"Pros: The hotel is located centrally in Nagaoka, a few steps from the train and bus station. There are plenty of restaurants and shops nearby. Half of the rooms have at least some view of Higashiyama, the hills east of the Shinanogawa plane, where Nagaoka is located. The LiVEMAX is a typical hotel for (mid-tier) business travelers—no-nonsense, no special charm, but the rooms are friendly and offer all the necessary amenities, a good bed, a small desk, refrigerator, microwave oven and water kettle. All of this comes at a very reasonable price if you book ahead of time. The room is small by European or American standards but adequate as long as one does not have bulky baggage. It was impeccably clean. There are three coin-operated washing machines and dryers on the second floor. The staff were helpful and tried their best to get over the language barrier (I may well have been the only foreign guest during my five-weeks-long stay...). Cons: The bathroom is fully equipped and functional but terribly small. The bar/restaurant on the ground floor is no longer open for breakfast, guests can get a voucher for a hot dog and a drink at the cafe across the street, which I did not find too tempting. If you plan on a longer stay, be aware that the rooms are cleaned only once a week (and after departure, of course). Extra cleaning can be requested but is charged at ¥1000. This reflects itself in my rating for cleanliness. Fresh towels and nightshirts are, however, distributed daily, and one can put the garbage bin out in the morning. At least some of the rooms on the second floor have non-transparent windows. When checking in at the LiVEMAX again after a short trip, I was assigned such a room. I immediately realized that I would get depressed or claustrophobic; luckily, I could get another room with a normal window." ~Di_ch

"Pros: Location and helpful staff Cons: Old facilities." ~Alberto