Hotel Gengo

The whole place was spotless, and you could see Mt. Fuji as soon as you stepped outside. For what we paid, it was great value, and the room was the biggest we stayed in during our budget trip around Japan.

We were treated so disrespectfully by the hosts. The whole experience was infuriating, and I wouldn’t stay here. My friend arrived at 10 a.m. after two exhausting days of climbing Mount Fuji, having been awake all night doing intense physical activity. He asked for an early check-in and was told the room was still being cleaned. When he asked if they could speed things up and let us know when it was ready, the host agreed. I arrived at 1:30 p.m. to check on the room, and the hosts again said it was being cleaned. We waited in the lobby for an hour and a half. We didn’t see a cleaner enter or leave the room, or even come down the hallway. They finally gave us the key at 3:00 p.m., with no consideration for how exhausted my friend was. We checked out at 10:00 the next morning and spent the day exploring the city. At 3:00 p.m. we returned, and I sat quietly in the lobby to wait for my 4:30 bus. About an hour later, a host asked if I needed help. I said I was just waiting. He asked if I’d been a guest the day before, and when I said yes, told me to leave. I was shocked. He repeated it dismissively and kicked both my friend and me out, saying we had no right to be there after checking out. We’d been sitting quietly, each on our phone with headphones, and they still threw us out. It felt like guests were only money to them. Once we’d paid and checked out, they didn’t care about us at all. A total disgrace. This is not how you treat people.

The rooms were spacious and clean, but there were no laundry facilities, even though the Agoda booking site said there were.

The walls and floors are so thin that every sound carries, and I struggled to sleep. Staff interaction was basically just an iPad, and the location felt average. They also don't provide bikes, unlike many places. We checked out at 10 a.m., then spent the day out and got caught in the rain. When we came back, there was a sign up and the outlets had been taped over, so we couldn't sit in the common area. For a hostel, that felt pretty unreasonable. If you plan to spend the day out after checking out, I'd stay somewhere else. I've never had another place refuse to let us sit for a while.