Reviews of Hostel KIKO 1 stars

Great value for money. I met some good travelers during my stay, and the staff were extremely nice and helpful.

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The front door was locked when we arrived. No one answered the doorbell. We only got in because some of the other guests opened the door for us. And when we got inside, we found the staff member sitting with his headset and laptop, watching a movie.

I reserved a private room with two futons — they were comfortable, and the place is very quiet. The showers and toilets are located on the first floor and are shared with other travelers, which should not be an issue if you are used to hostel environments. The hostel is about an 18-minute walk from Sendai Station. However, if you are carrying large luggage, I recommend taking the local train to Itsutsubashi Station — from there, it is only a 5-minute walk. Note that the building does not have an elevator, so be prepared to carry your luggage up the stairs. 7 eleven stores and convenient restaurants close to the premises.

One downside is the smell of shoes at the entrance, which was not very pleasant. It is the first thing you notice when you walk in, so this is an area they could definitely improve.

The hostel staff were absolutely amazing. When I arrived, one of the staff members, even though he didn’t speak much English, kindly showed me around and helped me carry my heavy luggage. I felt very welcome, and their hospitality really stood out. The facilities are also very nice and great for meeting people. There are two large kitchens (each with their own Wi-Fi), plenty of space to cook and eat, and common areas that make it easy to connect with other travelers. Now, about the room: I stayed in a mixed dorm, which usually isn’t a problem for me—I’ve been traveling around Japan for four months, staying in all kinds of hostels. However, the bed wasn’t very comfortable. The air conditioner was noisy and directed straight at my bed, so I had to use a blanket (thankfully, they had them prepared) to avoid getting sick. The wooden bed frames are all connected, so when one person moves, the whole structure shakes. The bedding only included a mattress cover and pillowcase, so you end up sharing the same duvet with the previous guest, which wasn’t ideal. The biggest issue I faced, though, was noise. My roommates were very inconsiderate: one was opening and closing curtains and going in and out of the room until 4 a.m., and another started unpacking and reorganizing luggage loudly at 5 a.m., with zippers, coins, and lights turning on and off. Unfortunately, this meant I only got about two hours of sleep. While I know this isn’t directly the hostel’s fault, it might help if there were clearer “quiet hours” or rules about noise inside the rooms and common areas. I also noticed guests talking quite loudly in the kitchen late at night, which made it harder to rest. Setting quiet hours (for example, 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.) could really improve the experience for everyone. Overall, my experience was affected by the behavior of my roommates more than the hostel itself. The location is great, and the staff are truly wonderful.

The beds.

Great living area 2 well equipped kitchens Plenty of space

Late check in

15 min walk from the station, Konbini nearby, cosy living room, Haikyu volumes in Japanese (where are the final ones?), comfortable beds. Very nice place

You can hear people talking, walking, opening and closing doors from the dorm. I wish there were conditioner in the shower

Same as all … but

They charged me extra 1100 yen for late night check in. It was only 23:00 and I never experienced this in Japan since last 4 years. I didn’t like this

So much fun, thank you for your hospitality and beautiful memories!!

Spacious lounge, kind and outgoing personal

Sleeping rooms are a bit cramped; no locker available

Welcoming staff.

A bit uncomfortable but great for the price.

Great location (straight road down from the station) and price. Staff was very welcoming and helpful. Shoutout to Kikuchi and Alessandro. Facilities are top notch and well maintained. Overall great time.

Great hostel in Sendai! Super friendly staff and volunteers. It's spacious, quiet and friendly. Everything was clean and comfortable. They hold events on Saturdays to interact and meet other people, and we joined them and had a really nice time! Would definitely recommend it and will come back in the future :D

Nothing!

Spacious, friendly, great facilities

Air conditioning vent was blowing directly in my top bunk, blowing fluff and dust on my - my bed was covered in small bits of stuff in the morning - I am allergic to dust so I had to take medicine during the night.