Shaq Bighouse
Location: Takaokacho 7-30, Kanazawa, jp
Star Rating: 1 Stars
Property Type: Hostel/Backpacker accommodation
About this Property
Convenient Location
Located within walking distance of Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenroku-en Park, Shaq Bighouse offers easy access to popular attractions such as Oumicho Market and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art.
Comfortable Accommodation Options
Guests can choose between dormitory rooms with bunk beds or private rooms with traditional tatami flooring and futon bedding, providing a cozy and authentic stay experience.
Amenities for a Pleasant Stay
Enjoy the convenience of free Wi-Fi in the lobby, a café bar, a communal lounge, a free-use kitchen, an internet PC, and a coin-operated launderette. Relax in the lounge area with a TV or savor light meals at the on-site café.
Book your stay at Shaq Bighouse for a memorable and enjoyable visit to Kanazawa.
Important Information
Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
An accommodation tax per person, per night is not included in the price and must be paid at the property.
Managed by a private host
Policies
Check-in: 05:30 PM - 11:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Amenities & Facilities
- Air conditioning
- Restaurant
- Terrace
- Luggage storage
- Shared lounge/TV area
- Shared kitchen
- Invoice provided
- Free wired internet
- Snack bar/deli
- Internet access
- Wine release events
Rooms Available
-
Japanese-Style Twin Room with Shared Bathroom
Fitted wtih tatami (woven-straw) flooring and traditional futon bedding. Bathroom and toilet are shared.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Air conditioning
- Heating
- Tatami (traditional Japanese flooring)
-
Bunk Bed in 4-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
Price includes 1 bunk in a room with multiple bunk beds. Bathroom and toilet are shared.
Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)
-
Bunk Bed in 12-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
Price includes 1 bunk in a room with multiple bunk beds. Bathroom and toilet are shared.
Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)
- Air conditioning
- Heating
- Hardwood or parquet floors
Guest Reviews
- Sarah (2/5): - Le personnel était super sympa, et j'ai trouvé chouette que l'on puisse faire le check out jusqu'à 12h. Mais bon, l'odeur donne pas envie de s'éterniser. Il y avait la climatisation et des rideaux aux lits ! Tout l'établissement sentait extrêmement mauvais.. Une odeur de vieux pieds/moisi. Et c'est l'hostel le plus sale où je ne suis jamais allé ! C'est simple, on a vraiment pas envie de laisser ses chaussures dans l'entrée quand on voit l'état du sol. On dirait qu'ils ont essayé de recouvrir la moisissure avec du lino. Il y a de la vieille moquette dans les marches, et mon matelas avait plein de saletés, on sentait qu'il n'avait pas été aspiré depuis longtemps. J'étais bien contente de ne rester qu'une nuit, je n'ai même pas voulu défaire mon sac car tout semblait sale. Les lits grincés énormément aussi !
- Tanja (10/5): - Der Gastgeber war super lieb
- Maya (7/5): - Shaq is a very easygoing host! Globally I had a fun stay there. It could've been a bit cleaner especially the showers and sink.
As for the bed, I would have preferred to have a longer curtain that hides the entire bed.
- Vincenzo (3/5): -
- Francisco (10/5): Unforgettable night! - Such a mad place to socialise and enjoy the night! great vibe all around specially the owner… I liked everything 👏🤩
- nobuyuki (9/5): いい体験ができた - オーナーの人当たり 特になし
- s (1/5): -
- Phillip (10/5): - . .
- Ryan (10/5): - Shaq is awesome!
- Callum (10/5): Comfortable, social and perfect location. Thank you Shaq and Mai!! - Great comfortable stay with a perfect location. Had the best conversations with Shaq and the rest of the staff/family.
Thank you to Mai for the Sushi recommendations. Meccha Umai!!
- Noée (10/5): - Shaq's house feels like a family house. He is also a really chill guy. You can just go donwstairs to the bar and talk with him and the other guests. The beds are really confortable, but they only have half curtains. Everything was clean. The location is pretty central, but some places are a bit of a walk, but I didn't find it bothering. There are also bus close by that can take you everywhere. The commun spaces were a bit cold, but during winter in Japan, it's to be expected.
- Ware (7/5): -
- Louis (5/5): - Nice with a bar hangout. ok central. Friendly staff. No places to hang/put your stuff when showering or brushig teeth.
There was a guy in the bunk next to me who was clearly sick and kept coughinf snd sneezing and snotting everywhere and in his hands without sanitizing or washing hands after. The whole room felt filled wirh his bscteria particles and i was so afraid of gertinf sick because of it and ruin my trip. It made me not enjoy my stay at all.
Also the smallest noise in the room made the biggest sounds so if one person was just moving around in his bed or looking into his bags, it would be a nuisance
- Nicholas (9/5): The owner was super friendly, very helpful, this was a guy who was passionate , nice personal touch to it - Very cosy Nothing
- Mayur (10/5): - The hosts were simply fantastic - they spoke English and very helpful.
- Rostaing (10/5): -
- Sachin (10/5): Comfortable, cozy and lively. - It was a very good accomodation. I loved it. The caretaker is very friendly and receptive. I would recommend it to my friends.
- Gali (10/5): - A great hostel with a very welcoming atmosphere. Shaq and his family are wonderful hosts and make you feel right at home. The location is great too. Highly recommend.
- CHENGYI (8/5): 性价比很高的民宿。 - 位置很好,老板很热心。 床帘如果四面完全包围就更好了。
- Jayasurya (10/5): -
- Henry Tun (10/5): - Owner is a fun guy, clean, location, good for solo or group
- zalazar (10/5): - increíble lugar! el dueño es super agradable y divertido’
Recomiendo mucho 🤟🏼
- David (9/5): -
- Mitsunori (10/5): -
- Terence (8/5): Family run hostel that will make you feel like a homestay in Kanazawa - The location is very close to the Omicho market so you can visit early in the morning. Shaq as a host is extremely welcoming and remodeled the house into something that resembles more of a homestay (since Shaq and his family live upstairs). You would be supporting a family run business. Vacuuming around the sleeping areas could be improved but beds and showers were clean
- Kevin (2/5): Not the best place to stay - Shaq lend me the boots for the snow. Location ok. Noisy and lighty to sleep, not very clean, no kitchen, expensive for what it is.
- Giuseppe (10/5): - Shaq is a really nice person. The best host I never found. He helped me to find my phone this morning and I'll never forget his availability. Thanks so much. N/a
- Shahreez (10/5): Best place to chill and socialize - It's just a few minutes walk from Omicho Market, walkable to downtown and to Kanazawa Stn. Very good location, a cool bar and environment where we can chill and share travel stories with the host! All is good.
- kkm (10/5): - オーナーさん夫婦がとてもとても親切でした。またここに泊まりたいです。
- Milan (9/5): -
- Catherine (8/5): Grâce notamment à ce logement, le séjour à Kanazawa a été très plaisant - Ambiance conviviale et bon accueil; quartier agréable et calme. Les chambres en dortoirs. Le propriétaire a été très aidant pour résoudre mon problème de téléphone victime d'humidité. Il y a possibilité de restauration soit à réchauffer soi même soit d'après le menu et le propriétaire/patron cuisine. Il a également un bar. L'Office de tourisme est situé à proximité. La gare à 15 minutes à pied Rien à signaler
- Bhrigu Agarwal (9/5): - Shaq is a lot of fun!!
- Antoine (10/5): - Exactly as advertised, I had a great stay at shaq bighouse. The location is insanely good, and shaq is very friendly. Would recommend.
- Christopher (8/5): -
- Souma (10/5): -
- Sergi (10/5): -
- Jordan (8/5): -
- Florian Martin (10/5): - Great Place to stay in Kanazawa. The owner/Barkeeper is very friendly and helpful.
- Courtney-Lee (9/5): The Best Hostel in Kanazawa. - This is a really great spot. Second time staying. The host has exceptional English and is very welcoming to all guests. He runs a bar/restaurant downstairs. We had a great time chatting with him and other guests.
The rooms are clean and modern especially for a hostel. The shower and toilet facilities are also good, with 2 each so you don't have to wait in the morning.
Location is great, a 20 minute walk from the station and lots to do in the area. If you aren't a social person this may not be for you - but this is the nature of all hostels. It's encouraged to chat with the host or other guests if you're sitting downstairs.
- Alex (8/5): -
- Nohemi (9/5): Loved this hostel! - Shaqs hostel is a great place if you want to meet people and get tips and advice from a local. The place is super cozy, very comfortable, super clean and in the afternoons there is a nice selection of nibbles that you can get while having a drink and a chat with either the owner or with other travelers, we were a group of three and we all agree that it was an amazing place for the price. Everything was great
- Jeffersson (10/5): - La ubicación es muy buen, llegas caminando al castillo y los jardines kenrouken.
Shaq es muy amable.
Es pequeño (segundo piso de una casa de tres pisos) y eso lo hace muy agradable.
- Sylvian (10/5): Very welcoming place, would definitely stay here again. - Excellent Izakaya bar downstairs, staff were very friendly, not too far from Kanazawa station
- Massimiliano (10/5): - Atmosfera familiare e semplicità a due passi dal castello di Kanazawa e dal mercato
- luigi (9/5): - Staff super accogliente, bella atmosfera, letto molto comodo Un po' la pulizia della stanza ma nulla di insuperabile
- Hemant (10/5): Stay here for a good time - Shaq is an amazing host, takes all the guests out every night to different places. We had a great time here. He let us check in as soon as we arrived which was nice. Highly recommend Nothing
- Carla (10/5): Calidez e intimidad - Es un hostel en el que te sentis con mucha intimidad, ya que las habitaciones no son numerosas. La ubicación es buena a un precio conveniente.
Recomendable! Nada. Todo estuvo muy bien
- לבהר (3/5): לא טוב - יחס. נוחות צפוף מאוד. אין מקום שאפשר לשבת. המקום היחידי בערב הופך להיות בר עם מוזיקת טראנס. והמיטה בלדר של 12 הופך למקום מפךט.
- Oliver (9/5): -
- אברהם (10/5): -
- Ana Sofia (9/5): Muy buen lugar - Shaq y su familia son muy amigables y accesibles. Fueron super flexibles conmigo, cuando por un contratiempo llegué 1 día tarde a mi check in, y también muy relajados con el check out. Los cuartos están en muy buen estado y limpios. Hay lockers de buen tamaño en los cuartos. La ubicación es super conveniente. Nuestro cuarto estaba pegado al baño y se escuchaba toda la digestión de los demás huéspedes
- William (8/5): - Hyper bien placé. Accueil au top.
- Zaczek (10/5): highlight of my japan trip so far! - kanazawa has been the highlight of my japan trip so far, and it was largely thanks to shaq! the reviews really don't lie - shaq is an amazing person. even though i was there during the week when the hostel was a lot quieter, shaq still came out with me and one other traveller into town the 2 nights I was there. he took us to a bunch of different spots, and he was so fun to hang out with. we had a ball.
also, the hostel was impeccably clean, and the beds were super comfy. feeding the axolotls was a lovely surprise too. nothing. one of my favourite hostels I've ever stayed at.
- Noémi (5/5): - The location is great, bed are comfy, price is quite cheap ! No natural light - anywhere
No windows in the dorm room
No commun area, or kitchen. The only "commun area" is the bar, wich you can smoke inside
Bedrooms are right next to the bathroom so it either smell bad if you leave the dorm door open from the bathroom, or it smeell bad from having no air :/
My shelf above my bed was crooked so the stuff I put on would fall on my face 😅
The dorm room is also quite small, no space really to but bags
Did not understand the hype
- michele (9/5): -
- Yaşar Berkay (10/5): -
- Marielle (5/5): - Very well situated. Very Nice place and owners but no shared area: no fridge no micro wave no place to seat ...of course downstairs there's a bar but you can hear the music from the dorm...
- Yamamoto (8/5): -
- Renee (8/5): -
- Cameron (7/5): Good guest house with a very kind host. - Nice host. Good location. Good spot to rest up.
- Florian (10/5): -
- Patricia (7/5): - Die Lage war perfekt, sehr netter Gastgeber mit dem man nett ins Gespräch kommen kann und der tolle Tipps parat hat! Sehr liebe Familie! Die Gemeinschaftsküche war eigentlich hinter dem Bartresen sodass man für die Benutzung jedes Mal fragen wollte. Doch Shaq hat einem alles wonach man fragte zur Verfügung gestellt. Kochen kann man dort allerdings nicht richtig. Generell hätte die Küche und die Schlafzimmer etwas sauberer sein können.
- Louis (10/5): Shaq’s big house is the best hostel in the world. - Shaq hands down is the best host of all time genuinely, speaks impeccable English and knows everyone so he’s your go to guy for everything Bit of a trek from the station but not an issue
- 岱均 (10/5): - 第一次住這種類型、體驗不錯。 附近也有超商、去熱門景點也很便利。一樓居酒屋的餐點不錯
- Engel (10/5): - Lovely Family in a Lovely House. 🙏🥰
- Hamada (10/5): -
- Emanuele (10/5): - Il clima famigliare
- Maresca (8/5): -
- Akiyuki (9/5): -
- Thomas (8/5): -
- Ahmed (9/5): Superb - Great location and great host..
- Maxwell (10/5): This is the place to stay in Kanazawa - The room and facilities were very clean, beds were more comfortable than the other beds I'd slept on during my trip. The owner, Shaq, is very friendly and I had a good night chatting with him and some other travelers at the bar, in fact it was the most memorable night of my trip.
- César (10/5): Exceptional -
- Bonney (9/5): Superb - Amazing hospitality! The owner is very cool and down to earth. He went out of his way to help me several times. Definitely recommend staying here
- Sid (10/5): Exceptional -
- Adam (9/5): Superb -
- Yiftach (8/5): Very good - The bed was comfy and spacious, other than that its what youd expect of a hostel nothing more nothing less. The bar downstairs was nice
- Taya (10/5): Exceptional -
- Charlton (10/5): Exceptional - The owner is a wonderful person very helpful and always willing to provide you with information that will facilitate your enjoying your visit to that city There is really nothing to complain about the city. The historic sites are well worth seeing also the very beautifully gardens so much to give you a fantastic feeling about your decision to visit that city
- Felix (10/5): Awesome little social hostel in Kanazawa with amazing beds - Everything. The beds were awesome, most comfortable in all of Japan. Shaq was super nice and fun, izakaya downstairs. Location. Would definitely come back! Nothing
- Axel (9/5): Superb -
- Alfie (7/5): Good -
- Niva (10/5): Exceptional -
- Zagar (9/5): Superb - Very good and clean hostel. Very nice bar/restaurant where people meet and socialise. That means it's easy to spend a pleasant and funny evening.
- Louise (9/5): Superb -
- Mariachiara (6/5): Pleasant - Great host, you can spend some time to the izakaya too! no kitchen and no laundry, but you can use the izakaya's microwave.
- Carson (10/5): Exceptional - Shaq is great, I definitely recommend staying here It's a hostel (not really a downside to me)
- Daniel (10/5): Real small hostel-vibe with amazing host - Amazing host. Shaq is a great guy and loves interacting with you. He is ready with great advice. His in-house bar downstairs is also great and fair prices We stayed there in January, coldest time of the year. While the bedroom was always nice and warm, the hallway and bathroom area didn't have the heat on. Made it a bit uncomfortable. I am guessing at different times of the year it will not be a problem.
- Sebastian (10/5): Exceptional -
- Matteo (10/5): Shaw the host is the man, and he runs a great izakaya downstairs - Nice and welcoming
- Jose (10/5): Exceptional - Happy owner, nice cozy bar in 1st floor, very good atmosphere
- Laure (10/5): Exceptional -
- Trong (9/5): Superb -
- Amber (8/5): Super great host and great stay! -
- Jose (10/5): Exceptional - Fantastic owner!
- Paul (9/5): Superb -
- Nunemaker (10/5): Kotaro was awesome! Will stay here again! - Cool downstairs izakaya. Kotaro was awesome! Really helpful and fun to hang out with. Will definitely stay here again!
- Jes (10/5): Absolutely delightful. - Far and away the best part about the property were those that manage and run it. しゃく and his employees ensured that everyone had a wonderful stay — customer satisfaction is of the utmost of importance. The staff is jovial, communicative and easy going. Sometimes the employees will even take guests out to explore the area taking part in activities such as, but not limited to karaoke. I’ll remember this place forever and the times I spent here were some of my best memories from Kanazawa. I hope to return!
- Colin (10/5): Exceptional - Shaq is a fantastic host. Took us out and showed us Kanazawa’s nightlife in streets none of us had an idea existed. Ended up in a Karaoke Bar in an intimate setting, with a fantastic atmosphere. Truly exceptional service.
- Ruben (9/5): Great hostel in Kanazawa, will definitely come back - Shaq is a great host, great English level and super helpful. The hostel is very well set up, both bathrooms and showers are great and clean.
The fact it has a bar where Shaq himself serves food and drinks made me wonder how it would be with noise BUT surprisingly the sound isolation is great and even if people are having fun and hearing music downstairs, you can’t hear it. I only have 2 improvement points for Shaq’s place. One of them is related with the bed curtains, they only cover half the bed and while you there are not a lot of room mates and you have some privacy, it doesn’t feel like 100% privacy.
The second point of improvement is related with the aquarium he has down stairs, Shaq needs to get a bigger ones for his Salamandras
Photos