utsuwa Designed Hostel

The hostel is gorgeous, like sleeping inside an art gallery. It was clean, the people were friendly, and there were free toiletries, towels, and a water dispenser. The sleeping spaces are roomy with storage underneath the beds. There's one bathroom with a tub, and the neighbourhood is quiet with a good location. A few small things kept it from being perfect. The shower button has to be pressed repeatedly to keep water flowing, which may be normal in Japan but felt unfamiliar to me. There's just one full-length mirror with decent lighting, in the corner by the basin, and the toilet and basin passage is narrow. All the rooms are upstairs on the second floor, reached only by stairs, so you'll need to carry your bags up. Toilets and showers are downstairs. When I visited in mid-November 2018, the kitchen and communal area were still being renovated. Workers arrived at 8am, and the paint smell wasn't pleasant. The common area couldn't be used from 8am to 7pm, so there was nowhere to eat breakfast after 8am.

The design is really nice, but there are a few things that could work better: lockers for belongings, a way to turn off the sleeping room lights at night, and the tablet check-in, which was odd and didn't work very well. There's not much to see nearby, so don't count on finding a morning coffee around the corner.

It's a handy base for getting around. Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu Dera are easy to reach, and there are a few restaurants nearby. Kyoto station is about a 20-minute walk, while local stations are only five minutes away. The staff were friendly and breakfast was available. Highly recommend it.

A really nice, different sort of hostel that works well for a backpacker's budget. The staff are kind and helpful, and the location near Tofukuji station is convenient.