Tokyo Backpackers

The shared sink for brushing teeth and washing hands smelled a bit at times. We knew before booking that it wasn’t centrally located, so that wasn’t a surprise. I stayed a week in a private room, which was clean, and the bed was reasonably comfortable. The receptionists were friendly throughout, and the kitchen and common areas were nice. Overall, a positive stay at a good price.

The owner was really nice, but I still wouldn’t recommend this place unless you don’t mind these kinds of problems. It’s close to a bus stop and the walk to the train station is a bit long, though the route is easy. I came in with high expectations from the reviews and had the opposite experience. The entrance smells and is cluttered with scattered shoes because the rack is too small. Staff were very noisy close to midnight, and from the floor above I couldn’t sleep until they finally left. The room was small and dirty, the mattress felt dusty, and the corridor smelled bad too. The toilet and shower were tiny and cramped. After the first night I considered leaving, but we’d only booked two nights, so we pushed through. The dryer was so dusty I had to clean it before using it, and even then it didn’t work. There wasn’t a sign saying it was out of order. Luckily, there’s a coin laundry nearby. This is the worst backpacker hostel I’ve stayed in.

The owner was so nice, which makes it such a shame that the place was this bad. It’s far from the nice areas, so keep that in mind. Inside, the colors are absolutely atrocious, and there are no windows, so it feels stuffy and smells really bad. We saw cockroaches, too. The hostel is very dirty, and the cleaning is done by people staying there for free. The bedsheets weren’t washed when we arrived. We even saw them being put on straight from the bag.

This could be a good fit for young, laid-back travellers, and it’s suited to the ultra-budget crowd. I checked out early because I didn’t enjoy my stay. I had two very sleepless nights with other guests stomping through the hallways and using hairdryers until 1 a.m. I could still hear everything through earplugs.