Narita Airport Samurai Guesthouse — Hotel in Katori

EDITED: increased from 2 stars to 3, despite the owner accusing me of moving a futon mattress from another room??? (I did not...when the neighboring guests departed, I saw their room, that is all). This hostel is for the adventurous that don't mind a few building code violations and the noise from the train crossing & tracks directly adjacent to this "rustic" ryokan (旅館) without the breakfast. Google had it classified as a "B&B" not a hostel when I first looked at it. No breakfast however (there is a 7-Eleven across the train tracks, the owner said) ...this is a cheap hostel and you get what you pay for :-)

In the plus column: Fast WiFi, and very close to Ōto train station, and ridiculously inexpensive; in the Negative column: basic habitability items, including (I kid you not) many exposed electrical wiring issues (beyond missing outlet covers, of which there are many, literally there were bare wire ends hanging down in the kitchen, probably from a missing light fixture) and structural issues (e.g., spongy flooring where boards have not already been replaced with unfinished pressboard), also ...too close to Ōto train station.

If you are looking for somewhere cheap that's located an hour by train north of NRT airport (it is 4 stops on the local train from Narita station ... NOT 4 stops from NRT airport and changing trains at Narita station is suboptimal), AND don't mind a run down hostel...

The Samurai Guest House is a living museum of Japanese carpentry. The stay there opens our eyes to the Japanese suburban life.

It is a bit far from the airport, but shuttle service from the airport is provided. The location is 3 minutes from a local train station. It is just one train stop from Sawara, which has a variety of restaurants and retail stores.

The host is kind and thoughtful. We had a lot of heavy suitcases, and he offered to help us carrier them up the footbridge across the railway track.

For us, the stay was a very...

Beautiful surroundings (rice paddy fields and farms, shinto shrines), convenient location literally next to Oto JR Station. Nice traditional Japanese style house and talkative owner. The biggest opportunity for improvement is perhaps to offer clean sheets (do not expect) and that the owner should not forget to treat guests with a proper Japanese customer service, even after becoming a bit...