Kangaroo Hotel

The place was cheap and about a 12-minute walk from a train line, and the entrance had a funky look and cool vibe. The hotel had a good concept, but it wasn’t carried out well. There was an overpowering musty feet smell when we came through the front door, though we eventually got used to it. Our room was small, as the listing said it would be. The slippers came in one small size and made the stairs difficult to walk in. I found black mold on the window sills, and there were obvious blood and other stains on sheets that had once been white. Privacy was poor. You could hear conversations from the neighboring rooms and even more from the hallway. There were noticeable gaps under and above the door. The shower fixtures were loose, and the shower rooms had black mold from floor to ceiling. The fans didn’t really ventilate them. There was a bathtub, but the water got cold before I could fill it with enough hot water. My wife and I stayed four nights. The only real upside was the low price and the distance to the train line.

This was one of the cheapest private places I found in Tokyo, and it did the job for my partner and me. We mainly needed somewhere to sleep and keep our things. It was mostly clean, though a few areas could’ve used a better scrub. Nothing major. It’s not fancy by Japanese hotel standards, but you get what you pay for. The staff weren’t around much, though you only really need them at check-in. The location is decent if you’re okay with walking. I probably wouldn’t bring my family here, but if you’ve stayed in a motel or a cheap hostel, you’ll be fine. I’ve stayed in places all over the world, both great and not so great, and this one wasn’t bad.

The bed was comfortable, and the concrete walls gave me a reason to spend more time out exploring. It’s a sleepy town, though, and you’ll have a fair bit of walking to get to the station or bus stop. For what you pay, that’s about what I expected.

The room was just the right size for sleeping. I could heat food in their microwave and use the heater to warm water. The bathroom was downstairs on the ground floor, but that was fine. Minami-Senju station on the Hibiya Line is the closest. Shimadaya Market is handy for groceries, and there’s a 7/11 a little farther along. One downside: a guest left his door open while watching TV, and I could hear it even with my door shut.