Staying in Japan? Strapped for cash? No problem!
Check in to a Capsule Hotel. With an average cost running around $35 a night these coffin-sized hotel rooms offer basic overnight accommodations, a cheap alternative for those who don't require or can't afford the amenities of a regular hotel stay. Made entirely of fiberglass most capsules are about 2 meters by 1 and are stacked side by side on top of one another and usually include a small television and internet connection, privacy is insured by a fabric curtain.
Luggage can be left in a designated locker and most capsule hotels will have a communal bath area. They could come equipped with only vending machines but many now will even include a restaurant or two or even a convenience store within their facilities. Capsule hotels vary widely in their range of size. Smaller complexes will only hold maybe fifty capsules while larger sites may hold hundreds.
Be careful which ones you try to check into though. Some capsule hotels in certain areas of Japan (such as Kabukicho, the red light district of Tokyo) will offer their rooms exclusively to men with the option of a receiving a "massage" with their stay.
Over the past decades these hotels offered a cheap nights stay primarily targeting Japanese business men who worked late or got too drunk to go home. Unfortunately in the current global economic crisis many of the people staying in the capsule hotels are the unemployed, living day to day trying to earn enough from odd jobs just to be able to afford another nights stay and a hot meal. They now make up nearly half of those staying in capsule hotels in Tokyo today.
The first capsule hotel was opened in 1979 in Osaka and since have spread throughout Japan over the past decades but have not gained popularity outside of the country, with only a couple having popped up in Eastern Europe. And while in 1979 the first capsule hotel was opened 1972 marked the completion of the Nakagin Capsule Tower which was the first example of capsule architecture.
Nakagin was built by Kisha Kurokawa in Shimbashi, Tokyo, Japan as a multi-use office and apartment tower targeting single salary men. The Nakagin Tower is actually composed of two inner towers made of concrete and equipped with 140 prefabricated module capsules stacked 11 and 13 stories high. The capsules are only about 2.5m x 4m and can also be connected to one another to create a larger space if needed. It's modules come equipped with a small airplane sized bathroom, a wall of appliances straight out of another era and each has a small portal window. Not the most comfortable living situation but still kind of cool.
Although the idea behind the towers was that capsules could be added on, moved or removed the building has stood the same for nearly four decades and now has fallen into disrepair. As of last year Nakagin was still standing but slated for demolition. In 2007 it's residents voted for demolition after many complained of the condition of the building as well as fears over asbestos.
So if you're looking for a unique stay in a pinch while staying in Japan, check into a Capsule hotel!
One of the millions of reasons to love Japan!
