Wild Cherry Blossom - HOSTEL, TOKYO KOGANEI - — Hotel in Tokyo

I stayed from March 16 to March 24 (I extended extra 3 days). I am going to say what the good points are and things that need improvement.

Good points: -I have stayed in hostels, capsule hotels, and Airbnb before for private trips all around Japan. Hotels during business trips. I can say that this is on a hotel level. The cleanliness and the atmosphere are worth the money that you pay for. With its great atmosphere, you will be surprised at how cheap the rooms are! -I studied for my exam as well and stayed in the lounge while I do laundry. It is very relaxing. -You do not need to bring shampoo and towels. If you have personal skincare, though, it is recommended to bring them. If you forget your slippers, they have them, too! -It is near the station. That is so important. I used to live in Tokyo and had a part-time in the Musashi-Koganei area so I am familiar with the place. It is a convenient location with lots of stores. -Toilets are well-maintained and clean. Plus, it is LGBT-friendly (LGBT here!). -Most staffs are easy to talk to. I have one case with a staff which I will talk about in the improvement part.

Improvement: -The air conditioning in the women-only cabin is warm. Even though it is spring, it is on the winter level. It could be great if it's 21-22. As for the ventilation, it is hard to breathe sometimes. Please open the window once in a while just for the air to come in and out. -The sheet change is every three days. The timing is not right for me with the assigned schedule. -Genderless toilets did not have trash cans as far as I can remember. -It is technically not allowed to drink and eat inside your room. I have sleeping issues and an illness (not contagious!), so I drink medicine beside my bed. I wish they were more flexible about this. -Staff: Most of the staff were really great! Foreign staff, especially. It was easy to talk to them and they are approachable. I saw one foreign staff talking in 敬語 to an old Japanese couple. Amazing! However, during my check-in around nighttime, two male staff were assigned. I told one staff that I live in Japan (I saw them choosing the "live outside Japan" option). The other staff was nice, he seem to be new so he looked unfamiliar with the machine (totally not a problem!). My one issue in this hostel was when the other staff doubted and tried to ask for my passport. Usually, it is the residence card that is being asked if you live here. The way he asked was as if I was lying, so I spoke in Japanese.「 在留カードでいいんですか？」 He said yes with a serious face and got it, gave it back to me without saying thank you, and proceeded to talk to his colleague in Japanese. That colleague, then, explained the rules to me. Despite his struggling to speak English, he really did great. The other one who questioned my card seemed to be fluent but he just went back to his desk. I got a little uncomfortable and doubted if I should stay in the hostel again with the lack of おもてなし from one staff. Hopefully, this can be improved. I saw the same staff being nice to Japanese and non-Asian foreign guests. To be honest, Asian foreigners have struggled with discrimination in Japan. Even though the staff probably didn't mean that, that was my initial thought: "oh, because I am an Asian foreigner". Despite this one isolated case, I was glad that most, if not all, of the staff, were accommodating and nice throughout my stay. Hopefully, some staff can be careful. This is a service industry after all and as customers, we want to have a good time without feeling any negativity even for 1%

Overall, I still and definitely recommend this hostel if you want a budget stay in Tokyo. Clean, accommodating, and relaxing. The price is totally worth it. Plus, Chuo Rapid Line may stop at a lot of stations compared to special rapid trains, but it is still convenient. Around 30-40 minutes to Central, and there are various...

Felt like home🥰🙏🏼

Wild Cherry Blossom Hostel, felt like home, in so many ways. We stayed here twice, at the beginning and end of our 3.5 week travels throughout Japan

Superbly located in Koganei, and a less than 10 min walk to the train station, we absolutely loved everything about our stay at WCB Hostel. 🌸

From booking rooms, confirmations, updates and information, online and in person communication was flawless. The staff at WCB are kind, informative, incredibly helpful with details, suggestions, resources, and much more. Rena, Alla, Tea, and everyone at Team WCB are amazing!

We ended up staying in 3 different room types, while visiting. Each room was perfectly suited to our needs. First leg of our trip we needed a room for 3, 1 adult and 2 kids. Great tatami floor with futons, quiet, comfortable and SOO clean! Our 2nd and 3rd rooms towards the end of our trip were, one 2 bed room, with private toilet and sink, also very quiet, and comfortable! Our last two nights were in the single cabin style rooms with sliding doors. Each room style was comfortable and clean. We really got a sense of the different room types, now we know what to ask for when we come back to Japan next year! The communal lounge, workspace and dining area, is huge, spacious, clean and easy to navigate. Team WCB is on top of everything and always available to answer any question you have. The laundry room is convenient and easy to use, even when I needed to make change for my coins, team WCB was right there for a seamless and quick currency exchange. Checking in and checking out was easy and quick. Traveling with teenagers, I felt very at ease to let them hang out in the lounge area playing games or watching a movie. Both kids felt comfortable making their way down to the shared kitchen area to make a snack or breakfast. All of the other guests we interacted with were kind and we got to know some folks over time, which is always nice when traveling. Each floor has shared bathroom, private showers, private toilets, shared sink areas, again, clean and well maintained.

WCB Hostel is located in Koganei, within walking distance to everything you could possibly need, and a great city for walking, sightseeing, eating out, shopping, or just strolling.

Great food options nearby, best ramen at Kujira Shokudo (23 min stroll or 7 min train ride to Higashi-Koganei), amazing Omusubi at Omusubigonbee nonowa Mushashi Koganei (below the train station, near Starbucks) and the BEST Gyoza and food at Nikujirugyoza No Dandadan Musashikoganeiten!!!!!! 😩😋🙌🏼

WCB was a perfect home base for us! Koganei park, Edo Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is within walking distance or an easy bus ride. Day trip to Yokohama, super easy traveling train and transfer connections, easy 15 min walk to one of the best Book Off locations for Anime figures!!!! Delicious fresh roasted sweet potatoes 2 doors down from WCB at the local JA Farmer's Market.

We will be back, we will stay at WCB again, and again! Thank you Team WCB for...

One of the most welcoming and inclusive hostels I’ve ever been to. The staff are all so friendly, kind and thoughtful, it really meant so much. I’m disabled and often find hostels can’t really accommodate that, but the staff at WCB were so considerate. I also have to give a special thanks to Rena who went above and beyond to help me - not only did she take the time to meet me at the bus stop upon arrival and order a taxi for us to get to the hostel together when my data wasn’t working (which was making me even more stressed travelling alone at night in a new country), she also took so much of her time to help me sort out the luggage transfer to my next accommodation. She was an absolute star. You can really feel how much the staff at WCB care about their guests :) The hostel is also very clean, has lots of amenities such as kitchen, laundromat, free toiletries and towels, fully equipped shower rooms (and even an accessible shower). I love that you can still have some privacy in your dorm as it’s more like a cubicle than just a bunk bed. Although the location isn’t the most central, I actually found it great to be in a more peaceful area of Tokyo rather than the hectic central areas. I could even see Mt Fuji from my dorm! The Koganei area is so beautiful during the Sakura season too, so I’m really glad I stayed here and was able to see a different side of Tokyo. The area is also great for Ghibli fans as the Edo open air museum is what inspired many of the films. Can’t recommend this hostel enough - thank you for everything team WCB! Will be back...