Hostel Pleasure Maruyama

There’s a roomy living area, two separate rooms, and a large tatami space for sleeping, so it seems well suited to a group. The unit is on the fifth floor, and you can hear noise from upstairs. It also has two bathrooms, one with a shower and one with a large bathtub. The cleanliness needs work: I noticed mold in the kitchen dish drawers, so you’ll need to give them a thorough clean yourself.

The room looked spacious and fairly nice, but there were plenty of letdowns. It was cold during my February visit because the windows weren’t double-glazed. Dust was everywhere, including on the air conditioner, and there was trash tucked away in different spots. Some areas hadn’t been cleaned after the previous guest, there were no chopsticks, and one pillow looked as if someone had vomited on it.

It worked really well for our family trip with kids. Maruyama Bus Terminal is about a five-minute walk away, and the highway bus from there was a big help. The place is clean and has good access, a washing machine, and private parking. Inside, it’s very spacious, with two bathrooms and toilets and a large kitchen. We didn’t have enough garbage bags for the length of our stay, and couldn’t find where they were kept. A rice cooker would’ve helped too, since we had lots of kids and stayed several nights.

The place has a definite love hotel feel, and I’m not sure what kind of facility it’s meant to be. The interior isn’t new, but it’s clean and there are plenty of amenities. The bathroom is spacious and clean, though getting the water temperature right is difficult. The shower toilet also sprays water three times for no clear reason when it finishes.