The Theater Hostel Akasaka

The shared area is cramped, there's no cooking stove, and the blanket was small. You can also hear people brushing their teeth in the morning since the bathroom isn't separate from the bedroom. Still, it's a pretty good hostel: clean and modern, with a good location, solid Wi-Fi, and self check-in.

I booked a studio through Agoda, but they wouldn't honor it and said they only had a capsule for me. The woman then tried to charge me 3000yen extra per night for a one-bed room that was basically where they stored bedsheets. My allergies also flared up at night, and there seemed to be plenty of dust mites. Given the poor condition, I think the place should be shut down. I've been to more than 20 cities in Japan, and this was the worst excuse for a hostel I've come across. They packed 20 people into a room with so little space or privacy that everyone looked miserable and had to worry about waking someone up. The sinks were right by the beds, so from bed you could hear showering, brushing, washing, and hair drying day and night.

I took a chance on this place because it gets great ratings on booking sites, even though Google reviews weren't as good, and I was pleasantly surprised. The beds, toilets, and showers were all super clean. There's a microwave and free coffee too. The one downside is that noise at night depends on who else is staying.

I was nervous about booking after reading the bad reviews, but the staff were kind and the other guests all tried to keep things quiet. This is a nice hostel if you can be quiet yourself and have earbuds. A noisy guest could still make the stay a bad experience.