Imano Tokyo Hostel Review | Budget Accommodation in Japan

Imano Tokyo Hostel Review

If there's one thing Japan's infamous for, it's their high cost of living — especially in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. After scouring the internet for hostels in Tokyo, I finally found Imano Tokyo Hostel through booking.com, and paid SGD $83 for two nights there. Other than being within my budget, Imano Tokyo Hostel fit all three strict criteria I set for any accommodation during my Japan solo travel — safe, convenient, and clean.

1) Safety

This one's a no brainer. It was my first time travelling solo, and I'm a petite girl too, so I had to exercise extreme caution even on a budget in Tokyo and my safety is my utmost priority. I read through thousands of reviews online — I went from booking.com to tripadvisor, and even googled for blog reviews. So long as I spotted one bad review concerning safety, the hostel, no matter how cheap, is immediately out of my list.

Unbeknownst to many, other than being a popular shopping district, Shinjuku is also Tokyo's red light district. I almost made a deathly mistake by booking a cheap hostel located right smack in Tokyo's red light district just because the address stated Shinjuku. Thank god I caught one of the reviews expressing concerns for female solo travellers.

Imano Tokyo Hostel's females only level

Opened only in November 2015, Imano Tokyo Hostel is a new hostel with the option of all-female or all-male only dormitories. I wasn't too concerned about having the opposite sex hanging around, but if you are, you'll be comforted to know that Imano Tokyo Hostel's all-female dormitory is on a floor that's only accessible by females.

2) Convenience

Because it was my first time travelling to Tokyo (in fact, it was my first Japan travel), I wanted to stay in a convenient area right smack in central Tokyo. Imano Tokyo Hostel is located comfortably at Shinjuku, Tokyo's famous shopping district. Due to Tokyo's complicated yet extensive subway map, the nearest subway station to Imano Tokyo Hostel is Shinjuku-sanchome Station — located a short five-minute walk away compared to Shinjuku Station, which is about 15 minutes away.

I arrived at Tokyo early in the morning, at about 9am, and was able to leave my luggage at Imano Tokyo Hostel's front desk till the check in time of 4pm. However, please note that such services will not be provided when you check out at 11am. The reason provided by Imano Tokyo Hostel was a lack of space, which was slightly inconvenient but Tokyo is abundant with lockers anyway so that's fine.

I located my way back to Imano Tokyo Hostel everyday by this high-rised hotel located just opposite it. The sign is brightly lit at night, making it even more recognisable against Tokyo's dark skies.

3) Cleanliness

I hate using public toilets. Even in a clean country like Japan, public toilets are the bane of my existence so the hostel's cleanliness matters a lot to me. I read horror stories of how cockroach-infested hostels a week before my travel, filling me with apprehension and I was prepared for the worst. However, Imano Tokyo Hostel pleasantly surprised me with their sparkling clean toilets! With famed Japanese bidets, #justsaying.

4) Dorm and Bed

I shared the 6-bed dorm of three double-decked beds with five other backpackers. While I would have preferred the lower deck, I was assigned the upper deck. It didn't make a drastic difference though, except for the occasional climbing up and down (by occasional, I mean a lot because I kept leaving stuff behind on my bed). I'm sure you can make a request to Imano Tokyo Hostel, if sleeping on either deck really makes a huge difference for you.

The space in the 6-room dorm was surprisingly big enough for me to lay my 28 inch luggage down, and leave backpack and lots of messy shopping lying around. I'm not exactly the most organised person, as you can tell.

Imano Tokyo Hostel provides two sources of power for each bed, along with an extension cord with two powers (as seen on the right side of the bed frame). Japan uses a 100 Volt power point, so a travel adapter is needed for Singaporeans.

My only problem was that the bed frame blocked my travel adapter from the power (seen on the left side) so I could only use one power. No biggie though, I charged my MacBook using the power point and charged my devices from my MacBook's USB drives. Otherwise, you can just bring your own extension cord.

There is a little platform (slightly blocked my my bag in this photo) for you to place your necessities. Although there were mini lockers about 12.5cm x 30cm placed outside the dorms free for all to use, I wished Imano Tokyo Hostel provided a personal locker so I didn't have to move all my valuables around whenever I move in and out of my dorm.

Then again, I was already thankful that Imano Tokyo Hostel was clean and comfortable for the extremely cheap price I paid so... No complaints!

5) Facilities

What kind of hostel has a bathtub for you to soak in? Imano Tokyo Hostel, 'nuffsaid.

6) Guests

It's not fair for me to make judgement because backpackers come and go, but the guests at Imano Tokyo Hostel were generally well-mannered and polite. Some were a little noisy or kept the lights on, but nothing ear plugs and eye masks can't solve!

Like most backpackers reviewed, Imano Tokyo Hostel lacked the friendliness found in hostels around the world. I'm not sure if it's a Tokyo or Japan thing, but the lack of friendliness was a consensus I got from reading reviews about almost every hostel in Tokyo.

Nonetheless, I managed to make friends when I was there so I'd say it's how you make do with your situation when you travel, rather than what the hostel can provide you. My tip? Smile, be friendly and polite and approach people instead of waiting for them to speak up first.

Imano Tokyo Hostel

IMANO TOKYO HOSTEL / IMANO TOKYO CAFE & BAR

Address
12-2, Shinjuku 5-Chome. Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Phone Number
(+81) 3-5362-7161

Email
shinjuku@imano-tokyo.jp

Nearest Subway Station
Shinjuku-sanchome Station

Directions
E2 Exit, 5 minutes walk

Price
Varies from dorm to dorm, day to day.
For a guide, I paid SGD $83 for two nights in a 6-bed female dorm, and I did my booking via booking.com due to their lowest price guarantee.

(This blog post is based on my true opinion from my personal experience, and is in no way sponsored.)

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