I had an amazing experience at 1166 backpackers ! All the team is so welcoming and nice, they welcomed us with warm tea at check-in and recommended us several spots to visit around town. Each morning, we can have fresh coffee and they help us to plan our visits. I could meet many great people there. There is a working space available for guests too. If I come back to Nagano, I will definitely come again here !

One drawback might be that there is only one shower room but you can schedule your time for it and Nagano has some very nice onsen to enjoy as an alternative. We were recommended great onsen by 1166 backpackers team and it was an amazing experience !

The location was great! Next to several bus stops, lots of cute cafes and a very close onsen. Also, the staff were really kind and very helpful! I felt like they genuinely cared for me during my stay and learned alot from them. They also did a great job of creating a comfortable space for the different travelers and the staff to chat and get to know each other. And everything was clean and the beds had the softest sheets! All in all, this was my favorite guest house while I was traveling in Japan!

The house does have some steep stairs - I didn't have a problem with it, but do keep that in mind if you have big luggage or aren't very balanced.

- Great location and staff. Communication was excellent and the guesthouse has a really good vibe. I appreciated the welcome tea and fresh brewed coffee in the morning. It was apparent that a lot of thought had gone into developing this guesthouse. They even provided a card for vegetarians / vegans to show staff at restaurants. - Excellent binder with key sights around Nagano. I wasn't aware that there was so much to do in this area. The binder was organized, comprehensive, and provided a great overview of how one could spend their time. - The space heaters and hot water bottles were great!

- Only one shower, but the staff does their best to manage it by posting a reservation list and not overbooking the guesthouse. I didn't need to wait for the shower, so it didn't seem to be an issue when I was there. - Check in times are from 4:00pm - 9:00pm. The staff does their best to accommodate earlier arrivals, as they did for me, but this may be an issue if one arrives outside of these times especially after 9:00pm.

There is a great atmosphere in the place. The staff is friendly, welcoming and attentive. They have a lot of suggestions to explore the area and they help you figure out ways of reaching places. It's only a 5 minutes walk to Zenkoji and to a pedestrian street with restaurants to try out. The bedroom was spacious enough for 6 people and even though there is only one shower, there was no trouble with using it considering the hostel was nearly full. Overall was a great experience.

Nothing - just bear in mind if you stay awake until too late, you might wake up the other guests as some sections of the floor are a bit squeaky.

The staff was incredibly friendly! They always offered to give advice on day trips, dinner, whatever you need. They provide you with a hot water bottle at night which was the cutest thing. I felt very at home here even though I only stayed two nights!

The shower room was quite cold but I found that this is the case in a lot of Japanese guesthouses during the winter time. The hot water bottle made up for it. :) Also just note that the single room/not the dorm room only comes with a small towel. You need to rent a larger one but for a very fair price.

What sticks out the most is the great staff, I was given a lot of recommendations that helped me during my stay and helped me chose my next destination. The owner seems to be a seasonned traveler (backpacker?) and it truly reflects in the experience she built for her customers. It is most obvious with the length to which she went to build recommendations for the customers on things to eat and do in the area in the form of an easy to read book (japanese/english). They also had a garage for bicycles. A great addition to the stay since I was traveling with my bicycle. They also have a few to rent I think. They also have a big common room where it was easy to interact with the staff and other guests. Other than that, I would say it is a solid guest house and if I ever go back, it will be my first choice.

It can't be perfect, right. There's only one shower. It didn't really cause any problem for me during my stay, but I believe it is something to be aware of. In general, I would say the place is somewhat narrow. If you are small, you might not notice it, but I am bit tall (1m85) and some areas were a bit unconfortable to navigate like the toilet, the shower entrance (the actual shower is very wide and big, but it has a small corridor leading to it where you would change) and the room. Though, for the room I have seen smaller and in 1166 they have a lottt of space for luggages, so I don't believe it to be a problem. I could manage and to me it is not a deal breaker, but for someone else it might be. Though, I noted that during my stay there were multiple people around the same size as me.

The staff is lovely and really helpful! You're welcomed with some tea and snacks while the staff help you knowing the neighbourhood, what to see and some pro-tips too! I've stayed for 3 days and I felt really at ease being in the lounge with everyone, thanks to the vibe the staff help setting. I loved Nagano and visiting its surrounding, but I appreciated even more this place, will come back! Thanks the staff for everything! especially Estuko for the discussion and many tips, and Sakura for helping me drying my soaked boots :)

Nothing

One of my favorite stays during my trip, in most part thanks to the staff, who are super friendly and welcoming. Unlike a lot of hostels which are just places to crash after a long day, the 1166 gives you the social aspect too. I spent at least one hour in the evening chatting with the staff and other travelers, with a cup of oolong tea and some snacks. That social experience made all the difference for me, and I warmly recommend this place to anyone who would like to mingle with locals/travelers. Also, the location is within reasonable walking distance from the train station (I did leave my big suitcase in a coin locker though), and very close to Zenkoji

There are no big lockers, only small ones for valuables. Also, and this is none of the hostel's fault, but one of the attractions of Zenkoji is seeing the monks assemble and pray in the early morning (around 5-6am), so you might hear some alarms from other guests go off very early. This can happen in any hostel, but maybe even more likely here due to the location

Easily the best hostel I've stayed in, all of the staff are incredibly friendly and great to chat to. They speak very good English and seem very motivated to learn more. It was a very safe environment so despite not having main lockers I was not concerned about my belongings at all. they do have smaller lockers for valuables which I didn't end up using but they should fit an average size laptop + other things easily. The staff recommended some very good places to visit and they have lots of booklets and folders with very useful information on surrounding areas, restaurants and activities. It made my outings a lot easier to plan so I was very grateful for that. There was only one shower and 2 toilets ( one western one squat) but I was never waiting for either , they have a sheet on the door of the shower where you can reserve a time in either the evening or morning but it is no required. Whilst I was there they organised a breakfast potluck which was very fun to take part in. I made a lot of friends here and I feel like it was a turning point in my trip for sure. I cannot recommend this place enough. Beds were also incredibly comfy. I will definitely be coming back again!

There's nothing that I can really think of that I didn't like. I was hesitant to book a stay here originally due to the overwhelmingly positive reviews and cheap price (I was worried that they might be fake) but it really is just that good here 😁

Extremely welcoming and friendly . Sakura-san who welcomed us really gave amazing recommendations for local food places and things to see around. Perfect place if you want to talk japanese( while english was absolutely fine too), explore and learn about the local culture . We both loved it and would have love staying longer! They actually allowed us to leave our luggage there while we spent the last day exploring the environments and gave us an amazing recommendation for a beautiful breakfast place. The other guests were friendly too we had a private room which was perfect for us. Despite loving familiarity, we both love a bit more privacy. Room: The room had everything needed and was quite big. It was old , but very clean with tatami floor and you make your own bed .It was like living in a room in a old and creaky(in a charming way) japanese house. You can hear other peoples voices in other room. But honestly we had some of our best sleep here in our stay. We both loved it. Facillities: Everything you would expect in a normal familly house was there. Kitchen, 2 toilets,shower,washing rooms,,comfy living room reception, you just share everything with your fellow travellers. Everything is clean and organised. Surrounding: We walked everywhere and connection to the main station is easy .But we took the bus to the station. It's perfect if you want a more familiar, comfortable and a unique stay.