Imano Tokyo Hostel
by the TopOfHotel team
A good-looking Shinjuku hostel where the ground-floor Imano Cafe turns into a sake-and-highball bar after dark and becomes the place everyone meets.
A good-looking Shinjuku hostel where the ground-floor Imano Cafe turns into a sake-and-highball bar after dark and becomes the place everyone meets.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Imano Tokyo Hostel sits in a 7-floor building fronted with wood slats and paper shoji lanterns at the entrance, about a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Shinjuku-gyoemmae station past small izakaya and Showa-era cafes. A bed in the 4-person female-only dorm runs ¥4,600 (about $31) a night. These are Modern Capsule berths walled off with brick partitions, roughly 100 cm wide, each with a warm-to-cool LED light, a USB port and two outlets, a thick blackout curtain, a memory-foam mattress, and storage under the bed big enough to swallow a 28-inch suitcase. The decor reads more boutique hotel than hostel.
Food and amenities
The women's bathroom is on a separate floor and comes with a large makeup-mirror desk, a bench, a Salon Sense hair dryer, and big bottles of Aesop wash. Downstairs, the ground-floor Imano Cafe is open 7am to 10pm, pouring house-roasted drip coffee at ¥450 (about $3), lemon pie at ¥600, and a bread-and-egg breakfast set at ¥850 (about $6). In the evening it flips into a bar — sake at ¥800, a Suntory highball at ¥700 — with four communal tables guests use to work or, as the reviews tell it, to swap Toyosu fish-market tips until midnight.
Location and getting there
Shinjuku-gyoemmae (Marunouchi Line) is 350 m away, and the big Shinjuku station — JR Yamanote, Chuo, Odakyu — is 1.2 km, a 5-minute train ride. The main gate of Shinjuku Gyoen, lovely in all four seasons, is an 8-minute walk (entry about $3). Isetan department store is a 12-minute walk, and Kabukicho is a 5-minute hop by train.
Things to know before booking
It's a hostel, so dorm guests share common space, and the women's bathroom is on a different floor from the beds rather than en suite. Shinjuku is one of Tokyo's busiest districts — convenient, but crowded and noisy around you. And it costs a little more than the cheapest hostels on this list, with dorm beds from about $31 rather than the rock-bottom rates elsewhere.
Our take
Imano Tokyo Hostel is the answer for travellers who want to stay in Shinjuku on a hostel budget without dropping the quality. The design is sharp, the cafe is good, and being an 8-minute walk from Shinjuku Gyoen means easy morning strolls under the cherry blossoms. It suits stylish backpackers, couples, and solo women travellers.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Design-led and modern, noticeably warmer and nicer to stay in than a typical budget hostel.
- Strong Shinjuku location — Shinjuku-gyoemmae is about 350 m away, and the main Shinjuku hub is a 5-minute train ride, so you can reach most of the city quickly.
- An 8-minute walk to the main gate of Shinjuku Gyoen, which is a genuinely good park to stroll year-round.
- Both dorm beds and private rooms, so you can match the room to your budget.
- A ground-floor cafe and common area that's an easy place to meet other travellers — real-guest reviews sit at 8.7/10.
- It's a hostel — dorm guests share common space, and the women's bathroom sits on a separate floor from the beds.
- Shinjuku is one of Tokyo's busiest districts, so expect crowds and noise around you.
- It runs a little pricier than the cheapest hostels on this list, with dorm beds from around $31.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
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Insider Tips
- Walk over to Shinjuku Gyoen first thing — entry is about $3 and it looks good in every season, especially for early cherry blossoms.
- Park yourself at one of the four communal tables in Imano Cafe in the evening; it's where guests end up talking.
- Pick a dorm bed to keep costs down, or book a private room if you want the door to yourself.