&And Hostel Asakusa

The location is quiet but still close to Asakusa’s main attractions, and only a few minutes from the train station. I especially liked the balcony on the top floor. Staff were friendly and communicated well in English. This may be the cleanest hostel I’ve stayed in. I was a little disappointed to learn on arrival that towels cost extra, since the other hostels I’ve used included them. Aside from that, I had a great stay.

The one real plus is how close it is to the MRT. Otherwise, this was a nightmare, and even though it’s the cheapest hostel in town, I wouldn’t stay again. The cabin is so tiny I was constantly hitting my feet or body on things. The room felt pretty dirty, but slippers cost extra, and after I bought a pair, someone stole them. That’s ridiculous. They should have reusable plastic slippers instead of leaving people to take them. I’d have had to pay again to wear slippers inside. The shower room is small and right next to the kitchen. Lockers are tiny, with no room for bags or luggage. There’s nowhere to put everyone’s things, so the sleeping area gets messy. I couldn’t get a full night’s sleep either. Neighbors were having nightmares and hitting the wooden divider, which kept waking me up.

The staff were lovely to talk to and answered all my questions. Showers had good hot water and pressure. But there are some real problems. When the capsule room is full, there isn’t enough space for everyone’s luggage. During my stay people had things scattered everywhere, making the room dirty and getting to the beds at the far end was hard. The kitchen is small and dirty, though I know that’s more down to guests not cleaning up than the hostel itself. There’s a low ceiling right above your head in the beds, then more space around your body. I hit my head several times. The Wi-Fi was probably the worst I’ve ever used: even with Wi-Fi on every floor, I couldn’t google anything and had to use data for much of my planning. I’d stay again if there weren’t other options.

The staff were genuinely nice and friendly, and the location is good, but I don’t get the high ratings. The double room barely has space beyond the bed. A sliding door separates it from the hallway, and you can hear everything outside. There’s also no proper fire escape, which makes the place feel like a fire disaster waiting to happen. The Wi-Fi was so slow I could barely send texts. I expect the owner will give the same generic reply about addressing this, but it doesn’t seem to get fixed.