The Hostelz.com Review
This is a small, friendly hostel about 10 minutes walk from the Keisei Station, and 2-3 minutes longer from the JR station. Trains on the Keisei line run regularly to and from the airport (there are stops at both terminal one and two) and cost 250 yen. JR trains run less regularly but its worth checking the timetable because JR Passes can be used for this line.
Use the map from the website or email the hostel for directions. Watch out for landmarks as marked on the map, and if you arrive via Keisei station make sure you leave via the footbridge. If coming from the station it is located on the right side of the road and is marked by two small signs which could be easily missed. The hostel is located on the third floor of what looks like a small office building.
Opened in 2004 the Azure International is extremely clean and has nice Japanese style fittings. There are four dorms which are small and if full could become quite cramped. There are some nice touches though, a clothes rack, coat hangers and curtains on bottom bunks (bunks are futon style with bottom bunks at ground level). Rooms have airconditioning/heating. Linen is included in the overnight price. Dorm rooms are not locked and there are no lockers but luggage can be stored at reception after checkout.
There is a common area with bench seating, tables, tv, coffee making, and drinks for sale. There is one computer for internet access (100 yen for unlimited time). The hostel does not have a kitchen.
There are two showers (western style). And because of the size of the hostel the two basins are located in the hall area, which is okay although there is no privacy.
The manager is friendly, helpful and speaks English well.
Use the map from the website or email the hostel for directions. Watch out for landmarks as marked on the map, and if you arrive via Keisei station make sure you leave via the footbridge. If coming from the station it is located on the right side of the road and is marked by two small signs which could be easily missed. The hostel is located on the third floor of what looks like a small office building.
Opened in 2004 the Azure International is extremely clean and has nice Japanese style fittings. There are four dorms which are small and if full could become quite cramped. There are some nice touches though, a clothes rack, coat hangers and curtains on bottom bunks (bunks are futon style with bottom bunks at ground level). Rooms have airconditioning/heating. Linen is included in the overnight price. Dorm rooms are not locked and there are no lockers but luggage can be stored at reception after checkout.
There is a common area with bench seating, tables, tv, coffee making, and drinks for sale. There is one computer for internet access (100 yen for unlimited time). The hostel does not have a kitchen.
There are two showers (western style). And because of the size of the hostel the two basins are located in the hall area, which is okay although there is no privacy.
The manager is friendly, helpful and speaks English well.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
September 2005
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International Guesthouse Azure Details
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Clean, but mean! This hostel was very clean and had free Wi-Fi and coffee. Those were the ONLY good things. And now for the truth. First off, the owner was rude and seemed to care too obviously about his schedule more than the guests. Check out magically changed to 10AM from 11AM, but I said I had something to do and made him wait until 10:30 to "accommodate me." Is it that hard to be even slightly flexible? Second, the rooms were FREEZING cold! With the exception of one measly space heater, which I climbed to the upper bunk to use, the room was so uncomfortable at night. That, coupled with uncomfortable pillows and poor window shades, made it difficult to sleep.The owner was clearly stingy about the power bill to an unreasonable extent. Third, there were rude signs everywhere saying "Never do this, never do that." There were even patronizing directions on how to use the bedsheets and the owner was obsessed with having people not directly sleep on the blanket and to use the sheet as a sleeping bag. I think we know how to sleep in our own beds. And, there was a sign by the shower that indicated a 200yen ($2.40) charge for towel "rental" and a 300yen ($3.50) fine for using the bedsheets if you didn't want to pay for the towel. Glad I had my own! Fourth, the atmosphere weatherwise and attitude-wise was just ... tense feeling. I was made to feel like a little kid being looked after by a nanny instead of a paying adult guest. Clearly, the owner is an unhappy person and this shows in his business. Fifth, no free breakfast or lockers! There was some free coffee and tea, but a very measly amount. There was even a sign saying no food in the rooms! I guess people should just starve. So, while cleanliness is important, so is treating guests with respect and like they are adults. It wouldn't hurt to be a little more flexible too and not try to charge ridiculous fines or charges. A better. more welcoming and friendly attitude would help things the most though. The owner has a very bad attitude and is almost adversarial to the guests. Do not stay here! — WF , USA (2011-01-16) The worst ever This is by far the worst place to stay. first thing i realised was that the owner was incredibly unfriendly and unwelcoming, but i wasnt prepared to judge the place from that as he could just have had a long day. I saw the internet was available but with no messenger, which was weird, but whatever, as long as I could check mail. It also says that there is wireless on the website, which is a complete lie. The overall presentation of the place is nice, but dont be fooled, looks can be deceiving, especially for this place. The owner keeps the place clean, i guess its because he has nothing else to do. The rooms were incredibly small, and atmosphere was so dull. The mattress was thin and it was on top of wood, so it was hard to sleep. Pillow was hard and unpleasant. It was summer at the time, so we requested to turn on the AC. Owner just walked into the room 'without knocking' and switched it on and walked away. He didnt give us the AC control. We went out for dinner and when we returned, the AC was turned off so we requested to be turned on again, and the owner was not happy. I was unable to sleep that night as the bed made my back stiff. i went out to find the owner lying on the lounge watching TV. The sinks were just next to him, there is no privacy in this place whatsoever. The AC was turned off during the night and it got really hot and uncomfortable. There was only one shower, the other one wasnt thrashed for some reason and the owner commandingly said, be quick with the shower because I have to turn off the hot water. There was also one toilet, which was locked at certain times. The next morning, we told him we were checking out and asked for a refund for the two nights we did not stay and he just said no. So we stormed out and went somewhere else. Please do not go to Azure, its terrible and you'll ruin your trip. — recent visitor , australia (2008-07-14) this place is great. yamamoto-san was very helpful, and when he had free time he even gave guided tours to me and a couple of other travelers at no charge. i would stay here again without hesitation. — dwight (2007-02-08) I had to book on short notice, as the other hostels in Tokyo were full, so I decided to do a Web search on Narita, and found the Azure Guesthouse. I'm very happy to say that I would book there again. It's close to the airport, which means that you're an hour closer to a nice clean bed after your long flight, as opposed to spending an extra hour to go all the way in to Tokyo with maximum jet lag. It's an EASY walk from the train station. It's in a quiet and clean neighborhood with a grocery store nearby. The hostel is new, clean, well designed and well run by a friendly and helpful proprietor who speaks beautiful English. He knows Tokyo very well, and knows all the best things to see, and the best routing. Highly recommended. — Marie (2005-05-09) This place is very clean, has great service from the owner and an amazing location. — Anonymous (2005-01-25) This was the best hostel I stayed during my three-month trip around Japan. It has the newest facilities and the friendliest service. I would recommend this place to anyone. — Nicholas (2005-01-02)