In the heart of Asakusa lies one of Tokyo's most stylish hostels called Bunka Hostel Tokyo. It is situated in a building that used to be a pachinko parlor, and the whole building has been renovated for the convenience of foreign travelers. The name of the hostel comes from the Japanese word Bunka (文化), or culture, and when you're inside the building you can feel the cultural mix between Japanese tradition and modernity. In addition to offering 128 beds for travelers looking for reasonable accommodation at a good location the property also has all the amenities and facilities needed to enjoy a comfortable stay in Tokyo included free 24-hour front desk, multilingual staff, and free WiFi.

Entrance decorated with flowers

I went to Bunka Hostel for their grand opening reception on December 14th along with a couple of colleagues, and we were met by excited and friendly staff who were doing their utmost to ensure a successful reception. The lounge area was filled with guests; It had apparently been quite easy to attract people to come thanks to the property's exquisite style and convenient location, and we could meet a lot of interesting people in addition to the hostel's staff.

The reception desk with shelves symbolising Mt. Fuji in the background

The whole first floor is used as a cafe/Japanese style Izakaya, so guests can enjoy a drink or two here in the company of other travellers. You can actually enjoy your day/evening at the bar/cafe regardless of wether you spend the night here or not, but access to the guest floors is limited to guests only (see further down the page for information about rooms).

A globe at the reception desk

One of the main themes of the hostel is Japanese rice wine, sake, and Bunka Hostel has their own special variety of sake prepared for its guests. The taste is not that sharp, so it is especially a great chance for foreigners who haven't tried sake before because of its milde aftertaste. Instead of glasses we were given a square wooden box called masu (枡; see picture below) with sake in it, and the smell of wood added an extra dimension to the drink.

A pyramid of masu

One-cup Bunka Hostel sake & masu

Performers wearing Japanese masks and dancing a sake dance

Speech

Sake barrel used in the Kagami Biraki ceremony

Bunk beds

The 4th floor guest floors

One of the beds

One of the bunk beds decorated with a Japanese ornament

Performance artist playing with the light

Disco bed

An art performer in one of the rooms wearing a traditional mask

In addition to the guest rooms, there is an available kitchen usable only by the guests staying at Bunka Hostel. The kitchen doesn't have a stove but is equipped with a refrigerator and other necessary amenities such as a microwave oven and a toaster.

Kitchen

Kitchen

From the bathroom area

The hostel comes with shared bathroom for the people who stay in the bunk bed section. With a large number of toilet rooms and showers available it is likely that people will be able to use these facilities without having to worry about availability. For those who don't like to share common facilities with other guests it is, however, possible to rent the hostel's one and only exclusive family room where, in addition to more privacy, you'll have a great view of the Sky Tree from your bed.

Sky Tree seen from Bunka Hostel

Bunka Hostel Tokyo's Family Room

Asakusa is located in Taito ward, which is the most popular area in Tokyo for foreign tourists. Using this place as the base for your stay will grant you easy access to many of Tokyo's best tourist spots, including the Kaminari gate (雷門) which is only a couple of minutes away by foot. In the table below are some of the features you can get at Bunka Hostel.

The world-famous Kaminarimon

Book your stay at Bunka Hostel here!

• All blog posts from Asakusa
• All blog posts from Tokyo
• Second Hand Fashion Shopping in Tokyo: Mode Off in Ueno
• Bon Odori Midsummer Festival in Ebisu (恵比寿駅前盆踊り)
• The Ultimate Secret Karaoke Place in Shibuya: Rainbow Karaoke
• Real Escape Room Asakusa: Escape from The RED ROOM
• Fun in Tokyo: Flying high at Trampoline Park Trampoland
• Tokyo Cherry Blossom Spots: Nakameguro's Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)
• Tokyo Hot Spring Theme Parks: Back to Edo with Oedo Onsen Monogatari
• Sightseeing in Tokyo: Cruising the Tokyo Bay on a Yakatabune (屋形船) Houseboat
• Summer in Tokyo: River side picnick by Futako-Tamagawa (二子玉川)
• All blog posts about hotels
• Travel in Japan: Top 10 Japanese Ryokan Hotels chosen by Experts
• Tokyo Hotel Special: Brand New Tokyo Hotels 2018
• Tokyo Hotel Special: 20 Grand Opening Hotels 2016 - 2017
• Tokyo Hotel Special: 2015 & 2016 Brand New Tokyo Hotels
• Lodging in Tokyo: 10 Fancy Budget Hotels for an Unforgettable Stay
• Osaka & Kyoto Hotel Special: Grand Opening Hotels 2016 - 2017
• All blog posts about Japanese hotels/ryokan
• Chichibu: Heritage Minoyama Ryokan
• Gunma: Kusatsu Onsen Nisshinkan
• Hokkaido: New Furano Prince Hotel
• Kanazawa: The Ryokan with a Noh Stage - Hotel Motoyu Ishiya
• Nagano - Yudanaka: Aburaya Tousen Ryokan
• Nagano: Zenkoji Temple's Jizo Matsuya Ryokan
• Niigata: Shikinoyado Minoya Ryokan
• Niigata: Iwamuro Onsen - Hotel Ohashi Yakatanoyu
• Nikko: Nikko Tokinoyuu Hotel
• Nikko Astraea Hotel in Oku-Nikko - Nikko National Park
• Osaka: The Bridge Hotel Shinsaibashi
• Osaka: The Center of Osaka Nightlife - Candeo Hotels Osaka Namba
• Saitama: Heiseirou Onsen Health Center 
• Shikoku: Rotenburo Heaven at Hotel Kazurabashi
• Tokyo: A Night at the Majestic Hotel Okura Tokyo
• Tokyo: Meeting Hachi the Owl at WISE OWL HOSTELS TOKYO
• Tokyo: Hundred Stay Tokyo Shinjuku Serviced Apartments & Hotel
• Tokyo: Remm Roppongi - A night in the Town that never sleeps
• Tokyo: A night at the upscale Centurion Classic Akasaka
• Tokyo: Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu - A Suburban Choice
• Tokyo's First Robot Hotel - Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay
• Tokyo: How to sleep in a Capsule Hotel - do-c Ebisu
• Tokyo: The Next Step to Explore Asakusa - Hotel Amanek Asakusa Azumabashi
• Yokohama: Yokohama Royal Park - The Landmark of Yokohama
• Yokohama: Hotel Edit Yokohama - A Western-style Boutique Hotel
• Smarter Hotel Booking: Agoda Secret Deal
• Getting you the Best Hotel Rates: Agoda Insider Deals
• All blog posts from Japan 

• All blogposts about wedding
• How to make a Japanese Wedding Profile Video (プロフィールビデオ)
• Happy Wedding: Reusing my Mom's Old Wedding Dress
• White Pigeon Wedding Modeling in Kyoto! 
• Modeling for Kyoto Weddings: My Japanese Wedding, or the day I (Almost) Married a Stranger

Bora-Naya restaurant with the original fisherman's hut in the right corner

The entrance to Bora-Naya

Bora-Naya was constructed by the Kii family (near the present-day Wakayama) in 1627. Later, several extensions and structural alterations were carried out on the building. The bora (striped mullet) fishing industry operated under the protection of the Tokugawa Shogunate. During the seasonal migration of the bora, the villagers would live here and while repairing their boats and nets, went out fishing with the signal of a trumpet shell or flag.

It has been said that bora caught here were sometimes taken to distant Edo to enliven the dining table of Tokugawa Iemitsu, who was the third generation Tokugawa Shogun.

From Bora-Naya's homepage

Related blogposts

• All blogposts from Shizuoka Prefecture
• All blogposts from Izu:
• Sightseing in Izu: The Ryugu Sea Cave (竜宮窟)
• Sightseeing in Izu: Mount Omuro (大室山)
• Sightseeing in Izu: The 400-year old Bora-Naya Restaurant (ぼら納屋) 
• Sightseeing in Izu: Kanto's best snorkeling spot Hirizo Beach
• Sightseeing in Izu: Sakura Viewing at the Kawazu Sakura Festival (伊豆河津桜まつり)

ABBA Resorts Zagyosoh

Nishiizu Koyoi Onsen

Arcana Izu

Hotel Izukyu

Entrance to Ryugu Sea Cave by the roadside

"Submarine volcanic landforms became uplifted in the process of the collision between the Izu block and Honshu across several million years. The landforms exposed due to upliftment then underwent erosion by wave action, and the weaker sections were washed away quickly. This process created sea caves. Subsequently, as the erosion expanded and the cave grew bigger, the roof partially fell off, creating this large open topped cave. From the watch point above the Ryugu Sea Cave, it can clearly be seen how erosion proceeded in two directions. This appears like the shape of a heart, and you can probably imagine how this sea cave looked like in ancient times before erosion brought it to its current shape. You can also enjoy different appearances of the cave depending on the direction of the sunlight or high and low tides."

On the way into the cave

The structures of Ryugu Sea Cave can be observed through a gaping hole, which is about 40 meters in diameter. At the cliff, the strata of subaqueous fallout ash and volcaniclastic flow are observed.

The waves eroded the weak parts of the strata, and formed the cave that divided into two directions. Eventually the cave ceiling became unstable, and collapsed and this skylight was formed."

Ryugu Sea Cave is shaped like a heart if you look at it from above

"Sandback for skiing: A steep (about 30 degree) sandbank with a width of 100 meters, formed and maintained by upward migration of sand particles because of strong winds. You can enjoy skiing on its slope and may be charmed by the beautiful structures of submarine volcanoes around here.

There is a habitat of crinum lilies along the trail to the sandbank. The plants are designated as a natural monument of Shizuoka Prefecture and you can find their blooms during summer to autumn every year."

Slope for sand skiing

Related blogposts

• All blogposts from Shizuoka Prefecture
• All blogposts from Izu:
• Sightseing in Izu: The Ryugu Sea Cave (竜宮窟)
• Sightseeing in Izu: Mount Omuro (大室山)
• Sightseeing in Izu: The 400-year old Bora-Naya Restaurant (ぼら納屋) 
• Sightseeing in Izu: Kanto's best snorkeling spot Hirizo Beach
• Sightseeing in Izu: Sakura Viewing at the Kawazu Sakura Festival (伊豆河津桜まつり)

ABBA Resorts Zagyosoh

Nishiizu Koyoi Onsen

Arcana Izu

Hotel Izukyu

Most people have heard about the Japanese escort ladies called geisha, known in the West through for instance the world famous book & movie “Memoirs of a Geisha”.

Although Oiran is a tradition of the past that ended with the rise of the geisha and later almost disappeared along with strict laws enforced to stop prostitution there are still people who are working to keep the tradition alive. But a big difference from the past is that today women dress up oiran style in order to preserve a cultural heritage or to entertain rather than having it as a profession or lifestyle, and it does not include sexual services anymore. I've written more about the difference between Oiran and Geisha here.

Even though it no longer is a common profession nor holds the popularity it used to have in the past one can still find extremely popular events and festivals dedicated to oiran, such as for instance the Bunsui Sakura Matsuri Oiran Dōchū that is held every year in Tsubame, Niigata. 

The vivid and colorful style also keeps attracting people who are interested in Japanese fashion and traditional arts in general. As a result of this popularity there are also a growing number of companies out there offering people who are interested the chance to try on the oiran outfit themselves.

La Petit Fleur in Oukurayama

As you've probably noticed from the pictures above I recently had the honor of getting dressed up in a oiran style kimono. This opportunity came through a company called Workshop Japan, who's goal is to help introduce Japanese culture to foreign visitors. In addition to offering oiran cosplay they also hold various other workshops that foreigners can attend, such as Kazari-maki-zushi(Art Sushi Roll) cooking class and Japanese calligraphy.

Getting to try out Oiran cosplay was a totally new experience for me. I previously had the chance to do some wedding modeling while in Japan, both with kimono and more modern style Japanese dresses, but this time the vibe was quite different, especially as one usually would associate wearing a kimono with being kawaii rather than sensual.



As Candy Blue is mainly focusing on body jewelry you can notice the detailed decoration on my shoulder. These are stickers, all hand-made by Candy Blue herself. The devil is in the detail, and the team did their utmost to make sure that everything was perfect for the shooting.

After the shooting was done the crew printed out a couple of the pictures they had taken and gave them to me in a cute album with sakura-design that they gave me on the spot. The whole experience was very professional, and besides all the nice photos I got another great memory from Japan.

One of the pictures from the shooting being used on a Workshop Japan pamphlet. (Credit: Candy Blue)

Workshop Japan is taking reservations from any travelers and expats who want to get dressed up oiran style. If you're in the area and interested in this opportunity, please check out the following links:

Workshop Japan

La Petit Fleur Cafe

Candy Blue Body Jewelry - Oiran

• All blogposts from Tokyo
• All blogposts from the Tsubame Sakura Matsuri
• Elected as Oiran for the Tsubame Sakura Festival! 第74回 分水おいらん道中のおいらん役に！
• The Tsubame Sakura Matsuri: Cherry Blossom PR & Last Minute Preparations
• Behind the Scene of the Tsubame Sakura Matsuri Festival - The Oiran Dochu
• Geisha vs. Oiran: The Characteristics of the Japanese Courtesans
• Try it yourself: An Oiran (花魁) Cosplay Experience in Japan
• All blogposts about Festivals
• Fukumusume: Behind the scene of the Touka Ebisu Festival

Love hidden gems? Check out Onsen with Hansen — a channel where I uncover some of Japan’s most fascinating traditional ryokan inns.

Blogs: