Nagonoya Cafe Guest House - Hostel

There's a good selection of cafes and restaurants nearby, and Meijō castle is about a 15-minute walk away. I stayed one night in a single room in the annex. It was modern and very nice, a little small but enough for one person and luggage. The showers and sinks were clean and modern too.

The dryer was so poor that after three 30-minute cycles, our small load still wasn't dry, and we ended up using a nearby laundromat. Our private upstairs room for three in the annex was cozy and minimalist, with barely enough room to work. The staff were very helpful. No bathtub, but the showers were quite nice. The main building sits on a covered shopping street, which makes for a fairly fun area. Nagoya station is maybe a 15- or 20-minute walk away. Train stations and convenience stores aren't directly close, though they're within doable walking distance.

We left and found another hotel. Check-in took a long time because staff were occupied with the cafe. Our room was tiny, probably not even 50 square feet. It might have worked for two people for one night, but three people couldn't manage it. We raised this with staff and they didn't care. Other staff quietly laughed while doing the cafe dishes. The woman speaking to us was incredibly rude and seemed almost trained to deny customer requests. She claimed we had a 'traditional Japanese room', and the dishes were uncleaned. Absolutely the worst experience ever!!!!!

The downstairs care and restaurant was welcoming and very nice, and one Sunday night we got to hear a local jazz group playing there. We cooked ramen in the small shared kitchenette with the provided kitchen and dining ware, then ate at the common room table. My family and I loved our stay. The staff were super friendly, spoke English well, and clearly cared about guests. There was lots of information in English, including guides and maps for Nagoya and nearby areas. It's a typical Japanese-style guest house. We stayed in the Japanese room, which could easily fit four futons on the tatami mats, though five was a tight squeeze, and the usual limit is four. The private shower rooms had nice stalls, soap, shampoo, and conditional, with plenty of hot water. Bring a towel or plan to rent one. The main drawback was the thin walls and doors, so noise carried, but other guests were generally respectful of quiet hours.