Hostel Mundo

There’s a cat kept in a small back room by reception. It was left alone there when the staff went away for the afternoon and night, and I could hear it crying. I felt this was animal abuse, and wished I could take her with me. The staff seemed cold and rude, with no greetings, and only spoke to me when they wanted something. In the mornings, they cleaned the rooms in a rush, stomping around and dropping the vacuum on the floor. I felt they hated foreigners and just wanted our money. They barely speak English, and the place has a depressing atmosphere. Also, the city tax is accepted only in cash, which seemed very sketchy to me. Don’t go there. It’s a trap.

I stayed five nights, and the quiet, dark street made it easy to sleep. The hostel is about an hour’s walk from Kyoto Station. The dorm walls are thin and the room is small, but each bed has curtains, and the living room was a great place to meet other travelers and have long conversations. My bunk in the six-bed dorm was the only one left, and it had no bamboo mat under the thin futon mattress. I was lying on wooden panels, and couldn’t have managed five nights like that. I told the young receptionist three times before she understood how serious it was. Then she tried hard to help, giving me two thin foldable mattresses and blankets to put underneath, and another mattress the next day. It ended up being quite comfortable. After my second night, my towel disappeared. It had been hanging on the side of my bed when I left, but when I got back after a long day it was gone, and it was never found. The washing machine is outside and costs 300 yen. It adds detergent automatically, so you don’t need to put any in yourself. There’s no dryer, but that was fine.

A quiet, spotless private room that felt really cozy. The staff shared great local tips. I’d happily stay again.

The streets around the hostel are really lovely, and I felt my luggage was safe even though it was stored downstairs at reception. There wasn’t room for bags in the tiny six-bed dorm. The house itself is old but has a nice, authentic Japanese feel. It would do for a day or two if nothing else is available, but I had three issues: big cockroaches climbed on me on the second day, and I was glad it was time to leave; the curtains were so loud whenever they moved that I woke up each time; and there’s hardly any space in the dorm room.