UNPLAN Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan (Hostel Review)

I stayed 2 nights at UNPLAN Shinjuku, in the Shinjuku area in Tokyo, Japan. I booked it because Shinjuku is supposed to be one of the best places for tourists to stay on their first visit to Japan, and I wanted to try it out. This hostel in particular is very popular with backpackers, and it was recommended to me by a few people.

This is a review of my stay at UNPLAN Shinjuku in February 2023, plus information about my room, the hotel itself, and other things related to my stay.

Note: I paid for the room myself and have not received compensation from the hotel for writing this review. It’s my own thoughts and experiences and I’ve not been influenced in any way!

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UNPLAN Shinjuku (Tokyo, Japan)

Quick Info

Address: 5 Chome-3-15 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan
Plus code: MPV6+69 Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan
Phone number: +81364581686
Check In: 4:00 pm
Check Out: 11:00 am
Breakfast: Yes!
Wifi: Yes!
Closest station: Shinjuku-sanchome Station

Book on Booking.com

Book on Hostelworld

Getting to UNPLAN Shinjuku

The closest train AND subway station is Shinjuku-sanchome Station (about 10 minutes walking).

If you’re coming from Narita Airport, you can take the Keisei Line or Skyliner Line to Ueno Station, transfer to the Ueno-Tokyo Line and go to Tokyo Station, then transfer to the metro on the Marunouchi Line and get off at Shinjuku-sanchome Station.

It’s a bit of a journey so in this case a private transfer might be easier.

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Check-in & Hostel Staff

I think the hostel staff were a mix of locals and travelers doing work exchange– there were some signs throughout the hostel mentioning open job opportunities and free accommodation and breakfast in exchange for working at the desk.

The downside to this scenario as a guest is the work exchange people sometimes don’t have a lot of training or enthusiasm, as they’re only working there part-time for a short period. So it can take a bit longer to get checked in and settled! I also found the staff generally disinterested in mingling with guests and to be honest the cleaning wasn’t being kept up with in the shared areas on the lower floors, either. It didn’t leave a very good impression of the hostel itself, though it’s otherwise got good points.

This sort of thing is why I think it’s best that hostels hire full-time local staff to do the majority of the work and only use work exchanges as a bonus. 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, at the time they weren’t doing a whole lot of events, but this year (2024) they’ve really stepped it up and have something going on every night. Maybe they got new staff? Awesome!

My Room

Female dorm looking from the entrance area. The curtain in the back is the semi-private room.

I booked a female-only dorm with 8 beds. Note: I’m not 100% sure what’s going on with the Hostelworld listing, but the dorm rooms are NOT 100+ beds in one single room. I’m guessing they listed every bed they have in the whole hostel rather than individual rooms.

Anyway, they also have private rooms, family rooms, and semi-private rooms which are large curtained-off areas within the dorm rooms.

The dorm room itself was fairly small– not a lot of room to put suitcases and whenever someone had to open and repack it took up a good amount of the floor space.

Bed

I had an upper bunk– not my favorite! But the capsule was super cozy and there was actually a good amount of space in there. The mattress was single size and there was a slight ledge space on one side, plus the “roof” was pretty high up so I could sit in bed and read.

The ledge has a cabinet underneath which can be locked, and next to that there’s a small hanging rod where you an put your towel or a jacket.

Bathroom

The female dorm is on its own floor and has its own shower and toilet rooms. The showers were clean but there were no amenities so you need to bring your own stuff.

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Hostel Breakfast

Breakfast counter and non-public kitchen which I guess is also a bar and/or restaurant?

Basic hostel breakfast typically found in Asia which is: hardboiled eggs, toast (jam, honey), tea/coffee, juice and yogurt. Breakfast is down in the coworking space and goes from an amazingly early 4:00 am to 10:00 am.

I think this same space also now runs as a bar and/or restaurant; it wasn’t running when I was there but they do serve some food and drinks starting at lunch time.

Shared Spaces

The lower levels had a few lounges, a kitchen and a coworking space available to guests. There was also a small laundry room and outdoor balconies for smoking.

The coworking space was often rented to outside parties and blocked from guest use, unfortunately.

Full fridge in the kitchen. It also smelled. 🙁

To be honest, these were my least favorite part of the hostel. They needed cleaning, and the kitchen was so full of food in every cupboard and fridge that there was no room for anything new. The tables in the coworking space usually had crumbs, and the living room area looked very grungy. Hopefully that’s all been fixed by now since it HAS been over a year.

Final Thoughts

There’s a lot of potentially good things at UNPLAN Shinjuku. The beds are comfortable and there’s a coworking space which could be good for digital nomads. The wifi was strong and worked well.

It’s definitely in a good location if you particularly want to explore that part of Tokyo. I wasn’t impressed with the cleanliness of the public spaces when I was there, but the dorm areas were okay. I don’t think I’d stay here again but I might try another UNPLAN branch in a different location.