Hostel Ko-fu

The entrance is nicely decorated, and the location is good, but I wouldn’t use this as a restful stop between the airport and elsewhere in Japan. The room feels stuffy, you hear everyone going about their business, and there’s no staff. Other people have already written very accurate reviews.

It was clean and worked fine for one night for us. There are free washing machines, too. The room is tiny, just enough space to lay out the futons, with no windows or air conditioning. The walls are so thin you can hear everything next door, and the room locks feel flimsy.

For me, $70+ a night is too much for a box where you can barely sleep, sit, or spend time. After one night, I’m done with this place. Dotonbori is nearby, which is about its only plus. The rooms are tiny, there’s no common space, and once the futon is down there’s room for a couple of bags. You have to walk over the bed to get in and out. There’s no air conditioning, and a performance bar shares the building, so we heard loud singing at 1 AM on a Wednesday. The paper windows in the doors make up the walls where most of the noise comes through, and hallway light shines straight in with no clear way to switch it off. There’s no staff on site, everything is automated, and they don’t accommodate much. Early arrivals can’t store bags. There are only two washers for around 20 people, and a load takes 3-4 hours. Honestly, coin lockers are cheaper and more secure. It’s also really hard to find if you don’t speak Japanese. The Google Maps entry isn’t ko-fu, it’s the sorry next to the building that leads to a bar. ko-fu has its own elevator, separate from the building, so going into the building can leave you lost.

At this price it’s a bargain, and you’re right by Shinsaibashisuji Daimaru, with all kinds of restaurants and shops within a two-minute walk. The room, mattress, sheets, toilet, and shower were clean and tidy. The only snag was the single escalator entrance to the hotel on the 4th floor. When I arrived it was somehow marked ‘servicing in progress,’ though I later found it was working.