To all those who are reading this, please understand that I am working off very little sleep. Maree and I have most definitely been put through the washer in the last few days, and we have come to learn that even though swearing and complaining gets you nowhere, it certainly does make you feel better!
After our 3hr Shinkansen trip to Tokyo, we went on our way finding our last hostel. (we were to stay here till we leave, so for 6 nights) we had made it this way because we finished out JR passes on the day we left for Tokyo, and so we decided to stay here (as it is close to Narita airport) for the last leg of our trip.
We searched for out Hostel and couldn't find it anywhere, finally a man pointed it out to us....the main reason why we couldn't find it was because it was built behind a garage....and this starts our horrid story.
My bag didn't fit through the doorway, it took 3 people to try and squeeze it into the hostel (if you could call it that). It was SOOO small. It was run by a very lovely old lady who lived next door...but this was the only lovely thing about this place! we were shown to out room, which was so small that maree and i had to hug to pass each other. The toilets smelt like piss and the door knob didn't work. The walls were made from plywood, were paper thin and had a 1/2 meter gap between the end of the wall and the roof, so you could hear EVERYTHING around you. Just from this i was feeling awful about the place. i didn't want to stay here, but i thought maybe i was just being pretentious. So we decided to man up and stay there for a night and see how it was....
....during the night the heater turned off and even with 3 layers on and a foam mattress acting as a blanket, i was freezing cold. I think, all up, i had a pitiful 2hrs sleep. In the morning i wanted to get up and have a warm shower, but on my excursion to the shower, i realised we couldn't close the door of the bathroom, because other people needed to use the sink to wash their face/brush teeth. I went in to the shower cubical, and the 'shower head' (tap) was located at belly button height. The shower had hair all over it and was unbelievably dirty!
Whilst in the shower i noticed i had the beginnings of a rash on my body and bed bug bites on my arms and legs. This was the last straw.
Thin walls, confined rooms, no sleep, freezing cold, gross shower/bathroom and bed bugs? We asked our self this question many many times 'WHY DID THIS PLACE GET A 84% RATING ON HOSTEL WORLD?!?!?!'
I walked into the room and burst into tears. Maree turned to me and said to pack our bags because we are leaving. This was the SMARTEST thing we have done all year!! I couldn't believe that such a place could exist!
we were really disappointed that we ended up wasting 2 days being at this hostel, trying to get there and trying to get away from there!
We found a hostel which is 'sister' to the hostel we stayed at in Hiroshima. AND WE COULD HAVE CRIED WHEN WE GO IN THE ROOM!! It is soooo lovely!! Our experience has truly made us appreciate everything that we have here!!
Life has been looking up since our little experience. We went to a market and temples and had a most lovely time out. Our hostel organises many tours and trips, and so tonight we are going on a sushi and sabo (i think thats right) making course. it should be great fun, and delicious!! I cannot wait!!
All i can do now is thank everyone who we talked to in our time of need. You truly made all the difference!!
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