11Capsules (E JOY INN East Nippori Branch)

The damp air was unbearable, and there was visible mold in the rooms. I couldn’t get a good night’s sleep in those conditions. The shoe rules were also troubling. Guests have to leave shoes in a designated locker, but it has no lock. To secure them, you have to buy one from a gacha machine at reception for 200 yen, a detail missing from the Booking.com property policies. If you bring shoes into the room, staff take them and move them to the entrance locker. The reception sign says: “Shoes left inappropriately or brought into the room will be collected and stored in the shoe cabinet at the entrance for 24 hours.” Between the mold, poor air quality, and these policies, I don’t think this place is worth it. Avoid it.

Just writing this to reassure other backpackers, haha. I had a really comfortable stay. It was clean, the showers were hot, and it’s super close to the subway, 7/11, and some nice local restaurants. My only real complaint is that shower access in the room was limited to certain hours. If it’s the cheapest option, just book it, you’ll be fine lol.

The equipment here is among the best I’ve seen in a hostel, and there’s a big bathroom. The beds are really comfortable too. Seven eleven, lots of affordable places to eat, and the metro are all close by, so getting to the city center doesn’t take long. I had an amazing time.

Being close to the train station was the only good part. The main entrance is always open, so anyone can walk into the check-in and eating area. Lots of older homeless men came in to rest, get water, use the toilet, or shower, and I didn’t feel safe. The place also seemed poorly maintained. The showers, toilets, and common-area carpet were dirty and smelly, staff didn’t seem to clean often or carefully, and many facilities were old or out of order.