Hon-Hachinohe, or downtown Hachinohe is where you want to stay. This is the central part of the city, with plenty of restaurants, services, entertainment and transit connections. The location is good. If traveling by train, if you have a lot of luggage, do take a cab to the JR Hachinohe station, as mentioned by others, there is no elevator at Hon-Hachinohe, and this is still about 15 to 20 minutes from the Hon-Hachinohe station on foot, depending how fast of a walker you are. A bus stops right in front of the hotel, too.
The APA staff is wonderful. They are the hotel's best asset. The only real issue I had was with the bed, I really suggest the hotel invest in changing them completely. Many people love soft beds, but this is a soft mattress on a metal mesh, just not good for your back. I could not sleep on it at all. The staff went above and beyond, and provided an accommodation that was acceptable to me, so my stay worked out really well, despite my personal preferences not matching hotel equipment. I really want to thank the staff, they were extremely nice and super helpful.