Top Edge Hostel

I was there for five nights, and the stay became so uncomfortable that I left the next morning after the incident. I lost money, but I just wanted to enjoy my holiday. It stopped being about getting sleep and became a question of feeling safe and respected as a guest. On the second night, I had drinks at the bar with the owner and some Japanese guests, and it was actually a lot of fun. The next day I didn’t see him. The day after that, I greeted him and got no reply; he seemed annoyed. The hostel was very dirty, with lots of hair in the shower and humidity everywhere, so I figured maybe cleaning had put him in a bad mood. At 11 p.m. he was still cleaning noisily next to my room. I hadn’t slept the night before because of jet lag, so I politely asked how much longer he’d be. He just said “cleaning” in an annoyed tone, and I took that as him not wanting to talk. I went back to sleep. I was alone in the room, in fact alone in the whole hostel, when around 3 a.m. he came in without warning to change all the beds. It felt extremely weird and unsafe. When I asked what he was doing, he muttered something without really answering, almost aggressively. I’ve never had anything like that happen in a hostel. The owner is very strange, and he entered my room in the middle of the night. Maybe things go fine when he’s in a good mood and you can put up with the lack of cleanliness, but it can quickly become a really uncomfortable experience if his mood changes like it did for me.

Koenji’s great, with lots of vintage shops, cool bars, and restaurants, and the location is really convenient for getting to them. The rest of our stay was pretty piss poor. We’d asked in advance if we could leave our bags before check-in and were told yes, but got no further instructions. When we arrived, nobody was there. We called and the staff member rudely told us to self-check-in. We came back at 3 pm to check in properly, but still no staff. After waiting almost an hour, someone showed up looking like they’d already had quite a bit to drink. We’d been travelling all day and wanted to sleep, but there were no clean beds. I said there weren’t any clean beds, but the staff member insisted there were two. When I told him they were all taken, he stayed where he was, drinking, and wouldn’t help fix the situation. My friend took the one bed that looked kind of clean, and I left. Later the staff member changed all the beds and woke her up to say the one she was in was dirty. I’d told him earlier there were no clean beds, and he hadn’t believed me. It was disgusting. After changing the beds, he left again and wasn’t around when the supposed bar downstairs was meant to open, so I went somewhere else. The staff gave us the impression he didn’t want us there. I won’t come back. The bedrooms were dirty overall, shoes were allowed everywhere, and nobody explained where to find things like towels. The beds weren’t very comfortable, the room was cold, and the whole place smelled of cigarettes. There was nowhere to relax or chat, so you ended up awkwardly standing in the hallway. I wouldn’t recommend it at all.

My experience went badly, though I’m sure it could have been good if things had worked out. The neighborhood and bar have a great vibe, and the location is a real plus. I’m not very picky about where I sleep, if I can get a bed in the first place. Check-in was at 3 pm. The owner wasn’t there, as he’d said in the original booking.com message, so that was fine. In the room, a roommate told me I could choose any bed with the curtains open. I should probably have picked one then, but I went out to get dinner first. When I returned, a woman had taken the bed I’d planned to use. It was a mixed male room, so that wasn’t the issue. The problem was that every other bed was occupied too. I didn’t want to disturb her and ask her to move to the female room since she was already settled in. I called the owner, but the language barrier made it hard to explain there was no bed for me. He said he’d be at the hostel in 30 minutes, so I waited on the floor in the room. About half an hour later I heard sounds downstairs and thought he’d arrived, but he hadn’t come up. After another 15 minutes I called again. I could hear girls chatting in the background, as if I’d interrupted his conversation, and he again dismissed my message that there was no bed. By then I was upset from waiting, so I requested a refund and left. I still haven’t had a response, though I can’t be bothered chasing it now. As I left, I saw the owner at the bar getting drunk with two women. He didn’t tell me which bed was mine or answer my questions, and he hasn’t responded about the refund either. Looking back, I should have stood up for myself more, but I think it’s basic courtesy to come to the room and help sort out a problem with a guest’s stay. I can’t fully recommend it after this, even though I’m sure it would’ve been a good experience if things had gone smoothly.

Beds were comfortable, the hostel was nice and clean, and the shower worked just fine. The best part, though, is Yoshi, one of the coolest people I’ve met. You can find the owner at the bar downstairs in the evenings.