Capsule hotel is very common in Japan due to the expensive price of land, and Japanese people are very efficient in using their spaces. In the span of three trips to Japan, I’ve tried five capsule hotel (or hostel) and it really suits my travel personality very well. A little background of myself, I’m actually studied hotel management for 3.5 years. I think I’m quite knowledgeable in hospitality and tourism industry, considering I literally have a degree from that field. But after studying hotels for 3.5 years, it was this one particular type of accommodation that caught my attention, capsule hotel.
FYI, I took most of the pictures with my iPhone, so sorry if it’s not a high quality pictures 🙂 you can always search it up on Google.
1. “Bike & Bed” CharinCo Hostel, Osaka
This is the first capsule hotel I’ve tried in my life and I started from the right accommodation. This hostel is not exactly a capsule-like, but the way they manage and give service is almost the same with capsule hotel. The location is not really close to public transportation but it’s still manageable. I wouldn’t recommend you to bring big luggages, because I experienced on how hard it is dragging my big luggage up and down the stairs from the subway to the hostel. The reason why I choose Bike & Bed apart from the affordable price, is because the location. It is not strategic nor close to the landmarks but it is within where local people live (I think lol), which is what I’m looking for.
By the way, this is applicable to all the other capsule hotels that I tried in Japan, all of them are very clean. Like, you don’t even have to concern about hygiene or dirty bathroom. Well at least from my five stays in capsule hotel in Japan, I never have any problem with cleanliness of the accommodation. Overall, this is a very nice capsule hotel with great facilities. I booked this accommodation via Airbnb, you can look it up here.
2. Nine Hours, Tokyo
I’ve heard and seen a lot of this capsule hotel in Instagram and I have quite high expectation for this accommodation. And damn they delivered. If you’re looking for a minimalistic, aesthetically pleasing and unique experience, I recommend you to book Nine Hours. Starting from the receptionist area, the capsule itself (bedroom), locker area, bathroom, living room (or communal space), I love everything about this place.
I’m really shock when I entered the bathroom. Even though it is shared we take turns, but the size of the shower room is really big! I feel very comfortable and not gross out at all in here. The location itself is very strategic but depending on how you look at it. Nine Hours in Shinjuku-North is located in the Korean Town in Tokyo, so everywhere you go you will see mostly Korean food and store. I had hard time trying to find Japanese food on my first day here, and realised I was in Korean town lol. Overall, I seriously recommend this place if you never tried capsule hotel before.
3. Grids Sapporo, Sapporo
This is the latest capsule hostel that I tried during my last trip to Japan. The location is in Tanukikoji Street, which is a mainstream street in Sapporo and very strategic. When I was planning on my Hokkaido Trip (Dec 2019) Grids Sapporo is the best option for my trip mainly because of the location. I didn’t expect much regarding their facilities, but Grids Sapporo exceeds my expectation. I feel very comfortable during my stay and didn’t have anything to complain at all.
The bed is not exactly like capsule, but the wooden interior gives me the impression of warm and cozy. The bed is much bigger than most of capsule hotel I stayed and have a lot of room to move (for me). Overall everything about this place is me-likey very much, and the location just made my trip extra wonderful.
4. Booth Net Cafe & Capsule, Tokyo
To be honest with you, I have a bizarre experience with this particular place. I still recommend it but with lots of remarks to keep in mind haha. First of all, the location of this capsule hotel is in Kabukicho. Kabukicho is your go-to place for entertainment, nightlife, and pubs in Tokyo. I was shocked at first because I didn’t know what Kabukicho is famous for and just booked the cheapest I can find. Location-wise, it’s very strategic and it’s nearby public transportations. What I don’t like about this capsule hotel is that I have to pay to take a shower (not like the other capsule hotels), everything is timed, and you have to pay for the extra amenities. And I think the capsule/pod is kinda old & smaller compared to the others that I tried. I was surprised because I thought the price was all in, and it’s kinda annoying that I have to pay just to take a shower. But again, I think this particular capsule hotel is mostly occupied by local Japanese people rather than tourist (I might be wrong) because of its strategic location for office worker.
The best thing about this accommodation is the fact that it’s a net cafe with lots of manga/comic books! I really like manga and although I don’t understand Japanese, I still get excited with the presence of manga. All the manga that I currently read is there and they put it very neatly like they give a lot of respect to the manga work. So it’s very pleasing to see the neat shelf with the silence ambiance. Overall, I can’t highly recommend but looking back I did have a unique impression with this place. Maybe I’d recommend this to experienced backpackers
5. Fujikyu Highland Station Inn, Mt. Fuji
This capsule hotel is literally in front of Fuji-Q Highland, like only 3 minutes away! This accommodation is perfect for people who want to visit Fuji-Q. This accommodation is more of a modern capsule than the other four I stayed in. Even though the human touch point is only in the beginning and at the end of my stay (check-in & check-out), I can feel their hospitality throughout my stay. I think it’s because they really think of what most of the customer needs and they provide it beforehand. This is perfect for people who want to minimize communication with other people and just enjoy the stay. Overall, I had a really nice experience here and have nothing to complain about.
Fujikyu Highland Station Inn website
Thank you for reading this blogpost, hope you enjoy it 😀 and let me know if you’ve tried those capsule hotel or other capsule hotel in Japan.
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