Staff were fantastic—friendly, helpful, and efficient. The hostel has a warm, funky vibe. The location couldn’t have been more convenient unless it sat astride the canal in the historic district. The food and drinks were all excellent, and the value for what you pay is amazing.

Mattress and pillows were adequate, though not as comfortable as we might have liked.

The location is sublime; a stone's throw away from the historical district which is where you probably want to do most of your exploring! And the hostel itself is very well designed, cosy and nice to be in. The staff were absolutely amazing. So friendly and personable and accommodating. I have Coeliac Disease and after showing them my allergy card, they went out of their way to accommodate me for breakfast; it was so appreciated. Breakfast was great for both my husband who got the standard and my gluten free version. Honestly, I'm mentioning it again because the staff were just so amazing to have prepared something for me. By Japanese standards, our room was huge. It was nice to have space to spread a little and not have to climb over one another in the room.

Noise permiates the walls very easily in this place; we could hear the conversation of our neighbours rather clearly. Additional to this, whilst I was wearing earplugs and slept through the night my husband was woken up several times by people moving about. The bed was very, very hard to the point that it felt like there was not really a mattress there. Thankfully, the pillows were very comfortable and one of us had an excellent nights sleep (the one who had earplugs).

I had been working in this city for couple of weeks, all staffs here were so nice and enthusiastic even some couldn’t speak English fluently. The room was comfortable with all appliances and utensils provided. This hostel also give me a bicycle after knowing I had to walk quite far to my workplace without any charges. If I have to be back here, This is the place I definitely stay again.

Our first impression was excellent. We arrived late morning. Our bags were stored for us by a lovely staff member and we sat in the very cool restaurant (reception, bar, dining, all in one) to have a rest and some lunch. We then went out to explore the streets of the Bikan historical area, literally around the corner. Such a great location. Checked in properly at 4pm and were taken to the annex building a few doors down the street. Initially we were disappointed as our room didn't reflect the photos on booking.com - there was just one window and it looked straight at a wall one foot away and there was no couch. We'd been looking forward to having a couch to relax on instead of just a bed. The room felt a bit shabby and dark. Once we'd settled in though, we accepted that what we had was comfortable and reasonable value with some added bonuses - an awesome little projector beside our bed which was very cool, electrical sockets built into the bed base for charging devices, a good bathroom and a little clothes line where we hung our washing after putting a small load through the machine in the room (washing detergent provided). The queen size bed was a futon base with comfortable, thick mattress. The single bed (which was there instead of a couch) served as a place to put our two suitcases. The breakfast which was included in our room cost was yoghurt, granola and sandwiches and, best of all, coffee (best latte I had in Japan!) and tea were included. Breakfast is served in the restaurant area in the main building. We also ate dinner both nights in the restaurant as it's just easy and a nice vibe. It was the end of our two week trip so we were happy to take it easy in the evenings. The staff were lovely, the basement bar/restaurant very cool and the annex rooms so-so.

The cover on the doona on our bed was not freshly laundered. While the sheets and pillows were clean, the doona cover should have been washed for new occupants. The kitchen was of no use to us as there were only cooking pots, plates, glasses...and no cutlery or cooking utensils, not even a teaspoon. I've read some scathing reviews of the annex rooms. Check the date of these because I think they've tried to rectify some of the issues that other reviewers have raised.

This is my second time staying here, and the staff here are always welcoming and friendly! They are also highly respectful of your privacy and will not engage unnecessarily. The room is clean, spacious, and it even had a vinyl player that I didn’t get to use unfortunately. I was too shy to ask about how to use it. Maybe next year when I go back again. The hostel is conveniently located near to the museums, the historical quarters and the yebisu street which is littered with small shops that make really delicious food.

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Amazing location, cosy well designed rooms with lots of privacy and space in your "bunk" which was almost a tiny room. Very good showers and bathrooms. Friendly staff. Really nice bar downstairs though it feels separate from the rest of the hostel since you have to go out then in, so it's not like a typical hostel chill out area.

It's a funny layout, a bit like a prison, with the central bit being a bit cold though there was a heater available. Quite a small hang out area that was full with a group when I wanted to use it, and it felt like the hostel bar I'd have to buy something in order to sit there. No kitchen, tap or kettle only a microwave and a hot water machine that was sometimes empty. The futon mattress felt very thin, definitely not good for sideways sleepers.

Perfect location two minute walk from the historical district, 15 minute walk from the train station. Staff were really nice and helpful despite mild language barrier. Bathrooms were excellent. Stayed in a dorm which was very spacious. My cubicle had a window and felt like a private room. The heated mattress was a bonus. Breakfast was good and abundant. The bar looked really quirky though I didn’t really spend time there.

It’s not a dislike but more of a recommendation- if you remove the ham from the egg sandwich for breakfast it would make the breakfast suitable for vegetarians, pescatarians and meat eaters. Also the cigarette smoke from the downstairs smoking area seems to spread to the outside of rooms and bathrooms.

Super clean and nice facility, cute check in girl that knew English very well, wish I got her name haha. Check out was easy as well. Really cool bar/cafe downstairs, bartender was very friendly, he was trying his best with English.

Nothing about the location per se, but I didn't know that all of the shops close at 5:30, even on a Saturday. Be aware if travelling to kurashiki, better to get there in the morning and go to the bar in the evening

Fantastic location steps from the heart of the historic district. Staff were super friendly and helpful with my awkward baggage at check in. Bar/cafe seemed like a fun place. I stayed in the twin room. The place is like a combo hostel and boutique hotel and it's a really interesting renovation of what was apparently an old wedding venue.

A kettle in the private room would have been nice since I'm a coffee-before-anything person and the common space with hot water was on another floor. Breakfast was good, but it was cold sandwiches and yogurt, so a little unexpected and out of the ordinary.

The location, right near the historical district and the O'Hara Museum, was brilliant. I got a little lost in the streets a few times. The clever layout of the dorms meant four capsule beds fitted well in a small space and the bathrooms were stylish and clean. Breakfasts were reliable (an egg salad sandwich and choice of juice/coffee) and good.

The bar downstairs is cool, and it seems like it might be the hostel's common area (with bookshelves and a movie playing in the corner), but I didn't feel welcome down there to just hang out, especially on my own (when I tried doing so, I was approached by a staff member, who was surprised when I asked if I could just sit in the area). The other common area contained the small fridge and kettle and a few chairs (in the open centre of the building), but also doubled as a smoking area and had weak wifi.