Monday, October 26, 2015

Khaosan Tokyo Origami Hostel review

When looking for a place to stay in Tokyo, I came across the Khaosan hostel branch. With Asakusa as their center point of their hostels, I was intrigued by the thought of staying in the older downtown area of Tokyo and furthermore a friend highly recommended it. I opted for Khaosan Origami hostel, located in the quieter section of Asakusa, right behind the iconic and beautiful Senso-ji temple.

Khaosan Origami was about a 10 minutes walk from the train and subway stations of Asakusa. While lugging suitcases might be a bit troublesome, the walk to and from the hostel was rather nice as I got to really soak in the bustling crowd and colours of Asakusa's food and attractions during the day and the quietness stillness of that same area at the night.

Exhausted after returning from my Mount Fuji hike, I was eager to check-in and wash up. Check-in  was prompt and I even rented a towel from them for only 50 yen. Booking was made through their site with a 12% deposit to secure the booking made online. The remaining was paid at the hostel and was about 18,000 yen for three nights for a private twin room (with a shared bathroom) for two people.

Thankfully, the hostel came equipped with a lift so I didn't need to lug my suitcase to my room on the 7th floor. My room came with a bunk bed and my friend graciously allowed himself to be bullied into taking the top bunk. There was enough space in the room for us to lay our luggage out on the floor without kicking or stepping on anything. Each bed had a plug point and with my multi-functional travel adapter, I could easily charge three things at once. For toilet use, slippers were provided as per Japanese tradition.


Each bed came with sheets and covers for us to lay out and upon check out, we just need to remove the sheet and covers and put them in the baskets at the reception for washing. The bed was super comfortable and all three nights I slept wonderfully despite it getting hot under the covers. The room came equipped with air-con as well and a window that looked out into the skyline of Asakusa's backyard.


As there were only three rooms on my floor, there was never a wait for the bathroom and toilets even though it was shared. The bathroom also came equipped with the laundry facilities - two washing machines and dryers that cost only 200 yen and 100 yen respectively to use. This was highly convenient for me as I could wash my drenched stinky clothes from Mount Fuji and also save on luggage space as I didn't need to bring so many clothes for my trip.

I super love the common room on the 8th floor with its big dining table and tatami floor space by the windows. One evening I just sat there and watched the sunset over the buildings. In the evening, Senso-ji temple would light up, making a zen scene from the common room window.


The common room also had a fully equipped kitchen where we could store our food in the fridge, cook our meals or warm up our meals from the convenient marts. A television made for a nice background distraction as we ate breakfast and used the free computer stations.



True to its name, there were many origami in the hostel - the main lobby and in the common and it was all very interesting and pretty to look at.

The reception made for a nice place to chill and wait on each other with ample information booklets and leaflets as well as daily weather forecast and tips on things to do and eat in the neighbourhood all scribbled on their walls for guest's convenience.

Free green tea, coffee and water are also readily available in the waiting area. Books are also available for reading at the lobby. The staff are fluent in English and super helpful in providing suggestions and tips on what to visit in Tokyo and its neighbouring towns.

Check out was at 11am but guests can just store their luggage in the storage room in the waiting area after check out which was what I did before heading out on my last day in Tokyo. I came back only in the evening and in need of a shower, I just rented their towel again and used their shower facilities before heading to the airport for my midnight flight.

To get to the Haneda International Airport from Asakusa, I only needed to take the direct train via the Toei Asakusa line from the Asakusa station. Costing only 640 yen which I paid for with my Pasmo card, it was only 40 minutes ride.

My stay at Khaosan Origami hostel was incredible pleasant with friendly and warm staff and a well-equipped home at a reasonable price. I enjoyed it so much I am already looking at their sister branches in Kyoto and Sapporo for my trips next year. For more information, check out their site at http://www.khaosan-tokyo.com/en/index.html

Read about:
24 Hours on Mount Fuji in a Typhoon Part 1 and 2
First Cabin Capsule Hotel, Haneda Airport review
Khaosan Tokyo Origami, Asakusa review
Day 1 - Things to do and eat at Asakusa at Night link
Day 2 - Tokyo Imperial Palace and Ichiran Shibuya link 
Day 3 - Harajuku and Akihabara link
Day 4 - Last Day in Japan link
Daikokuya Tempura restaurant, Asakusa review
Artnia Square Enix cafe, Higashi-Shinjuku review

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