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
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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
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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.
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