It’s no secret that Tokyo is expensive. Inexpensive lodging were few and far between for folks like us on limited budgets. As much as we were tempted to splurge on a neat boutique hotel deadsmack in shibuya, we came back to our senses and opted for a, damn i hate to say the H-word, hostel out in Asakusa. It’s about 30 minutes on the subway to Ginza and Shibuya and in a quiet residential neighborhood that let us feel a bit like locals in Tokyo. The touristy Senso-ji is within walking distance so there is some life in the area. There are a couple of bars catering to the backpackers, but otherwise, the area is pretty dead.
The name of the hostel screams backpacker. The rooms are backpacker-esque. The common area is filled with empty beer cans and the requisite pot noodles. The free computers are shit. Plus, there were a group of German stonemasons at the joint. In other words, Khaosan Tokyo had all the markings of a typical hostel. At about $19 a person, it is a bargain by Tokyo standards.
However, the walls in the “private” rooms did not reach all the way to the top of the ceilings. They were paper-thin, so we could hear all the snoring and coughing emanating from the group of middle aged Russian men in the next room. The showers on the first floor had low ceilings and quite cramped. Anyone over 6 feet might have to bend down slightly while showering. On the plus side, the hostel does have those bidet toilets that spray your ass after you do your business.
