Guesthouse Pongyi is a small and cozy traditional Kanazawa guesthouse (hostel/inn).
Renovated from a 150‑year‑old kimono shop, it opened in 2009 as Kanazawa’s first guesthouse.
We offer female‑only and mixed dormitories (4 beds each) in a renovated kura storehouse, and a private tatami room facing the canal — ideal for solo travelers seeking a homely stay.
More than just a place to sleep — a warm, welcoming guesthouse where travelers connect and feel everyday Japan.
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I had the absolute best time staying at Pongyi Guest House! Nina is incredibly kind and welcoming, from the moment you arrive, you feel completely at home.
In the evening, Nina organizes fun activities that bring guests together. She even taught us origami one night, which was such a sweet and memorable experience!
The rooms and bathrooms were spotless, and the beds were comfortable with privacy curtains and personal outlets. The location is also perfect, close to public transport, great restaurants, and the main sights.
Nina also has wonderful insights into Japanese culture and local life, making every conversation meaningful. I can honestly say this is the best hostel I’ve ever stayed at. I’d come back in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone looking for a warm, social, and unforgettable stay in Kanazawa! 💛
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Ella Rook
2025-10-13
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We had the most incredible stay here and could not recommend it enough. We are leaving after two nights and are just devastated - we wish we were staying longer! Nina (our host), could not have been more welcoming, and taught us lots about Japanese culture. We have left knowing that we will without a doubt be back to Pongyi!
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Adrien Humbert
2025-10-08
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Nous sommes restés 3 nuits à Pongyi, c’était super, un vrai coup de cœur !
La chambre pour 2 à l’étage est top et confortable, et que dire de Nina et Masaki qui sont des hôtes formidables.
Toujours aux petits soins, nous avons adorés les activités proposées ainsi que nos nombreuses discussions.
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Ale Reyes
2025-10-04
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Lovely place in a renovated traditional Japanese house of 140 year old!!! Super friendly stuff and you feel really welcome!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
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Timothy Lazenbatt
2025-09-29
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Believe the reviews! This is the best hostel I’ve ever stayed at! Nina is an amazing host, incredibly friendly and always willing to help with recommendations or just have a chat. The rooms and bathrooms were clean, and the beds were really comfortable with privacy curtains and individual outlets.
The common area had a warm, welcoming vibe—perfect for meeting other travelers. I especially loved the evening activities organised by Nina, which made it easy to connect with people right away. The location couldn’t be better—close to public transport, good restaurants, and some of the main sights.
Overall, it felt like a safe, social, and affordable place to stay. Nina and Masaki also provided a lots of information on Japanese culture and language, as well as tips on local sights, creating engaging conversations between traveler's.
I’d definitely come back and strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and relaxed hostel experience!
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Murray Smith
2025-09-16
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A lovely place to stay
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Camilla Liberati
2025-09-04
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Pongyi guesthouse is a wonderful place!
The house is perfect if you want a typical Japanese experience. It is really cozy and clean, with a very warm atmosphere.
The best part though was Nina, the host. She is really kind and makes you feel at home organising very nice activities! It is a good place to meet other travellers as well!
I definitely recommend pongyi guest house!
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とまとさん
2025-08-20
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Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
J'ai passé deux jours dans cette maison d'hôte en Avril 2025. Mon séjour a été très agréable car l'hospitalité de nos deux hôtes est sans commune mesure. Des activités étaient organisées le soir et nous avons pu découvrir l'art de la calligraphie mais également des takoyaki ! Le logement est très agréable, on se croirait à la maison. Et Kanazawa est une ville fantastique, on s'y sent bien et le bruit de l'eau nous suit dans chaque balade. Je recommande vivement cet établissement, et j'espère pouvoir y revenir un jour.
A guesthouse where you can feel the goodness of ordinary Japan.
First hostel in Kanazawa
A place where you can enjoy communication with others while experiencing the ordinary life of Japan.
Pongyi is the first guesthouse that opened in Kanazawa in 2009, operated by the owner Masaki, and manager Niina.
It is a small Japanese house that was formerly a kimono shop and is over 150 years old. We hope you will experience living in a ordinaly Japanese house and we would be happy if you could feel the goodness of Japan from everyday Japanese life.
More than half of our guests come from overseas.
One of our features is the homely atmosphere where travelers from all over the world can enjoy conversation each other.
We also recommend spending time sitting on the deck along the water channel, enjoying the soothing sound of the stream.
There are only 3 rooms and capacity for only 10 people
１ room is a private Japanese-style room located on the second floor.
２ rooms are dormitory-style rooms located on the first and second floors of a ”Kura” (traditional Japanese storehouse)
”Kura” is annexed to the house and might be hard to notice unless you are told it is a ”Kura” , but it offers a unique experience of sleeping in a traditional Japanese storehouse that stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Pongyi means ”Buddhist monk” in Burmese.
The name “Pongyi” comes from the fact that Masaki previously had experience as a monk in Myanmar.
Looking for "what he really want to do", he left his banking job of 15 years, but he faced failure. At that time he met the high Buddhist priest of Myanmar and and had a experience as a monk, which changed his life.
After returning to Japan, he worked with an NGO supporting Asia and opened Kanazawa’s first guesthouse, “Pongyi,” in 2009.
A 10 minutes-walk from JR Kanazawa station. A small house along the mini canal is Pongyi.
The house is about 150 years old and it is not stylish like modern hotels, but it is filled with the nostalgic atmosphere that makes people feel at ease.
Please enjoy seeing fireflies and small fish sitting a deck facing the canal and say hello to the people on the road.
A clean room, comfy bed and fresh sheets make us happy! Cleanliness and how comfortable the bed is are the most important things at a guesthouse (hostel).
We clean the house thoroughly every day, air the futon and mattress outside on a sunny day to make them fluffy. On a rainy day, we air futon inside.
We often disinfect the entire house to keep you safe and healthy during your stay at Pongyi.
The dormitories (shared rooms) are in the Kura (vintage kimono storehouse). The building used to a kimono shop before it became a guesthouse .
The mixed dormitory is on the 1st floor and the female dormitory is on the 2nd floor.
Because the the dormitory rooms are in what used to be a storeroom there are no windows however, the warmth of wood and plaster make the rooms quiet and comfortable. People who have stayed in the dormitories often say, “I slept well.”
The Japanese Style private room is on the 2nd floor. It faced a mini canal.
(This room is not in the kura.)
About the amenities
Sheets and pillowcase are included in the accommodation fee.
Towels and yukata (pijama) are rental.
There are not many amenities like in a hotel, but shampoo, hair conditioner and body soap are provided in the shower room.
A 150 years old Japanese style townhouse which was used as a kimono shop
Pongyi is a relaxing place as if you were at your home.
Since it is along the canal, you can hear the sound of flowing water in the common room.
Pongyi is close to Kanazawa station (10 min. walk) a convenience store and a drug store are located right in front of it.
In the canal that flows beside Pongyi you can often see fireflies, small fish, and spot-billed ducks.
What should I bring when I stay at Pongyi ?
We will answer your questions and requests.
QWhat amenities and equipments do you have ?
Free
Shampoo, conditioner, body soap
Hair dryer
Wi-Fi
Rental (not included in the accommodation fee)
Towel (bath towel 100 yen / face towel 50 yen)
Yukata (pajamas) 200 yen
Washing machine (100 yen 1 time / soap 50 yen)
＊There is no clothes dryer. There is a coin -operated laundrette in about 5 minutes away on foot.
QDo you serve meals ?
Breakfast (hot sandwiches) is served for an extra charge (600 yen).
Dinner is not provided.
There are many restaurants nearby, including near Kanazawa Station, so please feel free to inquire at the front desk.
QDo you have any parking lots?
No, we don’t have our own parking lots. We are happy to show you the coin parkings near our guesthouse when you check in（the coin parkings near our guesthouse）
You cannot park a motorcycle.
If you are coming by motorcycle please use the motorcycle park near Kanazawa station.
自転車でお越しの方は、一台であれば当館の玄関前の橋の上をご利用いただけます。 （屋根はありません）
QDo you have a curfew?
No, we don’t have curfew. The main entrance is closed at 22:00, however, you can use the backdoor from 22:00 - 8:00 next day. (We will tell you the password of the backdoor when you check in.)
* Please quietly go in and go out at night so as not to disturb other sleeping guests.
QDo you have the lights-out time ?
Yes. ｗe turn off the lights of the common rooms at 11:00pm. Please don't talk on the cellphone after 11:00pm in the house and in the neighborhood. Since our wooden building is old, the house echoes much with sounds and our house is locatede near residential area. Please keep quiet after 10:00pm.
QCan I stay with children?
Yes, but please check the age below.
Dormitories (shared room): 12 years old (first grade in junior high school) or older can stay.
Japanese Style Room (private): 6 years old (first grade in elementary school) or older can stay.
QAre the rooms equipped with an air conditioner ?
Female dormitory (shared)
There is an air conditioner.
Mixed dormitory (shared)
This room is not equipped with an air conditioner, but it is heated and cooled by an air conditioner on the 2nd floor of same kura (storehouse) and another air conditioner right in front of the entrance of the room. (Each bed is equipped with a small electric fan in summer.)
Japanese style room (private)
There is an air conditioner.
QDo you have a bathtub in the shower room ?
No, there is no bathtub. We have only shared shower rooms. There is a shower room for only women near the female dormitory. For the guests staying at the mixed dormitory and the Japanese style room, there is one more shared shower room on the 1st floor. (Ladies can use the female only shower room as well.)
We want to be a place where you can find the 'treasures' of your journey.
Pongyi is run by owner “Masaki” and manager “Nina”
Add a “one-in-a-lifetime encounter” to the charm of your “trip”
Pongyi was opened by Masaki after having an experience as a monk in Myanmar for a short time.
We think the word of “trip” includes the meaning of facing ourselves, deepening our understanding and broadening our view by meeting people and new cultures.
We like Pongyi to be a guesthouse for people who want to meet and connect with other people during their “trip”.
And we would be happy if you could experience everyday Japan in a small Japanese house and feel the goodness of Japan.
The attractive points of guesthouses are not only the reasonable price ! The experience staying at a guesthouse may change your life !
Things in common of guesthouses
1. There are some shared rooms called “dormitory” 2. Meals are not included 3. Bathrooms and shower rooms are shared 4. Various amenities like a hotel are not equipped 5. Usually, self-service
However, the rules are different depending on the guesthouses, so it is better to check before you stay. Some are including meals and others have a lot of amenities.
Recently, many guesthouses started to rent a whole building. In that case. the guests only see a host when they get a key.
Consideration to other guests are required
Since there are many places such as dormitories, common room and washrooms are shared, being “considerate” and “tolerant” to others are required in a guesthouse.
Talking in a loud voice near the sleeping people in a shared room, or leaving what you used dirty (thinking “someone might clean it later !”) are not accepted.
You might sometimes hear the snoring of others, get confused by the temperature of the shared room, etc. If you are a woman, you might be seen your face without makeup.
Precious experience from the communication with travelers
However, there are some opportunities to talk to various people you do not usually talk to.。
Those opportunities will broaden your horizons, will take you to the answer to what you are
We think the word of “trip” includes the meaning of facing ourselves, deepening our understanding and broadening our view by meeting people and new culture.
You may find a best friend you can keep in touch with after the trip.
One of the attractive points of staying at a guesthouse is not only the reasonable price, but also the communication with people which is difficult to experience in a hotel.
Kanazawa is not that big city. Main sightseeing spots (Kenrokuen garden, 21st century museum of contemporary art. Kanazawa, Higashi Chaya district, Nagamachi Samurai district and Omicho market) are in 30 minutes distance on foot from each other.
Pongyi is in a great location to visit all those places.
