Tokyo's Capsule Hotel
Tokyo has an unusual hotel to suit every taste, whether you want to spend a night in a pod hotel, at an urban onsen, or stay with a Japanese family.
A capsule hotel (カプセルホテル kapuseru hoteru?) is a type of hotel developed in Japan that features a large number of extremely small "rooms" (capsules) intended to provide cheap, basic overnight accommodation for guests who do not require the services offered by more conventional hotels
The guest room is a modular plastic or fiberglass
block roughly 2 by 1 by 1.25 m (6 ft 7 in by 3 ft 3 in by 4 ft 1 in).
Facilities differ, but most include a television, an electronic console,
and wireless internet
connection. The capsules are stacked side-by-side, two units high, with
steps providing access to the second level rooms, leading to
comparisons to corpse drawers in a morgue.
The open end of the capsule can be closed, for privacy, with a curtain
or a fibreglass door. Luggage is stored in a locker; and washrooms are
communal.Some capsule hotels offer separate sections for male and female guests. Clothes and shoes are sometimes exchanged for a yukata and slippers on entry. A towel may also be provided. The benefit of these hotels is convenience and low price, usually around ¥2000-4000 (USD 19-38) a night. They provide an alternative for those who (especially on weeknights) may be too drunk to return home safely, or too embarrassed to face their spouses
That unique Japanese experience – a night's sleep in a tiny pod – in
the heart of the city. There is very little here to appeal to visitors
other than the novelty of doing something very Japanese, but the shared
facilities, including a bath and sauna, are clean, and there are lockers
for customers carrying a lot of luggage. Be warned – customers include drunk businessmen who have missed their
last train home and are looking for somewhere cheap to stay. Rooms are
cramped at two square meters, and have a television for those unable to
sleep. A basic restaurant in the hotel also offers cheap snacks and
light meals.
