HOSTEL　WASABI Nagoya Ekimae

So many useful freebies for travelers, from cosmetics to suitcase covers. And the spot is perfect, right by Nagoya station. Loved it!

Wasabi has an odd charm, sitting next door to a girls bar and what looks like an adult movie theater. It was good value, as were other hostels I stayed at in Japan, and it’s well located for Nagoya, close to the station and its many routes. The hostel was clean throughout, with no cleanliness problems during my stay. The staff were polite but distant. Maybe I was just the wrong type of foreigner, but I got the feeling they wanted me out of their hair instead of helping. Facilities were above average, though there wasn’t a good way to secure valuables. You could leave things in your bag or try the small, crappy hotel safes. There also wasn’t much interaction between staff and guests, so I was a little SOL when I ran out of ideas for things to do. Still, it’s a perfectly acceptable place to stay.

I booked here because another big event had filled the other hotels and capsules two months ahead. Now I see why this place still had space. I paid around 6000 yen, what a business hotel in Nagoya normally costs. I come here often, and I won’t stay again unless it’s an emergency. The toilets and showers were clean, though there was some mold in the shower area and along the shower floor that could bother people. Staff were okay, but I speak Japanese and can’t comment on other languages. The common room had free tea and coffee and space to eat. Almost all the women on the women-only floor were polite and considerate, the wi-fi worked, and the location near the Shinkansen and bus station was great. For over 6000 yen a night, almost everything came at extra cost: towels, slippers, pajamas, and most amenities. I’ve used many capsules around Japan and never had to pay extra for all of those. Luggage security was basically nonexistent. Bags sat in a shared area anyone could access during the day, and locking yours up cost extra and got you a very flimsy lock. Other places I’ve stayed had lockers. The capsule safe was tiny, and a bigger safe required a deposit. There was only about two meters of luggage space for two people. With nowhere to open bags beside the capsules, you had to line up to get anything done. Some people had no common sense and a main character syndrome, doing their best to get in everyone’s way. I’m allergic to dust and can detect it easily. I woke with a runny nose, which cleared as soon as I left, and had to leave early when I started having trouble breathing. This has happened to me only twice at hotels in the last 12 years. At the other one, at least I could open a window. The common room here has no windows or air circulation, and that little fan won’t do anything. On the women-only floor, there were just two showers and toilets for more than 20 people, so there was always a line for something. Shoes were left in a tray marked with your capsule number, but nobody checked them, so anyone could take them. During the day there was no security; people could enter the hotel, elevator, and all floors. It was locked only at night. The capsule walls were flimsy, and the curtain door let every sound through. The door to the elevator and common area was unlocked around 5 or 6 and left open after that, so you heard luggage and bathroom noise. You could clearly hear the hairdryer from the bathrooms even from the middle capsules. People also came and went after 11 PM, and you could hear every sound from inside your capsule even when they tried to be quiet. Unless you’re an extremely heavy sleeper, expect to wake up repeatedly, even with earplugs. The stairs also left very little room to walk between capsules, which felt like a fire hazard. Check-in was crowded at 3 PM, and the wait was around 10-15 minutes.

I stayed two nights, checked out in the morning, and paid 300 yen to store my bag securely while I waited for my night bus. When I came back, a staff member told me to leave because I couldn’t stay there. The young woman then asked me to pay, so I used Google translation to explain that I was a guest and had already paid. They asked to see my bus ticket, and only then let me stay. The staff really should speak English. I wouldn’t come back.