Very cozy guesthouse just a few steps from Noboribetsu Station. The pods are super comfy, great bathrooms, great kitchen. Extremely clean and organized. It think this was the first guesthouse/hostel I stayed without cluttering - everything is spotless. Every single member of the staff is friendly and helpful. They’re very welcoming and warm :) It’s nice that they offer breakfast - it’s rare to find this kind of accommodations offering morning meals nowadays. Very happy with AKA & AO! ;)

If I was to say something here, it would be that the dorm is a bit cold. It would be great if it was a little warmer. Sometimes people can be loud (not the guesthouse’s fault). Maybe, if upon check-in the staff explain to guests that talking, setting loud alarms, and handling luggage inside the room is not allowed, it would minimize the noise.

My husband and I stayed in the mixed dorm for 2 nights at Noboribetsu Guest House AKA & Ao in December 2024, over the New Year Holiday. It is a very comfortable and convenient hostel. The staff are so friendly and helpful, they made me feel at home. Check-in is from 15:00, but you can leave your luggage with them for free before check-in and after check-out. I found the beds very comfortable, warm, and spacious. There is not a lot of space between the beds, so please don’t block the path with huge suitcases. I loved having a clothesline in the bed for my towels and swimsuit to dry. There is a coin laundry machine/dryer. There are small lockers available for valuables but you must bring your own lock or buy one for 100円. There is a shower/toilet room for men and one for women, with hand soap, hairdryers, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Towels are not provided but you can rent one for 200円. Other amenities like toothbrushes or body sponges can be purchased for 100円. The hostel has free phone chargers and e-bikes for guests to use. The price includes free breakfast (7:45AM-9:45AM) which offers toast with butter/jam/peanut cream, cornflakes/muesli with local Noboribetsu milk, and coffee. There is a nearby grocery store, COOP, where you can buy other food if desired. There’s a kettle, toaster, rice cooker, microwave, gas stove with pots and pans, a colander, knives, plates, bowls, glasses, mugs, cutlery. There is an assortment of free condiments and ingredients in the fridge and pantry. The hostel is just a 3-minute walk from Noboribetsu Station where you can catch a bus or train. On our last day, we had to leave before the free breakfast, so the staff kindly let us take some toast and muesli the night before to eat the next morning. I loved staying here and I hope to return one day. Thank you very much!

If you travel during New Year’s, please be aware that most restaurants are closed. When we came, only the nearby yakitori and sushi restaurants were open. So, we bought food at COOP (closed at 18:00 on NYE) and cooked it in the Guest House’s well-equipped kitchen. Guests who can't read Japanese we're having difficulty with the kettle: 1) press ロック to remove the lock then 2) press 給湯 to dispense the hot water. On our last night, I thought the nearby train station was very noisy and had trouble sleeping. Then we realized it was another guest playing a train-themed smartphone game on full volume in the next bed at 10PM at night. I don't think most people need to told this, but: be quiet when others are trying to sleep...please?

Recommended if you want to stay near the station. I actually wanted to stay near the station because I was only staying for 2 days and did not want to hurry to catch the train. I think that was a good decision during my stay because there was a deluge of people using the bus with their luggages. Noting though that this is far from the onsen area or hell valley and the last bus from the onsen area to the town is around 8pm. I also dont think there are a lot of food options nearby so I tend to buy food from the onsen area before coming back. That being said, staff are really nice and dorms are comfy. I was able to check in earlier than check in time since a bed was ready. No free towel or slippers though so bring your own.

Free breakfast was a nice plus. Staff is a nice squad, quite personable and ready to help. Dormitory cabins are spacious and comfortable, with sufficient privacy. The whole house has a lot of character, very internationally oriented. Feels like a saloon in an Old West town, a rest stop for transients more than a hotel to stay in. Some of the staff speak a little English which is very good by Japanese standards. The lounge is very nice. Normally there's also a café and ice cream shop run in the house but it was closed due to technical difficulties during our stay. There's great information provided about the town and lots of other places in Hokkaido, makes planning the rest of your trip a breeze when you have open spots in your plans or you're out of ideas. Free earplugs provided for the dormitory. Sells very good local beer. Great central location between station, restaurants, supermarkets, post office, etc. Basically the heart of town. I had an excellent time here, but that's not to say you will. My friend didn't find it nearly as positive.

Its shared dormitory only, so you have to be able to handle a lot of other people (houses 30+ at peak) shuffling around. Depending on the guests that come your experience may be very different from ours. The lounge plays music non-stop, and at night some of it is so awful its hard to sit there anymore. It has one combination washer/dryer, but it doesn't dry very well. I enjoyed the breakfast a lot, but my friend found it completely unremarkable. It's basic cereal and bread with milk and coffee, nothing special but fitting for the theme of the house. There's no AC, bed can get quite sweaty in summer. Lights don't go out at night in the dormitory, bring a mask with you. Free wifi is unreliable. Good most of the time, but drops out every now and then.

This property is literally a 4 minute walk from the station. I was really impressed by it! Not only was it clean and the staff friendly, but the common area was spacious and relaxing. The location also served food, which was good to have as a backup in case one got hungry. They had about three bikes at a time one could rent for free! I really enjoyed this since I live in Tokyo and have not had the ability to freely cycle along rural backroads like I used to. The beds were clean, so were the showers, and bathrooms. The town itself is quiet and unassuming, but there's some great ocean views to be had and of course, Jigokudani Park.

I wished the cafe was open longer for guests. After exploring I'd arrive back late around 6-8pm, but the cafe closed around 5pm. I think if it was open longer, this hostel could have more business regarding food sales.

It was so close to the train station that I didn’t even need to look at the map! The staff were incredibly kind and attentive. Everything you need is here, including Wi-Fi, a kitchen, laundry facilities, and more. Above all, the entire place is very clean, well-maintained, and designed with the comfort of guests in mind. If you need to stay in the Noboribetsu area (not Onsen area), look no further!

There was a good atmosphere, and it was easy to find from Noboribetsu Train Station. The town in itself is not very interesting with few shops open in the evening, but the Noboribetsu onsen is very accessible. It was very good value for money, and we appreciated the simple breakfast in the morning.

There was some noise during the night, but that should not come as a surprise since it is a hostel. The staff speaks very limited English, but it is enough to get by.

The staff went above and beyond to accommodate and help me. They helped me locate a lost luggage, and helped bridge the language barrier for that. You are about 200M from Noboribetsu station. Very convenient. Friendly staff, great manners and helpful.

Bed was a bit hard, but also not the fault of the property but there is a lot of people in one dorm, and I did find an odor and other guests were a bit unpleasant. Talking on the phone on speaker while others were trying to sleep.

Location is close to the station and bus stop. It was nice to have breakfast. Bed was comfortable.

This is very minor but there was no proper space or shelf to put my cosmetics bag when I wanted to brush my teeth, do makeup etc. I saw many of the girls just trying to find some space. I don't know why but when I went people also spilled water everywhere so most of the surface was wet. So adding one extra shelf would be nice.

It was comfortable, the people working there where nice and there is a lot of equipment available to use. Even if it was a dormitory with a lot of people, there were no sounds that woke me up that night and it was a good price, so I recommend for those who want an affordable place to stay! It is also near enough of the station to go to the onsen for those who are interested to go there!

My friend bring his luggage, but there wasnt any big locker to keep it safe, so we had to trust that no one would have tried to steal it. Japan is generally safe, so we were not really worried. I bring my backpack for the travel and put it on hook hanger in the bed, so it was fine for me.