Kulture Kaiwa

Did you know that Hakata and Fukuoka used to be two separate towns in Kyushu, the southernmost mainland island of Japan? Originally divided by the Nakagawa River, the two were combined during the Meiji period and Fukuoka won the title of city name. However, Hakata Station remains one of the city’s main hubs as the arrival point for JR shinkansen into the city. It also takes the title of many famed things born out of the Fukuoka region, like Hakata ramen and the Hakata dialect. Hakata’s buzzing business scene remains, and amongst the vibrant shops and restaurants you’ll find WeBase HAKATA – the Fukuoka branch of Japan’s WeBase hostel group.

Sitting at a comfortable walking distance from Hakata Station, Canal City, popular Tenjin district, and the famous Ichiran ramen’s main flagship store, you really don’t need to venture far to reach the most exciting corners of Fukuoka.

Hotel or hostel?

I’ve gotta say, this was the most comfortable stay at a hostel that I’ve experienced so far. It helps a little that I was coming off the back end of staying on my mate’s couch for a week, but even if I’d stepped right out of my own home into WeBase HAKATA, I still would’ve felt like I’d had a refreshing stay at a top notch city accommodation.

When you walk into the building, you might assume that WeBase is a hotel, but do not be fooled. Yes, there are many qualities that give the place a hotel feel, like the well-maintained interiors and offerings of spacious private rooms, even the elevator was a surprise for a hostel environment! However, WeBase embodies more of a luxury hostel kind of vibe, with many shared facilities like bathrooms, shower rooms, kitchen, and working space, so there’s plenty of opportunity for you to meet up with fellow travellers and make some friends during your stay.

You’ll find a big storage space on the first floor where you can leave your luggage should you wish to explore the area before check-in or after check-out, no need to be dragging suitcases around with you.

Which room to choose?

As for the rooms, there are 7 options for you to choose from. The most private is the king room furnished with a wall-to-wall king sized bed to comfortably house two people. You’ll also have a private sink and mirror in this room which means less trips to the shared bathrooms for you!

If you’re travelling with a mate or a group of mates, then you can choose to stay in private rooms with either two single beds, a bunk bed for two people, or two bunk beds for four people.

Maybe you’re travelling solo, in which case one of the dormitories may be a better fit for you. You can choose from an all male, all female, or mixed dormitory here. The male and female dorm choices are in rooms consisting of two bunk beds to house four people, while the mixed dormitory is a much larger, open room with multiple private, capsule style bunks side-by-side and accommodates up to 34 people on one floor. There’s a bunch of lockers and extra storage areas here for conveniently leaving your chunkier or more valuable items in.

A cozy workspace in the heart of Fukuoka

When it comes to socializing, I recommend you take advantage of the huge and welcoming workspace on the top floor. Housing over 1500 books in a variety of languages, this space is decked out with comfortable areas to get productive or simply lounge about after a busy day of exploring the city. You can pay to use the workspace even if you’re not a guest here, so it’s a great option if you’re a remote worker in search of a change in scenery, especially since you can bring in your own coffee and snacks to get you through. If you are a guest, the work area is free to use on check-in day should you arrive early, and until 3pm on check-out day if you’re simply not ready to head out yet.

The workspace is connected to the kitchen area, where you can enjoy complimentary light breakfast items in the morning, or cook up your own meals if you need a break from eating out (but honestly, there’s so much good food around and WeBase provides you with an excellent gourmet guide so I would take advantage of the luscious food scene as much as possible – just take a peek at the local bakeries guide I happily provided for the WeBase HAKATA team here for an idea of what awaits you).

WeBaseHAKATA services & facilities

You’ll find the coin laundry service on the first floor and the dryers here are super effective, unlike some hostels where you need to leave your clothes in for a few hours before they’re even close to feeling dry. Shared toilets and powder rooms are on every floor and kept super clean throughout the day. There’s a mixed shower room and women-only shower room on the second floor with plenty of private cubicles in each for use. The shower rooms are fully equipped with the usual necessities like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and hair dryers, and you’ll be provided with towels in your room that you can conveniently leave in a laundry bucket in the shower room once you’ve finished using it. Do note that the shower rooms are closed from 11am – 4pm and 3am – 5am for cleaning everyday, although this was never an issue for me as I was usually out and about during those hours anyway.

There’s amenities available for purchase or items for loan should you forget something like a charging cable or hair iron, you’ll just have to pay a 1000yen deposit to use them. Guests can also rent a bicycle between the hours of 7am and 10pm for 500 yen for 2 hours, 1,000 yen for 5 hours, or 2,000 yen for 10 hours.

I’ll admit, compared to your run-of-the-mill hostel, WeBase HAKATA is a bit more pricey than what you might be used to, but for the extra level of comfort and privacy with breakfast included, I’d say it’s well worth the extra bucks. It basically balances on the price-point between cheap hostel and mid-range hotel, providing an excellent option for those not looking to break the bank on their stay but also not keen on a cramped, under-managed hostel. So if that fits your situation, then WeBase HAKATA is the perfect city stay for you!