Zero-yon Village Hostel Osaka, Namba

I shared a room here with friends, and it was good value for a short stay. What I'm most grateful for is the service. Several employees showed kindness and interest through small gestures, which meant a lot. They even wished me a happy birthday and checked whether I needed anything. Thank you! Thank you very much

The room was clean and very spacious, and the bathrooms stayed nice, modern, and clean, with all the basic amenities. We had a private room and the whole floor to ourselves for four nights, which may be why everything was so clean. I can't speak for the dorms. The bed was the most uncomfortable thing I've ever slept on, and my back was in pieces. We got there after a night bus, were told the room wouldn't be ready until 3, then spent hours exhausted in the lobby. At 3, they finally checked us in and said we'd have to make our own beds. At £40 a night, that felt like an absolute joke. The place was quiet the whole stay, so I don't know why we couldn't have checked in a little early. The two female staff members we saw throughout the stay seemed unbothered and unhelpful. Service isn't a big deal for us after years of backpacking, and we're used to it. You can't use the showers between 10 and 3. That didn't bother us, but I can't see why it takes five hours to clean two showers and two toilets.

The beds were hard, but fine for me, and the curtains around them did a good job of blocking out light. Rooms were nice and clean, with lockers available, and the bathroom area was clean too. The showers had body wash and shampoo, and there was room to change or dry off after showering. There's an elevator. In the lobby, I liked the sweets and tea available to take. A bigger kitchenette would be nice, though what they have is still great. The staff were polite, helpful, and very nice. Lots of convenient shops are nearby, and you can walk to many places.

The room was basic and fine for what we needed, but after a tiring day, having to make the bed ourselves was awful. For $70 a night for a private room, I expect the bed to be ready. The bigger problem was security. Other people came onto our floor, and in the middle of the night two guys even entered our room. Apparently every room uses the same code, so they were able to open the door and walk in. I was really scared. I'd never seen anything like that in Japan, and there's an obvious security issue.