Lohas Villa in Okinawa … I stayed here for a couple of nights in April and loved it. Unlike a lot of cheap hostels in Japan it looks like they really made an effort to make the place look nice, with plants and a jungle theme in the lobby. My room was 3500 yen and had a double and single bed in. The design of the room was really unique, had lots of light coming through and had a large flat screen TV. The only downside was that the bathrooms are shared but I really didn't mind this as the communal shower on my floor was amazing. it even had a light, radio, different settings, and a dryer in the actual shower cubicle! There's also a fridge on each floor that guests can use and a microwave next to the front desk, as well as free internet in the lobby.
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.
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