one of the other things that we (again read "i") had been wanting to do in Japan was to stay in a capsule inn. this desire was also finally realized during our Tokyo trip, and the results are in: we (or even i) will not be doing it again. not that we weren't glad for the experience, nor that it was considerably cheaper than many other hotels in the capital, but it just turned out to be a bit of a hassle.
capsule hotels are famed for making excellent use of space in a nation that doesn't seem to have much of it left, and they do provide a convenient place for late-working salarymen to crash while they await the morning trains. the one we stayed in was the Capsule Inn Akihabara in (oddly enough) Akihabara, the electronics mecca in the East of Tokyo. the capsules themselves were actually much more spacious than i had thought they would be, stacked only two high on each floor and about a meter by a meter by two meters (around 3x3x6 feet). they have their own lighting and cooling controls, and even their own TVs, though no cable or satellite so the only thing on was very crappy Japanese network stuff. of course, with a setup like this, couples don't sleep together; indeed, sexes are further separated into different floors of the building. many capsule hotels don't allow female guests at all, but this one put them on the top two floors, well away from all the men. they made a big deal about how this was for the security of women travelers, but we began to be suspicious of that idea when we saw that each capsule was sealed off with only the protection of a thin roll-down bamboo screen.
capsule views, clockwise from top left: the rows of green 1960s oven-like boxes that are capsules; Jill in hers; me in the provided yukata (a type of cotton robe) on yellow block of men's floor number 6; and a view from the inside, showing the TV and protective "doorway".
add to those discomforts the public bathing areas (very common in Japan) and the operating hours of the place and it became quite annoying. during the day the place was closed from 10am to 5pm, ostensibly to allow for cleaning, which wouldn't matter if you were only crashing there for a night. if, like us, you were there for two or more, however, their strictness on enforcing this rule could become very aggravating, as when we showed up at 4:30 wanting to get into our lockers and they made us sit not in the foyer, but outside the building until 5. oh well. we survived, as will you if you go. we had a place to sleep, which was the primary objective, and it was definitely a different way to stay, and a very Japanese one at that.
capsule hotels are famed for making excellent use of space in a nation that doesn't seem to have much of it left, and they do provide a convenient place for late-working salarymen to crash while they await the morning trains. the one we stayed in was the Capsule Inn Akihabara in (oddly enough) Akihabara, the electronics mecca in the East of Tokyo. the capsules themselves were actually much more spacious than i had thought they would be, stacked only two high on each floor and about a meter by a meter by two meters (around 3x3x6 feet). they have their own lighting and cooling controls, and even their own TVs, though no cable or satellite so the only thing on was very crappy Japanese network stuff. of course, with a setup like this, couples don't sleep together; indeed, sexes are further separated into different floors of the building. many capsule hotels don't allow female guests at all, but this one put them on the top two floors, well away from all the men. they made a big deal about how this was for the security of women travelers, but we began to be suspicious of that idea when we saw that each capsule was sealed off with only the protection of a thin roll-down bamboo screen.
capsule views, clockwise from top left: the rows of green 1960s oven-like boxes that are capsules; Jill in hers; me in the provided yukata (a type of cotton robe) on yellow block of men's floor number 6; and a view from the inside, showing the TV and protective "doorway".
add to those discomforts the public bathing areas (very common in Japan) and the operating hours of the place and it became quite annoying. during the day the place was closed from 10am to 5pm, ostensibly to allow for cleaning, which wouldn't matter if you were only crashing there for a night. if, like us, you were there for two or more, however, their strictness on enforcing this rule could become very aggravating, as when we showed up at 4:30 wanting to get into our lockers and they made us sit not in the foyer, but outside the building until 5. oh well. we survived, as will you if you go. we had a place to sleep, which was the primary objective, and it was definitely a different way to stay, and a very Japanese one at that.
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