Kanazawa Guest House East Mountain - Hostel

The place felt like a dormitory, and I wouldn’t stay here again if privacy or cleanliness matters to you. There were 20-plus guests, and voices and footsteps from the common room right beside our room carried through the paper-thin walls. People were loud late at night and early in the morning. There was no real privacy: people were always up and about, making it hard to sleep or wake on your own schedule. You could see through gaps in almost all the sliding doors, and although one entrance door had a lock, the other doors accessible to people had none, so someone could come into your room at any time. Cameras were in your face at every angle of the house. When my partner and I stepped outside for some fresh air, staff and other guests stared at us, and one person even took a photo of us. The lights went out at 1:46 am, and then light was shining into our room and kept us both awake. There was long black hair all over the bathroom, toilet, room, and futon, plus thick dust, mould, and spider webs around the room and ceiling. A large brown splatter stain marked the wall or door. The toilet tap didn’t work, so we had to wash our hands in the bathroom, if it wasn’t already occupied by the 20-plus people using it. You also have to pay for a towel, and it was barely big enough to wrap around a skewer. I’d pay extra and stay somewhere else to avoid the stress.

Location was the only good thing about this place. The room was filthy, with hair between the futons, mouse droppings on the floor, cobwebs and dust around the ceiling, and what looked like coffee spilled down the wall. It was right next to the only shower and toilet for 12-plus people, and there was no way to lock the room from outside. The bathroom was disgusting, with mould around the fixtures, ceiling, and walls. The shower head was off-center over the bath and soaked the whole space. The toilet sink didn’t work, so washing your hands depended on the bathroom being free. The kitchen was filthy too: food was left in the sink and a bag of rubbish sat there for over 24 hours. By the second morning, it reeked of fish and whatever else had been dumped there. The walls were paper thin, and we could hear someone fart on the other side of the hostel. We had to ask several times for people to keep their voices down after 11 pm, but people were making noise from 6 am, so getting even six hours of sleep was a challenge despite earplugs. I really wish we’d spent a little more on a hotel.

It’s an old-style Japanese house with everything you need for a short stay, and the host was very nice and helpful. The Higashiyama Higashi Chaya District is only a few minutes away on foot, and prices are usually low. The walls are thin, though, so sleeping could be difficult when the house is full. It wasn’t fully booked during my stay, so noise wasn’t a problem for me.

The host and staff were friendly and easy to talk to. The location can be a little hard to find since the place is quite anonymous, but helpful neighbors are happy to point you in the right direction. It’s close to a bus stop for the sightseeing loop that goes to Kanazawa’s main sights, and Higashi-chaya, or "little Kyoto," is within walking distance. There are also several sentou nearby, which make for a truly authentic Japanese experience. We stayed in the Japanese-style tatami room, which was spacious and nice, with comfortable futons. There’s a small kitchenette for simple meals, and both a combini and supermarket are walkable. I’d highly recommend this guesthouse for couples or people traveling in pairs.