Peace house Abeno — Hotel in Osaka

Well, to me this isn't just a guesthouse, it truly feels like my second home now! I came here for the entire month of April, and loved it here! The place is affordable for people on a tight budget. It's an old traditional Japanese house which was converted to a guesthouse, which gives you a special cultural vibe and atmosphere. The location is quiet and close to many of Osaka's popular attractions, only being a 5 minute walk away from Japan's current tallest building (Harukas 300) and a short distance from Shinsekai which is a popular entertainment district and also has a wide range of places to eat! Being close to a Don Quijote, and having a few Tamade's a couple minutes away, its a huge bonus too as with the options to choose from within the cooking facilities in the kitchen you can literally cook anything at peace house! There is also sentos / public baths all around the area at a very affordable price! There's tickets at peace house which also get you a free drink at them too! The staff are amazing. I can't emphasize this enough. They're welcoming, courteous and polite and make you feel right at home! They will offer the guests advice on anything they may be interested in, as well as with their being a sitting area in the lounge room you can play video games, watch TV, and if you're lucky, you may even get a bite of the food that the staff cook up as they know how to create some mighty fine dishes having spent so long in Japan! They're fluent in English and Japanese which also gives the place a welcoming feeling as they can translate what other guests are saying so you can still speak with everyone! I came back this month to spend more time here as our of all the places I've travelled this year, having been to 9 different countries, this was my favourite place to stay. And I shall definitely return in the future! Thanks for the memories guys! And if anyone doubts or is hesitant staying here because of the less positive reviews, you are...

The Hostel is pretty small but our room was spacious enough. Cleanliness was so-so, but kitchen well equipped. So why only 1 star? On our last night an elderly Japanese man lay unconscious in front of the Hostel. I went to the staff to get them to help. They were reluctant to help, saying: "Oh that's just a bum, happens all the time." I insisted that we take a look together. As it turned out it was a drunk man who fell and hit his head so hard he passed out. He was bleeding from his head. As we tried to wake and talk to the guy it became apparent that none of the three staff members spoke any Japanese. Without any real Japanese skills the staff and myself could not call an ambulance and even worse keep the injured man from walking off, who kept talking in Japanese (daijoubu etc.). It was a great shock and I feel terrible we couldn't really help a person in need. I think it is totally irresponsible to only have staff in a guesthouse without Japanese language skills and on top people who would let a person lay on the ground because "he's just a bum." With a name such as this guesthouse the whole thing is even more unbelievable. Keep in mind before booking: If a guest becomes sick or a crime is committed the staff will not be able to...

I think in this case it's safe to say that you get what you pay for. Peace House offers an extremely affordable option for those of us who do not have money to spare.

The guests and staff were nice, quiet, and respectful.

Beds are spacious albeit very firm/lightly padded. They have privacy curtains and little book lights.

The smell/musk was the only thing I took issue with. Not sure if it was the combo of grown men or the humidity or the old house or what. All I know is that I struggled with the very strong smell that became more noticeable when the windows/doors were closed for long periods of time.

~10-15 mins away from tennoji station ~30-40 mins away from Dotonburi

All that being said - for how much I paid, I really couldn't have asked for more. Great option for those who aren't sensory sensitive and wanting to see Osaka...