Sara

Dirty sheets, a filthy fridge, dust and rubbish everywhere, and cockroaches crawling on us during the night. Absolutely disgusting. I wouldn’t stay here again at any price.

The private rooms are spacious, and there’s a shared kitchen you can use.

I found dust, socks and old razors behind the bathroom shelf, along with a dusty mirror and flowers in what looked like a vase, with the weeds all withered. There was mold and dust everywhere, and it was obvious the room hadn’t been cleaned. The place smelled like feces while I was showering, after I heard the toilet next door flush, and I couldn’t stay there. If you lock the door from inside, they charge 1,000 yen. All I could find was a roof. Sleeping in my car would’ve been better.

I’d seen reviews calling the place old-fashioned and “not for everyone,” and that made me curious enough to try it. But once we arrived, the problems were obvious. It felt like that scene in “Ask Me If I'm Happy” where Giovanni tells Aldo that having a fridge from the ’60s doesn’t mean you need to keep ’60s stuff in it. There was mold and dirt everywhere, the bathrooms weren’t clean, and it was absurdly cold. I get wanting an “alternative” experience, but this went way too far. I even got sick during the holiday. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.