Osaka Downtown Hostel

Vile
Having stayed in Japan for almost a month, Osaka was our second stop and it has tainted our stay completely. We were cramped in a room big enough for about two people but apparently designed to hold six. In our three tiered bunk beds, we had no room to move and felt entirely unsafe, as they were homemade -- badly. There was no floor space and nowhere to put our bags, on one occasion we were asked to move them obviously to some magical place that oliver had in his head. The hygiene was appalling, the downstairs shower especially as it smelt disgusting and was covered in hair. From arrival we were treated like children, expected to answer to Oliver every time we breathed. He complained the one time that my friend and I didn't say hello to him upon arriving back after a long day. As we left he congratulated one of my friends on his fantastic manners, saying that he would go far in life whilst my other friend and I just had to stand and listen to it. His frankly illegal DVD collection was shocking, the quality of the pirated DVDs was pitiful and i don't appreciate his blatant disregard for the law. We were woken almost every morning by his loud, obnoxious voice. One morning we were woken from our less than peaceful sleep by the sounds of shouting, we emerged to discover that Oliver had just had another guest forcibly removed from the premises by the police, i can imagine for little more than not wishing him a good morning. Frankly the whole experience ruined our stay in Osaka and we couldn't wait to get to Kyoto where our stay was the polar opposite. Do not stay here.

Horrendous
The worst hostel experience we have ever had. Me and my girlfriend have lived in Japan for three years and traveled extensively in that time, always staying in hostels. Nothing in SE Asia, China or beyond has come close to rivaling the disgusting treatment we received here. Below are our primary complaints (believe me, there were plenty more). The room. Where to start? Advertised as a "Private Twin," this cattle shed barely qualified as a room at all. The first thing we noticed was the lack of a full window -- we shared half a slit with the adjoining "room." Upon closer inspection, we realised there was no ceiling mounted light, only a corner lamp which in any other room would have been used for mood only. The light provided was not enough to read by during the day, let alone the night. We measured the room -- three metres by one and a half metres, most of which was filled by a bunkbed and a useless table and chair. Two walls were made of chipboard -- one appeared to be a boarded over door frame. These bendable walls "separated" us from the adjoining rooms. No noise was blocked -- we may as well have been in a dormitory. The width of the room was the width of the door -- a paper thin Japanese sliding door separating us from the common room. This door was supplemented by two (frosted) windows which allowed even less privacy. Needless to say, there was no lock on this door. During our abbreviated stay (one night out of a planned three), the common room rarely contained less than five people, several of whom were small children who proceeded to bang on our door and make considerable noise up until the midnight common room curfew. Many people were shocked to see us emerge from what they had presumed to be the wall of the common room. Staff. After finding the building (no small feat given the vague instructions on the website) we found a building displaying many adverts for "Oliver's English School." Upon (much) closer inspection, we discovered a small note requesting that we phone a telephone number in order to gain access to the hostel/English school (which appeared to be one and the same). Upon entering the building a staff member accompanied us in the lift. She didn't utter a single word. We were required to take our shoes off before we entered the premises (and outside the building!) even though the weather was freezing. Here we noticed the fire escape was barred and locked. Upon entry, we met the manager. The member of staff who had "greeted" us seemed unsure how to or unwilling to check us in. The manager led her through the required steps. Although friendly, the manager was slightly overbearing leading us on a guided tour of everywhere except our bedroom. We later found out why, of course. After the first night, and the one hour of sleep it allowed, we decided to check out early. We found a familiar hotel chain nearby, and checked in for two days -- the double room we booked running to only a few hundred yen more than the hostel we planned to leave. Upon returning to the hostel to check out, we were kept waiting for ten minutes while the staff member on reception (the "greeter" from the day before) made a phone call to the city hall asking about some forms she needed to fill in and return. After we explained we would be checking out and asked for a refund, she (rather aggressively) told us that we would not be entitled to any refund for the two nights -- a policy we had never been sent or informed of. Almost as an aside, she also mentioned another unknown policy that when the hotel is full they give no refunds regardless of the situation or period of notice. At this point my girlfriend was in tears to which the staff member reacted by asking "What's her problem?" Understandably my girlfriend was extremely upset at being referred to in the third person and in such a harsh tone. The staff member asked her not to swear (although in fact she hadn't sworn). Other factors. The pricing in the hostel is extortionate. The hotel we found nearby provided us with a double bed, in-room coffee making facilities, a television, private bathroom, a lock on the door, and actual walls for only 300 yen more per night. This hotel was also closer to the town centre than the hostel. The internet pricing too is inexcusable. Never before have we encountered a hostel where internet is not only charged by the hour but is deemed "unsplittable, unreusable, and unshareable" literally meaning you are not allowed to have someone sat by you while you use the internet. Even using the internet on your own computer incurs charges. Again, the hotel we subsequently stayed at provided free unlimited internet. On a personal level, it really felt as though we were unwanted guests in a private residence. At most hostels we have stayed at, the staff have shown some measure of concern for our wellbeing, or provided small extras during our stay (be it information about the area, or just a simple "Good morning"). None of that was to be found here. The owners have clearly set up this hostel with the sole purpose of extracting as much money as possible from unsuspecting punters. Don't fall into the trap we did. Don't let them take your money like they did ours -- all 17000 yen of it.

Horrific
Horrific. Stay away at all costs! My friend and I (we are both girls, twenty years old) received abuse from the staff for no provocation at all. We were yelled at and reduced to tears by the owner upon checking in, stayed for lack of choice, and were chased into the elevator upon checking out (two days earlier than booked). Upon checking in, I paid with my credit card. As I double checked my receipt and seemed confused about the amount, the owner (who insists on being called OIiver) had taken out a calculator and, thinking he was handing it over, I reached for it. At that point it was as though time froze and Oliver went into a rage, began yelling and swearing, and delivered the following speech -- "You are rude. You offend my staff and bring unhappiness into this place. I cannot let you check in if you are unhappy or you will contaminate here. Never take a calculator away from a Japanese person!" This verbal assault went on for a couple of minutes, while my friend and I were both ferociously apologizing and finally crying, which provoked the following response from Oliver: "If you're going to cry here and make a scene, we'll call the whole thing off!" This might have been a simple thing for the hostel owner to say, but knowing how Osaka and even nearby Kyoto are booked to the ceiling on weekends, we had no where else to go, and had to shut up and take it for Friday and Saturday night. As we left, I noted to the receptionist girl that the staff had moved my personal belongings, and reco,mended they refrain from doing so in the future. Her response was to call Oliver, who physically launched at us, screaming obscenities. Amongst plain cussing and swearing he threatened to call the police on us, said that we have AIDS, and that he wanted to vomit and spit on us. Truth is, as we huddled in the elevator the man (and he is a rather large, built man) was holding its door open, still yelling, only letting go of the button eventually to give us the finger with both hand. Little to say we didn't care about the money and were happy to have escaped. Important note -- this man who mistreated us was not Japanese. He was a complete foreigner. No Japanese host had ever been less than perfectly sweet and kind to us, in over a month of traveling Japan. Specific disadvantages -- Rooms are tiny beyond all reason. A room that was to house six people would've been hardly comfortable as a single room. surveillance cameras -- they whole place is full of closed circuit security cameras that trace and record your every move. Elevator, lounge, even in the smoking terrace on the roof. The owner is said (by the employees) to sit in his office and observe his guests via these cameras) I am quite sure that's illegal. The staff "relocates" your personal items while you are away, and deposits them where they see fit. I found my personal hygiene products on display at the shared bathroom, my towel drying on the roof, and pair of socks simply missing. beds are very hard. More so than is common in Japanese hostels. The mattresses are thin (no more than three or four centimeters), and the wooden board under them is shorter than the actual mattress. Result -- your feet hang in the air. Pillows are very hard too, and not enough blankets are provided (namely one). the advertised selection of "over two thousand movies" is an old collection of stolen action DVDs, mostly in Japanese. No refund -- during our short stay we have seen the own refuse to refund several people that have left due to the poor conditions. None received compensation. Furthermore, most got yelled at. No locks on the rooms. Only the front door to the hostel has a lock, dorm\private rooms do not. We encountered no such thing as key card access as advertised. Heating -- there was no air con in the rooms, and the only heating provided was a small coil stove. The sort that works with live fire, and if any article of clothing/wood should come into contact with it, it shall burst into flames. Highly unsafe (these are no longer in use in Israel, for example, for security reasons). dorms -- if you are intending to stay at the six-bed dorm, know that it shares a thin wall with reception, and you will be woken up to the sound of people checking in (manager has a very loud speaking voice that comes through very clearly). Showers -- there are only two showers in the whole hostel. And that is not to say, two common showers with a number of taps. No, there are exactly two shower taps, in total. To reach them you will have to walk in your towel past reception (on the first floor), or the common living room (on the second floor). also -- the water heater only has Japanese on the buttons, so a foreigner will have a tough time figuring how to get hot water to shower with. or turn the light on. There were no hot tubs to speak of (although advertised). Internet is very expensive (400 yen per hour). There is only a single computer available to all guests and there's a strange policy of no sharing. That is to say, your friend is not allowed to sit next to you as you book the next hostel. location isn't very good. The only attraction within walking distance is a small museum of human rights. All exciting nightlife, shopping, sightseeing are further up north and a good thirty-minute walk from the hostel. finding the place is very difficult, even following the exact directions given here on this website. There is no sign at street level and it is a good ten to fifteen minutes' walk from the subway station. Especially if you're carrying luggage. the place was not clean. Roof was dusty, second floor smelled like paint and first floor was just stuffy and unclean. toilets (especially toilet seats) were unclean and very dusty. No separate toilets for men and women. Only two toilets in the whole hostel. Entirely inaccessible for disable people. The place is hard to maneuver if you are in perfect health, it is so small and inconvenient. A wheelchair would not even fit through the hall, let alone be carried up the steps to the second floor (no lift). In all of China and Japan, this is the worst hostel I've stayed at. It can truly spoil you trip experience.

No! No! No! No! No!
Words can only begin to describe the maltreatment guests receive and the unprofessionalism of this hostel. I apologise if this becomes quite long, I will try and keep it down, but I want to express how ridiculous this hostel is. Initially, we were told off during check-in for canceling one night for four people five days in advance. The "room" is a nine-bed shed made from chipboard built on what was a roof terrace. There is no space for luggage and holes in walls/roof. A person staying the night before us had his backpack soaked through in a storm overnight. There is also no air con and the area is one of the worst in Osaka. The manager/owner, Oliver, is, in is own words "ignorant and stupid," but also abusive and a venomous bullshitter. Once you break any of the ever-changing rules, Oliver will let you know. This man is borderline psychotic. He can snap at any minute and will not allow you to speak your side of the story. Upon returning after a night out at 6 a.m. (apparently there is no curfew) we were told on entry we had to leave by 11 a.m. There was no explanation that we could glean from his ranting. This left us the morning to find accommodation for the next two nights while the athletics were going on. Not an easy task. Upon trying to get a refund, no explanations were given as to the amount returned. When trying to clarification he escalated from shouting us down to pure abuse. I think some of his quotes best describe the situation: "You've been drunk since you got here" -- We went out once. "Go to better universities" -- Two medical students, and a PhD student in material science at Imperial. "I wanna spit in your face" -- As we were leaving Finally, once we had left we bumped into two other guests who had witnessed the whole scene. They said after we left he was in a rage and spurting lies about our behaviour to other guests. There is much more to this story, but there is too much to put in. I strongly recommend you avoid this place at all costs, even if there is free tea and coffee.

I believe the previous name of the hotel was Oliver's. He still runs an Oliver's language course. Also beds have sharp screw tips that can scratch you when you sleep. I don't know how they let this guy operate.

I spent about an hour trying to find this place, only to have Oliver yell at me for trying to correct his confusing directions. I think I might've stayed there for ten minutes before he sent me out of the door for trying to talk to him about the right way to get to the hostel. He especially hates Americans, so he stereotyped me before I even spoke one word. He insists that I, being an American, like to complain, even though the entire conversation consisted of him yelling over my attempts to explain the troubles I had of following his directions. I believe this is the rudest man I have met on my two-week trip in Japan, and he definitely gave Osaka a negative image. This place has wasted my time and my effort, I would not even think of reserving at this place again.

Do not book your stay at Osaka Downtown Hostel at all. As a frequent traveler, trust us that we do not waste our effort posting unnecessary reviews. But our review about Osaka Downtown Hostel should be heeded for your good. We stayed five nights at the hostel and extremely regretted our choice. The room is almost like an undersized chicken coop. Because of the space constraint, everything we do is a great misery. Worst still, the owner has a very bad attitude. He is always watching your every move and always seems to confront his guests with disrespect. If you do something which displeases him, he will shout at you. I firmly believe that as a service operator, some courtesy should be accorded to the guests. Even if there may be strict compliance to his rules, we should be discreetly advised and not be shouted at.

This is a true account of our stay in Osaka Downtown Hostel. We booked this hostel through the internet. It seems very attractive on the website with all the pictures and enticing description but the experience most backpackers have are extremely bad. Firstly, the dormitory is not a conducive lodging for travelers at all. The owner, Oliver, is trying very hard to pack at least six guests into a confined room which is slightly larger than my store room. These beds are self constructed so you can imagine how unsafe they are. The beds also make a lot of jerking sounds at night. The ratio of guests/ toilet is twelve to one. That means there is always a mad rush for the washroom in the morning. The worst experience we have is with Oliver's temper. He has so many unwritten rules that made our stay so unpleasant. You will be barked and yelled upon if you break his rules. For example, we were shouted at for whispering in the middle of the night. And I got to tell you this, Oliver who stays in the hostel, snores louder than our whispers. There was one occasion, in the middle of the night, when I heard him cursed and swear at our neighboring roommates for wearing footwear to the toilet. I can confirm that he had threatened to chase out this woman. And I am most sure I heard offensive language that night. It is because of our stay in Osaka Downtown Hostel that spoilt our trip to Japan. If you decide to make your stay a regrettable experience, be yelled at during your holiday, be subjected to regimentation, go ahead and waste your money. (Rating from one to five stars? I give minus-ten!)

If you ask Oliver about a curfew and he says there isn't one, there actually is. He really means there isn't a curfew, but be back by 12 p.m. A few guys from England who came to stay there asked if there was a curfew and Oliver said no, but when they came back at 1 a.m. they were locked out on the street. After trying to call Oliver on the phone several times, they finally got him to answer, and then he got really mad at them for being back so late. Oliver also got Keiko to wake one of them up at 6 a.m. so he could borrow 5000 yen. Kind of weird. Also, the public bath doesn't open until 3 p.m., so you can't shower in the morning. Other than that, it was clean and safe and not too bad.