Paper-Thin Walls
For those of you who know Japan, you know that building materials are not designed with soundproofing in mind. The Japanese, especially those who live in the big cities, try to be respectful and relatively quiet. This is a hotel built with that in mind.
I don't think the walls are actually paper-thin as they felt solid, but you can hear everything in the next room. From the bathroom, you can hear everything going on in a neighboring bathroom. There were times when I opened my eyes, startled, because I could swear someone else was standing behind me. There wasn't. It was just an ordinary conversation from one of the surrounding rooms. People weren't being inconsiderate. It was just that this hotel is so poorly constructed that whatever passes for walls here seems to amplify sound rather than deaden it.
When I asked the woman at the front desk if there was a room with soundproofing, she complained about overly-sensitive people. Maybe I am when it comes to sound, but I don't want to hear my neighbor using the toilet. I don't want to hear every single word of a conversation in a nearby room. They know this hotel was poorly built, and it's a good value if you're used to hearing your neighbors.
Hotel Kabuki is in San Francisco's small Japantown, which is a nest of restaurants (many quite good) and shops with goods (some manufactured in the area, but many in Japan) you can't find elsewhere. It isn't that convenient to other parts of San Francisco, but public transportation is reasonable. You can self-park in the Japantown lot, which goes under the hotel, but be careful of the hourly rates in the middle of the day. The hotel quotes only the daily rate of $22.