As a fair-sized industrial centre, Shizuoka City (presumably) attracts a good number of business travelers, so there are a good number of business hotels around the station. The one I chose to stay at was the Daiichi, well located and reasonably priced, and with a free dinner to tip the balance their way.
I arrived well before check-in time but the friendly staff, some of whom spoke a little English, let me leave my bags before I went off seeing the sights. Then after I checked in, my dinner was a surprisingly big plate of Japanese curry and rice, tasty and filling, along with a complimentary glass of Sho-chu (Japanese spirit) by way of a "welcome drink". For a few hundred yen extra you can also have a buffet breakfast, that serves both Japanese and western breakfast fare.
My room was a bit boxy and plain but perfectly comfortable, with the usual molded plastic "unit bathroom" and standard amenities of fridge, trouser press, kettle and TV all present and correct. After dinner I spent some time relaxing in the comfortable lounge area near the dining room on the second floor; elsewhere in the hotel there are coin-operated washing machines, a free-to-use PC at reception if you don't have your own with which to take advantage of the free wi-fi, and vending machines for alcohol, soft drinks and cup noodles.
It's just a few minutes' walk from the south exit of the station, but close to the tracks so you can walk under them to the north side, where most of the city's sights and eating and drinking options are concentrated. It's something like ten minutes' walk to the Cenova shopping centre, then about five minutes more to Sunpu Castle Park and the observatory in the Prefectural Office tower.
According to the hotel website, single rooms start at ¥5800, doubles at ¥8200 and twins at ¥11200, though it's likely possible to find cheaper deals on booking websites. For some reason, smoking rooms are cheaper than non-smoking, which was something of an annoyance, and just encouraged me to go elsewhere for my breakfast.
That was only a small thing, though. Overall, the Daiichi Hotel did the job I paid for, and represented decent comfort at a reasonable price.
