obi Hostel

The breakfast was tasty and healthy, and the gym was decent. You can use it 24/7, though it gets busy around 7 p.m. For 48 Euros I got two nights, breakfast, and gym access, which is pretty good for the price. The location is great, with a subway station nearby for getting into the city. There's also a convenience store close by, and the ground floor has a good seating area for planning or getting work done. The sleeping area itself is the main compromise. If you're okay giving up a bit of comfort, it's a great place to stay.

The gym and location were the only real positives for me. It was open 24/7 and surprisingly well equipped for its size, so I used it every day. Akihabara is about a 20-minute walk away, and there's a subway station nearby. I stayed at Obi Hostel with my sister for four days. This was my fourth trip to Japan, and it was the worst place I've stayed in the country, despite having tried plenty of hostels and hotels. There's no proper lounge for guests: the ground floor is essentially a cafe for outside visitors until 11 p.m. With nowhere to relax or talk quietly, people are stuck in their bunks, making the dorms noisy and uncomfortable for anyone trying to sleep. The bunks get unbearably hot without airflow, and even small movements make the beds creak. You can hear people using the toilets. In all four days, I never saw the showers or bathrooms cleaned. They didn't replace sheets or towels, and there were no slippers, unlike at every other hostel I've stayed at in Japan. The beds and pillows were extremely uncomfortable too. Miyabi at reception was needlessly rude. When I politely asked where the nearest smoking area was, she gave me a disgusted look and replied, “I don't smoke.” That wasn't helpful. It felt like a rip-off. Unless you absolutely need a 24-hour gym and can't find one elsewhere, I'd avoid this hostel. Book somewhere else and buy a day pass at a nearby gym. You'll sleep better, be in a cleaner place, and have a much nicer stay.

There's no lounge for guests because all the seats are kept for potential cafe customers. The rooms are fine, if a bit old, and it's kind of cheap, so I guess you have to accept some drawbacks. But I booked because of the 24-hour gym and only found out it costs extra. What a scam. Overall, it's okay, just definitely not what I thought I'd booked! 😅

Good value for the price. The dorm space is enough, and the locker is easy to use. It's close to subway stations in a great central location, and you can also use a 24/7 gym with all the rights equipment.