Sakura Hostel Asakusa

A cozy little place to sleep and recharge after long days in the city. Mostly just the essentials here but that's what I wanted. Senso-ji is a short walk away so you will become spoiled by having such an iconic temple down the street. And of course shopping, dinning and convenience stores are nearby. Getting laundry done when you want to will probably be a long shot but they do have it. The showers were nice and hot with good pressure. The staff was always friendly and helpful. Sakura Hostel was always a welcomed sight at the end of a long day.

While a bit far from Toei Asakusa Station, its location is superb. Just a 50-minute walk to the right leads to a Showa-era shopping street, and across the street is the even more convenient Chizuka-dori shopping street. It's also very close to the popular and affordable OK Market, whose 24-hour kitchen is a practical and fun option for those who enjoy cooking. The mixed-use dormitory area on the basement level boasts a clear and fast Wi-Fi signal, a great experience. The first-floor lounge is always bright and clean, accommodating many guests, and is well-equipped with laundry facilities, toilets, and TVs. Various foreign currency exchange shops are conveniently located to the left of the entrance. Each floor has well-equipped, separate men's and women's restrooms, which are consistently clean, ensuring a comfortable and reassuring stay. This is a great accommodation option for first-time visitors to Asakusa, Tokyo.

It's about what you'd probably imagine when you hear "two-star hostel attached to a cafe". The cafe itself is pretty solid, I enjoyed the curry and the lattes, and it was a good place to hang out while using the wifi to plan. The berry water, lemon water, and hot water dispensers are a nice touch. I recommend sitting away from the smoking room if you can though. Onto the hostel part. Location: Excellent, with a caveat. You're smack in the middle of Asakusa. I was floored by the amount of stuff to do and see in the area. The caveat is that it's not close to a train station, so I hope you're okay with walking. Personally: I found that to be a silver lining because it meant when I first navigated to the hostel, google maps directed me right through all of the most interesting parts of Asakusa. On a tangent, if you need to take an uber, they can pull right up to the front door. Very handy if you want to get somewhere quick and don't mind paying a premium for it. At the time I wrote this, Uber App works natively with Tokyo's taxis, so you can just use that. Amenities: Hit and miss, but they get the job done. 300 yen to use the washer, 100 yen to use the dryer. I found the dryer to be a little lacking and would usually take whatever clothes did manage to dry out, and fold those while I waited for everything else to go through a second round of drying. Showers have hot water, but beware that the water temperature can spool up and down unexpectedly. You can scold yourself on accident if you're not paying attention, but it's pretty easy to just point the water away from yourself for a second, so I found it to be a mild inconvenience. Important note- I visited early January, so it was cold out. The halls leading into the shared bathrooms/showers got a little cold. Not unbearably so, but enough to be mildly uncomfortable. Fortunately the toilet seats are heated! Of course, make sure you don't forget your card if you're leaving your bunk to use them. Rooms (men's dorm): Not huge, got a bit confined anytime someone had their luggage out to pack. I ended up using the two chairs by the door as tables more often than I'd like to admit. Do not expect sound damping of any kind, since it's a bunk dorm. Well climate controlled, I never got too cold, which I was very thankful for since I was sick at the time (apologies to any dorm-dwellers who had to listen to me coughing my lungs out at 2am). There are lockers, but you'll have to buy your own locks- I got a cheap one from Daiso and it worked fine. Luggage can fit underneath the bunks, and worst comes to worst, if you're average-height you can place your bags at the foot of your bed and still have room to lay comfortably. I never had trouble with cleanliness, though the privacy shades of the beds wont do you much good if the room's lights are on. If you're in a top bunk you'll find the beds do squeak and shake slightly. Not perfect, but if you just need a place to crash, they're fine. Luggage storage: Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. It says its surveilled but I'm not sure I'd trust anything valuable there for more than a few hours since I didn't really see much security and its in a highly touristy area. Service: All of the staff I interacted with were lovely. Not much more to say about it. Free breakfast: It's toast, coffee, tea, and soup. It wont blow you away, but the soup can be nice, and it'll tide you over in a pinch. Otherwise, you're in Asakusa right next to a LOT of good vendors, go out and get something to eat! Suggestions for the owners: - Coat hooks! A few cheap coat hooks would go far. I would put one on the outside of each bunk, and either a coat hook or a small shelf on the inside of each bunk. This would've been very handy for keeping things tidy. - During winter, I'd strongly recommend stocking a few common necessities like nose tissues, mouthwash, toothpaste, ect.! - I don't think slippers are provided, if they are, feel free to correct me. I think rental slippers for using the showers would be very nice.