JGH tokyo

Bad Bugs!
Very disappointed. No water in shower. WC broken. Internet very expensive. At least one hour to go in center of Tokyo. A night is cheap but you can't stay more one night cause bites of bad bugs! I'm used to youth hostels and i'm not difficult but i advise against this "hostel." Of course, no refund! You pay for two weeks but, even you show your bites, the boss don't give your money back. This hostel is the shame of Japan.

You get what you pay for
I was simply around off and on at the hostel, but when I was there the staff was really friendly, Maxam and Meko were a joy to talk to. as far as the sleeping quarters are concerned they weren't very spacious but for what I paid I can't complain. There was internet service, though it was a pay as you go set up, 100 yen would get you twenty minutes to do whatever you needed to take care of online. And yes the area I stayed NishiKawaguchi was Yakuza territory, but if you have common sense they won't be an issue. It's also in walking distance to the train station. Whenever I go back I'll probably stay there again, the price is right so I'm content.

The owners, man and wife, are very nice.
The owner and his wife are very nice. I was able to find the hostel easily because when I got off of the train, I went to the police station and the police handed me a map that had already been prepared. The owner gave me advice and information about Tokyo. His wife helped me with sewing. They had lived in Hawaii for thirty years before. They understand both cultures.

You get what you pay for
First off is location. JGH is located in Nishikawaguchi, which the innkeep describes as "up and coming," but in reality is a red-light district. Every night on the way back to the room I would get many interesting offers from the local chinese prostitutes. The rooms themselves were also fairly uninspiring. My travelmate and I reserved two-bed private suite only to face a room about a third of the size of a prison cell with a bunkbed. The "beds," which are built into the walls, were about six feet long, which was great as I am over six feet tall, so I had to sleep in the fetal position. This position was fitting as I was sleeping on the bottom bunk, the top bunk (made of wood) was buckling under the weight of my friend and seemed poise to collapse and send me to an untimely death. There were no security lockers offered (The innkeep had me leave my bags in his office, which he said he couldn't guarantee the safety of), no AC, no internet service or kitchen unless you paid ridiculous premiums, no common room, and no BBQ area. At 15$/night, the room provided little more than a place to sleep between days of sightseeing. Woe unto you if you get sick on the trip while you're staying here, because you will certainly prefer an early return to where you came or a quick death. Otherwise, if you're packing light and just looking for a cheap basecamp, by all means.

Great
for the price a person can not complain at all. tokyo is very expensive so to find something as affordable that is only like thirty minutes from the heart of tokyo is impossible. the staff is pleasant and the living area is clean and for 12 dollars a night a person could hardly complain. Also the staff goes out of their way to provide good locations for sightseeing.

Bleak
Do not stay here in any circumstances. it's small, dirty, hot, and infested with some sort of biting creature. The "rooms" are tiny, the sheets are not clean, mine actually had sh*t on them, maybe from the guest before, who knows, so I stripped the bed and slept on the wooden bunk. I would have had to pay for new clean sheets. The area is a mafia hot spot, full of strip joints and not much else. You pay up front with deposit, non-refundable. Do not stay here! You've been warned.

The hostel manager was very nice and helpful. Rooms are a bit small but for the price I can't really complain. It's a clean tidy place to stay the night at a good price especially for Tokyo.

The owner takes your money up front and also charges an additional deposit charge (this deposit is not mentioned when hostel is booked). Upon entering the room for three people, we were thinking "heres the closet, where is the room?" The room was unfinished and too small for three people. In fact others could see into our "private" room through holes in the walls. When we spoke with others in the hostel about the room, they informed us that the previous night, the owner had tried to put four people in the room, and when they told him that was unnacceptable, he told them to leave because they were "troublemakers." They were forced to leave without a refund. everything listed in the amenities is a flat out lie. Certain things were available, but at a charge, and there was no air conditioning. We were forced to stay there one night, and I personally recommend sleeping in the street before staying at this hostel. It would be more comfortable and have better air flow.

I had visited Tokyo somewhere around November. I stayed at JGH for three days -- my personal experience, it was a very good place to stay for the price, though there are many people in a room it's fine as long as you get a peaceful sleep when you come back tired from sightseeing. The bathroom is very small but manageable. The owner Maxam and his wife are extremely helpful and kind people. I felt like as though they were like one of my own relations. All travelers can definitely look forward to staying at this place.

i am just writing to alert you to the conditions at the JGH Tokyo Hostel in Tokyo (2-11-5, Nishikawaguchi, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama Pre). i along with a group of friends have recently returned from Japan and stayed 6 nights at this hostel. when we arrived we were told our dorm was not ready (we booked all beds in an 8 bed dorm) and watched in amazement as the owner and family ran off upstairs, tools in hand. we waited and came back hours later an were shown our room. now we were expecting 8 beds in a dorm similar to the pictures provided, how wrong we were. there were 14 beds in a room maybe 3.5m x 3.5m square and Maxam, the owner, would not listen about our booking of an 8 bed dorm even when we showed him our receipt. he became angry and rude and said simply if you dont like it leave and find somewhere else (straight off the plane at nght in Tokyo -i dont think). i now relise why he made everyone pay upfront. there were no shower facilites or cooking facilities in our room and the 'common room' for all the guest to mingle in was about the same size as our room. this may sound like a rant but it is a true account of what happened and really put a unpleasant tinge on what was an otherwise good trip.