Hey oh y’all,
So it’s spring break!
And that means Tokyo! And Akihabara! And…capsule hotels?
So apparently if you are under 20, there are very few hotels
that you can make reservations for. The only one I was able to find was a
capsule hotel in Shinjuku.
First Shinjuku. It’s a main part of Tokyo that a lot of tour
buses pick up at. It’s a fun, busy, shopping district. There are high rises
with department stores and nice restaurants. Very nice and fun place to hang
out…that is if you stay on the west side of the train tracks. The east side…is
bright, fast paced, and…fun…I guess…if pachinko, bars, and sketchy bars are
your idea of fun…
The east side of Shinjuku is packed with numerous bars –
both normal and uncomfortably not normal – and each one has an aggressive
“ka-chya” or catcher trying to entice you to come in. Mostly their goal is to
lure you into the sketchy bars with photos of scantily clad women as the storefront
sign. Seriously, it’s uncomfortable (and this is a kid who likes akihabara)
See in Akihabara there are maid cafes, but maid cafés are
clean. On the back streets of Shinjuku there are bars bright lit signs of women
in bikinis and skirts – there’s even a bar named “hana mizu chi” or “nosebleed”
ie the Japanese euphemism for an erection – I don’t even want to know what goes
on in such a place. Akihabara is weird but harmless, the backstreets of
Shinjuku can be uncomfortable and scary.
And of course, this is where the only hotel I could find
happens to be.
But this is a capsule hotel – the safe haven for businessmen
(and I mean men only, sorry Sumi) who stay out late and miss the last train
home. It’s actually a really nice hotel built for relaxation. It’s basically a
24 hour onsen place – large bath, massage parlors, restaurant, and beds. It’s
cheap (only 2500 yen a night for students, 4500 normally).
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| This is taken at my eye-level. |
And then you see why it’s so cheap. It’s a capsule hotel. As
in not actually a hotel with rooms but a hotel with capsules that you crawl
into. It’s tough to describe so please see the pictures.
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| As you can see, my feet are touching the "door", and my head is touching the "wall" |
Yup. These are capsules. The bedding is about a quarter of
an inch thick and the pillow is not much thicker…but it’s a bed…and it’s
technically a private room (with a TV). But man… this is not for the
claustrophobic.
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| The height is about 2 times my backpack...at least you can sit up... |
I’m about 5’7” (?) and I had about an inch between my feet
and the door…ok so it’s not actually a door, but more like a curtain. And
forget about sitting up fully – it’s about the height of 2 backpacks.
That said, it is totally worth a stay in a capsule hotel –
if only to say you stayed in one. I was watching a travel show called “Cool
Japan” and it said the number 1 “new” spot to visit in Kyoto for foreigners was
the Kyoto Capsule Hotel because it was a novelty. Sure the bed’s not the
greatest (you can actually go to the nap room where they lay out comfy cushions
or comfy chairs) but for only a few thousand yen a night with access to a bath
and your own room – it’s not bad (and hey, it’s approved by hundreds of
Japanese businessmen in suits – what more could you ask for?!).
And the one I stayed at even had English-speaking staff!
So all in all – I do recommend trying out a capsule hotel –
who knows? Maybe you’ll find the close quarters unusually cozy?
DC
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