After staying in a hotel in Tokyo for 3 nights, my sister decided that we must experience sleeping in a tatami mat.  Since she was in charge of our itinerary, I went along with her choice at Kyoto Hana Hostel.

Location

Kyoto Hana Hostel is located at 229 Azeku-dori St., Kogawa-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto.  A quick 10 minutes walk from the JR Kyoto train station.  Once you exit the train station on the Kyoto Tower side, head towards the street (Karasuma-dori) on the right of the Kyoto Tower hotel.  Head straight till you reach the first major intersection (Shichijo-dori) with a Lawson supermarket in the corner.  Turn right on Shichijo-dori and walk straight till you reach the first alley with an “AU” mobile phone store in the corner.  Turn left at the “AU” corner and you’ll see the Kyoto Hana Hostel sign.

In the vicinity, Isetan and Porta at the train station, Starbucks & McDonalds at Kyoto Tower, Higashi Hoganji Temple, Lawson Convenience store and several vending machines.

Rooms & Amenities

The hotel has 3 floors with different types of accommodations (dormitory, single room, twin room, double room, triple room, group or family room).  The rooms can either be Japanese style or bunk beds.  Dormitories can be 8-bed mixed, 6-bed female or 4-bed mixed.  The group or family rooms can accommodate 3, 4 or 5 people.   Depending on your preference, you can opt for shared bathroom or private bathroom.

Standard room furnishings are as follows:

• Free wifi connection
• Ethernet outlet for internet connection
• Air-conditioning
• Bed-light
• Small table
• Small LCD TV (Ensuite rooms)
• Hair Dryer, Body Soap, Shampoo (Ensuite rooms)

Hotel amenities that you can avail or use are as follows:

• Kitchen
• Living room with TV
• Free use of common PC
• Common locker
• Laundry room (Washer: JPY 200/load, Dryer: JPY 100/15 min)
• Bicycle rental (JPY 500/day)
• Game boards

Standard Rates Per Person (as at 31 Oct 2011)

• 8-bed mixed dormitory:  JPY2,500
• 6-bed female dormitory:  JPY 2,500
• 4-bed mixed dormitory:  JPY 2,800
• Double ensuite Japanese:  JPY 3,400
• Single Japanese: JPY 3,900
• Single ensuite Japanese:  JPY 3,900 to 4,900
• Twin and Triple Japanese:  JPY 3,000
• Twin ensuite Japanese: JPY 3,400
• Triple ensuite Japanese: JPY 3,200
• 4-person bunk beds:  JPY 2,800
• 3-person bunk beds:  JPY 3,000
• 5-person deluxe ensuite: JPY 3,200
• 4-person deluxe ensuite: JPY 3,400
• 3-person deluxe ensuite: JPY 3,600

Hostel Stay Experience

I’m glad that the directions provided by the hostel were quite clear and easy to understand.  We didn’t get lost finding our way.  Since we arrived before their check-in time, we left our luggage in their luggage room and relaxed a bit in their common room.  Since the hostel is similar to a ryokan, shoes are not allowed beyond the lobby.  Everyone must leave their shoes in the shoe cabinet and wear the slippers provided. 

Check-in was a breeze and a deposit of JPY 1,000 is required for the key.  No towels are provided so you either bring one or rent one for JPY 70.  Smoking is not permitted inside and a code is provided for the door which will be locked after 10pm.  After we got our key, we had to carry our luggage all the way up to our room.  No elevators available so it’s a bit difficult. 

The room provided has a small hallway with the main room, toilet and bathrooms.  The main room was a bit cramped that both our luggage cannot fit in it especially after you set up your bed.  Take note, you have to set up your bed using the instructions provided. The bed is not too soft nor too hard that I was able to get a good sleep.  Getting drinking water is a pain as you have to go all the way to the ground floor’s kitchen. 

Overall, our stay in the hostel was ok.  It was quite an experience especially setting up your bed.  It was a shame that we weren’t able to stay longer and attend the different activities they have for their guests.  The location is perfect and the staff are quite helpful on the bus routes and places to go.  If you’re after for cheap accommodations, I would suggest you consider staying at this place.

Contact Information:

• Phone:  075-371-3577 (Domestic) / +81-75-371-3577 (Overseas)
• Website:  http://kyoto.hanahostel.com
• Address:  229 Azeku-dori, Kogawa-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto

(Photos from the web)