We stayed for four nights in the private double room at Hiro's Guest House. Hiro had just finished renovations in his guesthouse, so everything was very new and clean feeling.The room was traditional tatami-style and very spacious. As a slide sleeper, I found the mattress a bit thin and personally would have preferred one that was slightly thicker.
The guest house is about a 10-minute walk from the subway stop. While it's a bit of a walk, we enjoyed staying in a non-tourist neighbourhood and walking through the covered market every day. Koreatown was an interesting destination, and we enjoyed learning a little bit about Korean immigrants in Japan from Hiro.
The main reason to stay is to hang out with Hiro. He's the kind of host who's always up for a chat and a great source of help. (Definitely visit his local okonomiyaki place. It was amazing!)
Hiro really does go above and beyond. We were really looking forward to going to the Danjiri festival in the neighbouring town of Kishiwada during our visit. We asked him for some help reading the website. He sent us off to eat while he did some research, and by the time we came back, he had called the organizers for information!
Since Hiro recently reopened his guesthouse after renovations, we had the entire place to ourselves. Even when it was only us and Hiro, the place had a very laid-back and friendly vibe. We look forward to coming back to see Hiro again and meeting a house full of travelers!