Yokohama Hostel Village Hayashi Kaikan

We weren’t sure what to expect, but the little futon room was clean, friendly, and comfortable enough for a night or two. It was very cheap, too. The train station and Chinatown are about a five-minute walk away, which suited us since we stayed here to be near the port before our cruise the next day. Fantastic!

At 2,000 yen a night, it works well for a budget traveler. The building looks deserted and very old, and the place is quite dirty, though the inside of the room was okay. There’s no elevator, but there is a water dispenser. One shower room serves each floor, with 16 rooms.

The staff carried my suitcase up the stairs, which I appreciated, since the rooms are on the fourth and fifth floors and there’s no lift. The building is old, so don’t bring a heavy bag if you can avoid it. My room was small but comfortable, with a shared shower and toilet on each floor. Bring your own towel or rent one, and be aware that my bedding smelled of stale smoke despite the no-smoking policy outside the stairwells. It’s in eastern Yokohama, close to Motomachi and Chinatown, with a station a few streets north. The surrounding streets are a bit lacking, though the main areas are only a short walk away. I had a comfortable stay and the low price made up for the missing comforts. I was traveling alone as a man, and based on that experience I wouldn’t recommend booking if either of those things were different.

We saw a rat run up the stairs on our way to the room, and the place itself felt pretty disgusting. It’s a shame, because if it were managed properly, it could be okay. My flight was delayed, so I arrived sometime after midnight. I tried calling and emailing, but no one answered, and two months later I still haven’t received a reply to my email. After traveling around the world, I know how important check-in is when you have nowhere else to stay. The way they handled it made me feel they didn’t take guests’ well-being seriously. I gave this one star after a lot of thought, and I can’t recommend it.