Hinode Kagurazakaekimae Hotel

I paid extra for a small private room instead of a capsule, but it has no door, so I could still hear people snoring. Overall the place seemed very clean, and the facilities have what you need, including towels, shampoo, and conditioner. It’s in a quiet area beside a metro station, and the price is good compared with other Tokyo options. One night, while I was alone in the basement common area late, a rat crawled around. I told the staff, and they said they’d deal with it.

The place was clean and well organized, but having to take off our shoes every time was annoying. My biggest problem was the bed. It was so hard that sleeping on my side, I could feel the wood under my shoulder, and the pillows gave no support. After a 23-hour flight, I never got a night’s rest good enough to recover from jet lag. The private rooms felt like 5x10 storage units, and the bathroom was small enough that if you’re tall, your knees will probably touch the door. Better bedding would raise my rating.

The thoughtful layout made my single room a pleasure to use. I liked the hooks and metal rails for clothes, tables at the foot and side of the bed, and light controls on both sides and at the end. The bathroom was especially well planned: a dressing area with hair dryers and plenty of outlets meant I could dry my hair while charging my phone, and the shower had separate wet and dry zones with a clothes rack inside. After showering, I could change in the dry area. Towels are supplied and can be swapped daily by picking them up in the bathroom. There are lockers in the room and in the entrance shoe-storage area. Hinode Hotel is spotless, with a roomy shared area where you can use bamboo chopsticks, cups, and hot water if you want to eat there. It’s one of the best value hotels I’ve stayed at, and I’d happily return. Kagurazaka Station is right beside it, about a one-minute walk from Exit 1A, and FamilyMart is another minute down the road. The street to the left has plenty of restaurants, souvenir shops, and hair salons, which I visited. I tried a nearby unagi specialty restaurant and tantan noodle shop, both excellent.

The place itself was nice, but my stay was awful because of a sick man in my large single unit. Whenever he was awake he coughed constantly, and when he slept he snored terribly. I wish the hostel had a women’s dorm so women wouldn’t have to deal with this. Someone who may be contagious and is coughing loudly every minute shouldn’t stay in a shared dorm.