road. So there are some buildings to absorb some noise, making it slightly quieter than the Hitachinaka Ichige outlet.

Read about our experience staying at R9 The Yard Hotel Tsukuba for a week. Compare rooms details, pricing and tips for a 7 night stay.

Nearby Attractions – Mito City

R9 The Yard Hotel Hitachinaka Ichige is only about a 15 minute drive away from Mito City and there are quite a few things you can check out there.

Lake Senba & Mito Kobun Terrace

Lake Senba is a big lake in the middle of Mito City where locals go to exercise, relax, ride swan boats and spend time with their family. There is also a newly built complex (Mito Kobun Terrace) right beside it with cafes, restaurants and a kimono rental shop.

Right beside Lake Senba is Kairakuen Garden (水戸偕楽園), one of Japan’s three finest gardens famous for having over 3000 plum trees. There is also a traditional Japanese building, Kobuntei, if you want to see what traditional Japanese houses look like.

For a more in-depth look at Lake Senba, Mito Kobun Terrace, and the surrounding attractions (including seasonal events, best times to visit, and photography tips), check out our full guide: Lake Senba & Mito Kobun Terrace – Complete Visitor Guide.

Art Tower Mito

When traveling around Mito City, you probably would have seen a striking looking tower. That is Art Tower Mito, an artistic observation deck with really great views and a contemporary art museum. On some weekends, they might have crafts markets, adding to the overall experience.

Check out our visit to Art Tower Mito, the art museum, the arts and craft stalls and for the best times to visit.

Mito City Trip Itinerary

FAQ – Hotel R9 The Yard Hitachinaka Ichige