I recently visited Guesthouse AN in Otsu which opened as a backpackers’ hostel in Nov. 2010. I was invited by the proprietors Mr. and Mrs. Shuji Fujisawa. I had been meaning to write about budget accommodations in Shiga and Guesthouse AN was a good place to start.
Guesthouse AN is a short walk from Nakanosho Station on the Keihan Line. Nakanosho Station is about a 4-min. ride from Ishiyama Station. It makes it convenient to visit both Ishiyama-dera temple and Miidera temple which are on the Keihan Line. The guesthouse is in a quiet residential neighborhood with no large streets.
Guesthouse AN has two adjacent buildings. The main house is where the proprietors live on the 2nd floor and operate a cafe on the 1st floor, and the actual guesthouse is a detached two-room cottage with a kitchen and bath. In front is a parking lot where you can park your car for free.
The cottage has two Japanese-style rooms with tatami mats, tokonoma alcove, and futons. The Western-style toilet/bath and fully-equipped kitchen are communal. Each tatami room has six tatami mats, large enough to sleep three people each. The two rooms are separated by paper sliding doors (fusuma) which do not lock. You can easily overhear the person staying in the next room. Conversations, snoring, etc.
On the other hand, if you are a group of four to six people, having your own cottage is great. There’s total privacy since it is a detached building and no other rooms. You can also open up the sliding doors in the middle and use it as one large room. You share the toilet, bathroom, kitchen, and free washing machine with only people in your group. It costs around 3,000 yen per person if you have one or two roommates. (Note that children age 7 or younger are not allowed to stay here.)
Being a backpacker’s hostel, the rooms have no telephone nor TV. But you can use the telephone, watch TV, and access the Internet for free in the cafe right next door. There are also two rental bicycles for an easy ride to Lake Biwa.
The Fujisawas operate a cafe in the main house next to the cottage. The cafe is where you can have breakfast (optional), watch TV, and access the Internet for free. The cafe is open to the public on weekends and national holidays. Mr. Fujisawa spent some time in the UK and is a Beatles fan. You can see some Beatles posters and memorabilia on the walls in the cafe. Even his car has a Beatles decal on it. He can communicate in English on a basic level, and their Web site has an English version.
After showing me the cottage, Mr. Fujisawa and I had a long chat in the cafe over a cup of coffee his wife made with freshly-roasted coffee beans. I offered some PR advice and corrected some (not all) of his English on printed matter. I asked him what the meaning of “AN” was. There were multiple meanings, and one of them was “it begins with ‘a’ and ends with ‘n,'” in reference to the hiragana syllabary.
But I was most impressed by the Fujisawas’ desire to provide a community space in their own neighborhood where people can gather and meet. He says that there are quite a few people living alone (including the elderly) in that area and there was no place nearby where they could socialize. His own outreach initiative can help people lessen their isolation. He will also start holding a monthly vegetable market in their parking lot where local growers can sell their vegetables. Another way for people to interact and to also buy vegetables conveniently.
As far as hostels in Otsu go, Guesthouse AN is the most centrally located. It’s on the same train line as Hama-Otsu (boat cruises on Lake Biwa and shopping), Miidera, Ishiyama-dera, Gichuji temple, and Sakamoto/Enryakuji. Getting around in central Otsu is more convenient on the Keihan Line than the JR Line. Kyoto is also easily accessible on the Keihan Line from Hama-Otsu. Mr. and Mrs. Fujisawa are happy to welcome guests from overseas and eager to introduce the sights of historic Otsu.
You can see more photos and information at the Guesthouse AN Web site in English.
