It was years ago that I first became entranced by the prospect of traveling to Japan. The way of life there seemed so fundamentally different from what I was accustomed to in the suburban United States. I heard stories of used panties being dispensed by vending machines, elaborately ritualized tea ceremonies, the strange sub-culture of manga and game obsessives known as otaku, ancient Buddhist temples, and many other customs and institutions that seemed to be unique to the insular island nation.
I was fascinated by Tokyo in particular: it seemed a vast, futuristic megalopolis fit to burst with both cutting-edge technology and a mysterious ancient culture. And considering the urban density of Tokyo, it seemed reasonable enough to me when I heard of the phenomenon known as the “capsule hotel”: a set of spatially sparse accommodations for the business traveler which consisted of row upon row of tiny chambers which could be rented out for the night on the cheap, or at least cheaper than your average hotel room. The idea of a capsule hotel struck me as both a brilliant business model and a uniquely Japanese solution to the problem of urban crowding.
And so when I planned my trip to the Land of the Rising Sun last year, I knew I had to forebear my fear of confined spaces and give a capsule hotel a try.
We stayed in a few different hotels and one hostel over the course of our trip, but none quite compared to the cozy convenience of the Capsule Inn Akihabara. We found ourselves at the Inn after a brief walk from the Akihabara Station, and were relieved to discover that they did have vacancies. The man at the reception counter was rather gruff and did not speak English altogether fluently, but he efficiently checked us in and issued us the various items we would need for our stay: a towel, a robe, two toothbrushes each, and a key for the lockers upstairs. The lockers contained an extra towel and toothbrush. Fortunately the communal bathrooms were kept very clean and tidy, and despite the fact that there were many other guests staying there at the moment, did not even appear to be heavily trafficked. Throughout the hotel building there was a compressed sort of silence, and I found this very relaxing and was thankful for that when it finally came time to sleep later on.
After depositing our luggage in the lockers provided, we went to investigate the capsules themselves. Much to my surprise, the capsule felt less like a coffin and more like a comfortable (albeit very small) sleeping space. There was a tiny television mounted to the ceiling, a radio, and a light, and a control panel to manipulate all of the devices. The “mattress” as it were, was nice and soft, and I knew I’d be able to sleep very peacefully here.
We found that there were several restaurants within a short walk and we explored the area some before turning in for the evening and enjoying a quick vending machine beer in the “lounge” area on our floor. The 2nd floor lounge was really just a small shelf table and a couple of chairs set next to a window and the fire escape, but it suited my purpose of having a nightcap while watching the remaining pedestrians and street traffic bustle by outside.
Finally I turned in for the evening and found that the bay of capsules was still very quiet, though I noticed that there were men preparing for bed and coming and going. The crowd was, as I suspected, mostly business travelers and professionals, keeping to themselves and behaving cordially. They quietly went about their business and I climbed into my bunk and closed the bamboo screen. I watched some incomprehensible and garishly colored game shows on the television monitor affixed to the ceiling of my chamber for a brief while before drifting off into a very peaceful sleep.
In the morning I awoke well-rested and felt ready to tackle another long day of sightseeing and begging forgiveness for my atrocious Japanese pronunciation. We readied ourselves and checked-out, and availed ourselves of the lobby computers to plot our route for the day. Thankfully, the computers were complimentary to use, but the hotel does charge a nominal fee if you want to print anything out.
We said our goodbyes to the unsmiling counter-man, and made our way out into the city once again.
All said, the night I spent in the Akihabara Capsule Inn was the best sleep I had the entire trip. If you are in the neighborhood and looking for affordable accommodations that will give you a story to tell your friends, give the Capsule Inn a go.
