J-Hoppers Osaka Central Guesthouse in Osaka … I know this place has been open only for a few months, but I'm surprised I'm the first person to leave a review. This is a great hostel. It's located a short distance from Osaka central station and is a few metres from Fukushima station on the regular running JR Loop line. The directions given buy the hostel are easy to follow and accurate, so finding this place is not a problem. Everything is kept spotlessly clean here in typical Japanese fashion. The beds are very comfortable. There's lockers in the dorm rooms to store your valuables, although they only take those really small padlocks -- bring your own! There's a TV room and free wireless internet (although there's 100 yen per thirty minute charge for the hostel's own internet which seems a little odd). The only small problem was that on the second floor there was one shower to share between twelve people sleeping in the dorms. All in all I had a good stay and would come back here.
Go Osaka Hostel in Osaka … Go Osaka is a very nice little hostel. It's tiny, but then most things in Japan are. There are just a few small rooms, a small kitchen, one toilet, and one shower. The dorm beds are sturdy wooden bunks. It's like staying in someone's apartment. Everything is Japanese style, so expect to take your shoes off when you enter. It's a bit of a walk from the subway station when you're carrying luggage, but it's not too bad. The hostel is easy to miss since it just looks like another apartment. The free internet and wifi are fast and convenient to have.
Oliver's International Hostel in Osaka … This is the cheapest place by far. However, it does seem dodgy. When I stayed at Oliver's there was no owner present, only a cell phone on the kitchen counter with a note to call the owner when you arrive. There was no internet service and some of the electricity didn't work. (Some lights and appliances in the kitchen). There were no sheets or even mattresses on the beds upstairs. Spooky. The key was left in the mailbox for the guests to come and go. When I called the owner on the phone she was very apologetic and offered not to charge me the $5 I owed above the registration fee, since she couldn't be there. I don't know what to think.
Osaka Downtown Hostel in Osaka … 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.
Osaka Downtown Hostel in Osaka … 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…
Osaka Downtown Hostel in Osaka … 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…
Osaka Downtown Hostel in Osaka … 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…
Osaka Downtown Hostel in Osaka … 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.
Osaka Downtown Hostel in Osaka … 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…
Osaka Downtown Hostel in Osaka … 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.
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…
Osaka Downtown Hostel in Osaka … 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…
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