I love Nikko. I have been there twice to visit my wife's family. Nikko is beautiful and the Toshogu Shrines are amazing. Definitely take the drive up to Lake Chuzenji. Any visit to Japan should include a trip to Nikko.
Tokyo is fantastic! And not as expensive as everyone says it is if you do it on a budget. You can get cheap food everywhere. It would help a lot if you familiarise yourself with as much Japaneese food as you can before you go there so you know what things are and you don't have to ask too much if you don't speak Japaneese.
I work here! It's beautiful! Come experience Nikko!!!
Tokyo … We recommend to buy the two-day Metro Pass upon arrival at the airport, which is only 1,000 Yen. In the city you can only buy a one-day pass at 700 Yen. Try to book everything in advance, as hostels here are not used to backpackers just turning up and asking for a room. This will be cheaper too, as reservations for budget rooms go first. Prices range around 7,000 Yen for two people in a small room (everything is Bonsai in Japan). We probably spent about the same as whilst traveling in Australia -- no more! And yes, Japan is one of the most exciting countries we have ever seen.
International Guesthouse Azure in Narita … 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.
K's House Mt. Fuji in Fujikawaguchiko … Outstanding. This is a new hostel, decorated to a very high standard. The common dining and social areas are like a show home, and the entire establishment is kept spotlessly clean in typical Japanese style. The staff here are genuinely efficient, helpful, and speak very good English. The bunk beds are of a generous size and very comfortable. It is quite a way from Kawaguchiko train station, about twenty minutes' walk. This turned out not to be a problem, I went into the tourist information office at the station to ask directions. They phoned the hostel and the manager came to pick me up. He also gave me a lift back to the station on my last day. There are lockers in the rooms to store valuables, but they only take really small padlocks. And in case anyone was wondering if this is one of those hostels that has a killjoy attitude to alcohol, let me put your mind at rest -- there's a beer vending machine in the kitchen!
J-Hoppers Kyoto Guest House in Kyoto … Aki speaks good English and is a really nice guy who has travelled extensively himself. Surroundings are neat and clean with excellent facilities. Location is good. Thoroughly recommended.
HI - Yuasa - Arida Orange YH Hostel in Arida-gun … Our school group visited this hostel in November 2007. I found it on the internet, reserved, and was bit surprised that it was a good twenty-minute taxi ride from the station. However, the area is beautiful, quiet, and heaven if you like mikans (Japanese Oranges as we Canadians call them). The area around the hostel is ringed by terraces or oranges, and they tasted like they used to when I was a kid! The best part of the hostel was the owner/proprietor -- her cooking was marvelous (lots of traditional Japanese foods) and she was extremely kind and welcoming. The students in our group liked the Japanese style rooms, and we chaperones enjoyed the hospitality and atmosphere. I would recommend this hostel to anyone who doesn't mind being a little off the beaten track -- the experience is well worth any travel time.
Minami-kaze in Okinawa … After looking at the pictures on the website, I was sure this would be a great place to spend my days in Okinawa. Unfortunately, upon arrival I was not-so-pleasantly surprised to find that it was undergoing some heavy renovations. Garbage, equipment, and whatever else you can imagine lying all over there place. As a result, the hostel was quite dirty and filled with paint fumes and cigarettes. The dorm rooms are incredibly small and quite uncomfortable if you are over 1.78 meters (which I happen to be). The toilets and showers are also grungy and don't appear to be well-kept. This having been said, the hostel was incredibly cheap, so I guess you get what you pay for. If you want a really cheap place, choose Minami-Kaze, if you want anything remotely clean and comfortable, I suggest looking elsewhere.
Oliver's International Hostel in Osaka … Just a heads up about a hostel encounter I recently had. I have stayed in a lot of hostels around the world, Oz, NZ, Canada, Thailand etc, and I have never had a bad experience until this one. I stayed at Oliver's hostel in Osaka on my visa run from Korea, only there for two days, had to pay for three, that's fine. I'll make this short. I met a couple of guys who needed a place to stay for the weekend too, also on a visa run and I hooked them up with Oliver's. We went out in Osaka on Saturday night. The guys decided not to come back cause they were flying out early, decided to go straight to the airport, so I headed back early in the morning 5am ish by myself. I finally got back to oliver's at 7am, way later then I had ever wanted but I had had a good night out. Oliver was up and when he saw I was alone he went nuts. It turns out that one of the guys didn't pay for his stay there and he was super angry. With reason of course, I have no respect for anyone who would skip out. But then…
HI - Sapporo - Sapporo House YH Hostel in Sapporo … A very bad and unfriendly YH. Really the opposite from all my other Japan experiences. Staff is unwilling to help you with anything/not interested/not clean.
JGH tokyo in Kawaguchi City … 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…
Homeikan in Tokyo … This is the best place I have ever stayed at! I was amazed by the friendliness of the staff. Everybody was extremely helpful and I really felt at home. Besides that, this ryokan is extremely beautiful. The area is great, it does not feel like you are in Tokyo, which is great after a busy day sightseeing. One hundred times better then a hotel, I am sure!
Hotel Kawanami in Hokkaidō … We visited Hotel Kawanami in June and a had a wonderful stay. The staff are lovely, and the manager and his wife speak English. They went out of their way to make sure we enjoyed our stay in Toyako. They helped organise buses, told us all about the history of the area, and even invited us to spend time with their family. The hotel rooms were really nice and clean, with a nice view of the lake. We were able to watch the fireworks at the lake in the comfort of our own room. The onsen was also very nice and relaxing. I definitely recommend this hotel to anyone interested in getting away from the hectic cities in Japan.
Kashiwaya Ryokan in Nakanojo … I stayed at Kashiwaya Ryokan for one night in October 2005. I was travelling by myself and really enjoyed the peace, tranquility, and natural beauty of the Nakanojo and Shima Onsen area. The ryokan was wonderful. I recommend asking for a room on the second floor across the hall from the private baths. It was easy for me to look out my door and see which (if any) of the private baths were available. I actually never used the shared baths. Everything was very clean. The meal was delicious. I opted for the traditional Japanese meal. the attention to details was phenomenal. what presentation. Staff spoke limited English, but it made for a charming experience. TV was offered in the room, but a warning. it was all Japanese! The town was quite lovely, too. People who I encountered were very friendly and made a lot of effort to communicate with me. My only concern is that it really takes about four hours from Tokyo to get here. I took the subway, followed by the Shinkansen, followed by a…
Sunnide Resort in Fujikawaguchiko … We visited the Fuji area for three days in April 06, staying at Sunnide for both nights. We were completely charmed and surprised. The rooms were small but comfortable, the evening and breakfast menu (Japanese style) presented good local food reasonably priced, and there's a view of Fuji-san from the outdoor hottub! view of Fuji!
Hostelz.com is the only hostel guide with complete information and reviews on all youth hostels and backpackers worldwide.
