I assumed I could book a hotel near Saga Station at the last minute without any trouble.
But when I tried to book a room at the last minute, there were almost no hotels available…. Maybe there just aren’t many hotels in the area. The few remaining business hotels were priced around 15000 yen, which felt a bit expensive. Just when I was hesitant, I found a guesthouse about a 5-minute walk from the station. It was the Saga International Guesthouse HAGAKURE (佐賀インターナショナルゲストハウスHAGAKURE). The first floor is a restaurant, and the rooms are rented out on the second floor. By the way, the guesthouse entrance is not here but at the back.
This back entrance is for guesthouse users only. At night, you enter by entering a passcode. The entrance is open 24 hours for guests. Since it is called an “International Guesthouse,” I expected many foreign guests, but on this day, it was 100% Japanese guests. Surprisingly, there were not only travelers but also many elderly guests.
First, I entered from the café side and told them I was staying at the guesthouse. They guided me to the back entrance, where I took off my shoes at the entrance. Check-in was done on the second floor. I was offered a small welcome sweet.
This is the common area. Behind the curtain is the men’s dormitory, and on the left is the women’s dormitory. Since the second floor is converted from the restaurant’s extra space, the common area is quite small. However, it seems the guest capacity is low, so it wasn’t a problem. Meals are also enjoyed at this four-seater table. Check-in was also done here.
Even though it was fully booked that day, no one else was around, so I had a little solo party here. There was ice, too.
Kitchen and sink area. There was no gas stove, only an induction heater. A coffee machine was also available.
There was also a refrigerator and microwave.
There were two unisex shower rooms equipped with shampoo, conditioner, and hair dryers. Everything was clean.
Tatami-style rooms are available. They could be used as private rooms or, with partitions, as shared spaces.
The women-only dormitory had four beds. The room was quite small, making it tricky to photograph everything. The floor was tatami, with space beside the bed for a suitcase.
Upon arrival, I had to make my own bed with the provided sheets. That was fine, though the limited space made it a bit tricky. No towels were provided, but rentals were available for a fee.
Each booth had its own light and power outlet, and lockers with locks were available.
Though compact, the stay was budget-friendly at around 3500 yen per night, and the station was just a 10-minute walk away. The staff took a hands-off approach, which made for a relaxed experience. However, a downside was that management was only present during the first-floor restaurant’s business hours. This meant no immediate assistance outside those times and no luggage storage before check-in or after check-out.
About
Name Saga International Guest House HAGAKURE (佐賀インターナショナルゲストハウスHAGAKURE)
Booking
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