The Best Hostels to Book in Japan
When staying as a guest in one of Japan’s hostels, you’ll find convenience and comfort in abundance. These cheap and cheerful accommodation options come with fun themes, provide an array of sleeping options and even host events and classes to liven up your time there. Here are the best hostels to stay at around Japan, from Hiroshima to Sapporo.
1. Book and Bed Tokyo Shinjuku
Capsule Hotel, Hostel
Hostels in Japan frequently go to great lengths to offer a unique experience, but few go as far as Book and Bed. This hostel takes the literary theme and runs with it, placing books on guests’ pillows and hanging manga pages from the ceiling. The beds sit snug between bookshelves, and to top it off, the hostel itself lies in Tokyo’s shopping and nightlife district of Shinjuku.
2. Space Hostel Tokyo
Hostel
Space Hostel Tokyo offers a warm and welcoming environment. There is a sense of minimalism at play here, combined with convenience and a relaxed atmosphere that’s achieved by soothing lights and wood furnishings. What sets this hostel apart is its emphasis on hosting events, running language sessions, calligraphy classes and food-related events that encourage relationships between guests and staff.
3. Hostel Toki
Hostel
The southern city of Fukuoka offers a unique blend of urban and rural elements, creating a cosy, small-town vibe. Hostel Toki reflects that perfectly by prioritising snugness with its compact space and focussing on soothing tones and lighting. The rooms feature all the amenities of a well-rounded hostel, including luggage storage, guidebooks and a lounge area. Beyond that, the quiet atmosphere encourages calm and relaxation.
5. Trip and Sleep Hostel
Hostel
Based in the central Japanese city of Nagoya, Trip and Sleep Hostel offers a range of stay options that can accommodate every kind of traveller. It has dormitory rooms of varying sizes, private rooms with twin beds and even a traditional tatami room with futons. There is also an option for a female-only dormitory room, with space for six people.
6. 36hostel
Hostel, Budget Hotel
As the sign in the window proudly states, 36hostel likes to share its love of coffee and books with its guests, who are encouraged to enjoy the in-house cafe and browse the hostel’s plethora of reading material. The comfortable and homely atmosphere, created by an emphasis on reading and enjoying coffee, makes for a warm and welcoming stay in the southern Japanese city of Hiroshima.
7. Pirka Sapporo
Hostel, Ryokan
In the capital of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, you’ll find Pirka Sapporo, a cosy hostel that caters to a variety of guests. This snug place offers Japanese-style traditional tatami rooms and mixed or female-only dormitories. It also includes a unisex washroom, with rentable towels and all the amenities you need for your stay.
8. Kyoto Morris Hostel
Hostel
Within walking distance of Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kyoto Morris Hostel is in an unbeatable location that is both secluded and central, providing both privacy and convenience. It has a warm and spacious lounge area, kitchen and cafe, too, while accommodation options include a private double, twin or family room or an 18-bed mixed dormitory.
9. Guest House Matsu
Hostel, Guesthouse
Osaka’s Guest House Matsu is a friendly space hosted by staff who are eager to help and make you feel at home. The hostel’s kitchen and bathroom are fully equipped, allowing for complete self-sufficiency, while the rooms cater to solo travellers, couples and even families. Guest House Matsu also hosts events, such as cooking classes and calligraphy lessons.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.