Even though it’s more than a decade into the 21 century, there is still no sight of lasers or flying cars. But for the lack of “zips and zaps” we will always have the capsule hotel. With its retro-futuristic charm, the capsule hotel has been servicing Japanese salaryman and weary travelers alike with a place to lay their (inebriated) heads down since the first establishment in Osaka, 1979. From the time of the first hotel of its kind, the Capsule Inn Osaka, designed by Kisho Kurokawa [ link ], a variety have sprung up all over the country.
Located in the heart of every major city, a night in a capsule hotel will set you back between 2000 – 3500 JPY. For that price, the accommodations include a personal capsule room about 3 feet (1 meter) wide by 6.5 feet (3 meters) deep. Entertainment included in the plastic, ventilated box usually consists of a radio, an alarm clock, and a small color TV (which more-than-often comes with access to programming that’s not exactly suitable for minors). Rooms fitted with power outlets are usually available but come at a higher price. Besides that, a rental bath robe and towel are supplied to keep guests looking dapper while taking advantage of the hotel’s other facilities. Coin lockers are also standard, however, their size tends to vary from those that will fit a shoe, to those that will fit a shoe and a hat.
The average capsule hotel also includes 24/7 access to a sauna, shower, and public bath which guests are encouraged to indulge themselves in. Depending on the restrictions of the hotel, patrons with tattoos may be denied access to the bathing rooms, and in extreme cases may not be allowed to enter the hotel at all. Lounge areas are likely to include paid access to the internet, a small library of comic books and magazines, as well as vending machines full of ice cream and hang-over concoctions.
When money is tight and you find yourself in a big city with nowhere to go, capsule hotels are nothing short of a godsend. As long as you can put up with a tiny space and the everlasting thought of what the last guy did while he was in there, the rooms are not half bad. Naturally, there are varying degrees of comfort and cleanliness which distinguish themselves with the costs per night. Recently, hotels have been wising up to potential business with women-only capsule hotels that offer the same services minus the comforting smell of a day-old salaryman. In big cities such as Tokyo, it can even be cheaper to rent a capsule hotel for a month than an actual apartment!
