If one were to make a list of uniquely Japanese things that every long term visitor MUST try before leaving Japan, spending the night at a capsule hotel would be near the top.Mission Accomplished!
While Hunter was in town, we went to Tokyo for 2 days to visit Tokyo Disneyland and to do some sightseeing. This provided the perfect opportunity to stay at the Capsule Inn Akihabara.
A "room" at a capsule hotel is a single occupancy modular space (roughly 2m x 1m x 1.25m) where you can sleep comfortably for the night. Despite the small size, I had everything I needed. For example, there was a radio, alarm clock, mirror, shelf and a TV in my capsule. The below picture shows a view from inside the capsule looking towards the lowered shade or "door."
Upon entering the hotel, you put your shoes in a locker on the first floor, trading your shoe locker key for your room key. Then, there were lockers on each (gender-separate) floor where you could leave your bags and change into the provided yukatas. Access to the women-only floors was tightly guarded to provide a sense of security. We had to lock our hallway every time we entered or exited.
As with many Japanese hotels, there were also gender separate communal baths and shower rooms with all the amenities. They even had a computer lounge on the 10th floor just for the ladies. It was nice to check my e-mail in peace.
Maybe I'm crazy to think capsule hotels are so awesome, but I really liked it ... and not just because of the cheap rates!
1 comment:
Very cool!!!
Post a Comment