Any youth hostels you recommend ?

Im looking for youth hostels in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima that have internet, the possibility to rent a bike and which I can also enter at night. Can anyone recommend some to me (because of a personal experience) ? I already found some on the internet, but I prefer to hear personal stories..

Thanks in advance !

You probably already found this site: hostels.com/en/jp.ot.html
A lot of personal experiences there. I haven't had much time yet to check them all, but the for example Gojo guesthouse in Kyoto looks pretty good to me.

Hostels in Tokyo and Kyoto

We stayed at Budget Inn Kyoto - really good location (close to trainstation - easy walk with backpack), they have bikes for hire and no curfew. their reception isnt open 24hrs but its clean, comfy, the staff are freindly and helpful and speak good english/japanese. they are very popular and will need to be booked in advance. Kyoto is busy most of the year. oh and they also have FREE wireless internet or 2 computers with internet for 100yen per 15min. if your lucky enough to stay a night when its a full house they put on FREE Sake!!

I stayed at Khaosan Tokyo Smile Hostel in Tokyo. its in Asakusa area, 10mins walk from the train. Khaosan have 3 Hostels - Smile, New Annex and the Original. i think the Smile has the best location but Original is the closest to the station. its cheap, clean, staff are also friendly and helpful. they have FREE internet 24hrs a day and everynight you stay you get a FREE drink at their Bar round the corner. if your traveling on your own 1 Free drink is alway a good chance to meet new people. think these guys can organise bikes.

We stayed in Hotel Raizan South in Osaka. There are two building next to each other North and South but South is newer and nicer. This is like a Hotel backpacker style with cheap single and double rooms. they have FREE internet 24hrs, its close to subway and JR Lines, clean and the staff are the most helpful we have come across! they also hire bikes too!

If in Osaka avoid Osaka Downtown Hostel - owner is all about making money!

When we book accomadation we use hostelworld.com they have very good reviews/comments/rating from backpackers.

hope this helps, have a great trip. sorry we cant help with Hiroshima, havent been there yet but its definetley on the cards!

Jay and Simone

Thanks a lot, Im currently busy with arranging my trip in Tokyo and I will most likely stay in the Khaosan Hotel. First I wasnt really happy with the locating, so I was looking for any youth hostels close to Shibuya and Shinjuku but for some reason most hostels are located in Asakusa region. As I will order a 2 week JR pass, it also wont cost me anything extra to take the metro (knowing that the JR subway line perfectly connects the places I want to visit).

Indeed hostelworld.com seems to be the most interesting website, im also using it. How much in advance did you book ?

Thanks a lot for the information, much appreciated !

Khaosan Smile Hostel

i stayed in January over a weekend. i think i booked about 2 weeks before but probably a good idea to book it as far in advance as possible to assure availability. it took about 45 mins to 1 hr to get to both Shinjuku and Shibuya from Asakusa.

enjoy

the Oak hotel was friendly near Ueno Station, (handy for at least one of the airports) about 2 stops from Asakusa, they have internet, skype, a small kitchen etc. and you can get in anytime of night with your room key. they have a website so you can check prices etc.
they are about 1 minute from the subway and the owner has a bar which is in Asakusa and was quite good, the hotel staff are friendly, all speak English and will help you out if you want info on anything. they have another bar which is about 1 minute away, the barmaid is very friendly, speaks great english and you get a free beer first time in.
there are 2 small supermarkets very close by and cheap restaurants too, cheaper if you eat with the locals.
i would stay there again, there were backpackers there and groups from around the world.

I just got to Tokyo and I stayed at Sakura Hostel in Asakusa a few nights ago. The staff speaks english and room rates aren't too bad depending on what you're looking for. They have a website that you can check out for yourself. Free wireless internet or use one of their comps for 100 yen/15 minutes.

Family Mart nearby that stays open 24-hours for late night snacking etc., not to mention a nice sushi-ya near by. YOu can also store your luggage in the basement if you want.

Homerduff said:

Thanks a lot, Im currently busy with arranging my trip in Tokyo and I will most likely stay in the Khaosan Hotel. First I wasnt really happy with the locating, so I was looking for any youth hostels close to Shibuya and Shinjuku but for some reason most hostels are located in Asakusa region. As I will order a 2 week JR pass, it also wont cost me anything extra to take the metro (knowing that the JR subway line perfectly connects the places I want to visit).
Indeed hostelworld.com seems to be the most interesting website, im also using it. How much in advance did you book ?
Thanks a lot for the information, much appreciated !

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Hi Homer,
good to hear you are getting things sorted on your trip.
Just a note that you can't use the JR rail pass on the subway (metro). But you can use it on the overland JR lines (Yamanote, Chuo lines etc). These are generally fine for getting about so you shouldn't have any problems there. The Chuo and sobu lines in particular are good for travelling East West - there's a station at Asakusabashi that takes you through to Shinjuku. You could then change there to the Yamanote line and go south to Shibuya. Just make a note of the train type though when travelling back from Shinjuku - some of the Chuo line trains are rapids and go to Tokyo station rather than continuing east to Asakusa. you need the local trains. I'd recommend learning the Kanji for the two types as it can be confusing.

MONKEYHEAD said:

they have another bar which is about 1 minute away, the barmaid is very friendly, speaks great english and you get a free beer first time in.

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Ah, Monkeyhead, you've been to that Samurai Cafe, eh. Maybe we met there? LOL
Acutally I've been there only twice but unfortunately, it looks like they closed down the one in Inari-cho. (The one in Asakusa is still open.)
But I hear Oak hotel has a good reputation over all.

If you're looking for something near Shinjuku, I stayed at a place called Yadoya House last November. It's in Nakano a couple of stops west from Shinjuku. Very nice and totally reasonable, especially for the price. There's a really great sento down the street too!

What's the cheapest place to stay in Tokyo? Me and a few friends are planning to save up and go on a trip to Tokyo and we need to obviously find the cheapest things possible. Any recommendations?

oak hotel

i stayed at oak hotel (in ueno) with my friend in january..among all hostel, i think this one has the best value...it's very neat and clean. the rooms in oak hotel even has its own bathroom which is not found in other hostel (similar price)
we stayed there in a twin room for 6 nights which was like us $400.
you can email me for more pictures.