If you are planning an around the world trip or even just planning a trip to Japan, it’s well worth booking a stay in a Japanese capsule hotel.

Not only is it a unique experience but it’s a interesting and relatively cheap one too (usually from $20-$40).

The Capsule

Rooms provide enough room to sleep (Roughly about 3 ft by 4 ft by 6 ft) in a fiberglass or plastic block often equipped with a TV, radio, light and alarm clock. These hotels started life in Japan and haven’t really caught popularity in cities around the world.

Tokyo capsule hotels are mainly frequented by Japanese businessman who have either had a late night at the office or have drunk so much that they are too embarrassed to face their spouses.

Communal Wash Rooms & Spa

Wash rooms are communal and often include a spa and sauna. Clothes are usually exchanged for a yukata and slippers on entry.

Although capsule hotels are usually a men only affair, there are those that have female floors available. It’s best to check before turning up. These hotels often have a restaurant and also have vending machines supplying everything from cold beer to cold coffee.

Capsule Inn Kinshichou

On my recent visit to Tokyo I stayed in the Capsule Inn Kinshichou and had a great experience, they even had our names on the door when we arrived. Like many places in Japan not much English was spoken so our mime act came in very useful at reception.

Although the communal wash rooms, sauna and spa were quite daunting at first it had helped that we had been out for “all you can drink in two hours” karaoke that evening.

The capsule hotel was a perfect place to have a late night spa and sauna then to get a good nights sleep before catching our flight the next day.