I love Japan, and there are many things that are culturally unique to this country. One of the quirkier things that are always associated with Japan is the Japanese capsule hotel.
In Japanese, it’s called (oddly enough) Kapuseru Hoteru カプセルホテル
Now, it makes sense that staying in what basically amounts to a tube is not for everyone. So if you’d prefer more traditional accommodation, check out this post:
Where to Stay in Tokyo for Tourists and First Time Visitors.
If you’re looking for itineraries for Japan in general, Shershegoes has compiled some of the best Japan itineraries you’ll find.
My Japanese capsule hotel
I had the opportunity to stay in a Japanese capsule hotel in the touristy neighborhood of Asakusa in Tokyo.
My capsule hotel in Tokyo, Japan was the Hotel New Tochigiya, a mere 15 min walk from Tokyo’s famous Sensoji Temple.
Reserve this hotel: Ready to book? Consider using our affiliate link to book your stay at Hotel New Tockigiya. We will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Tokyo has the stereotype of being an expensive city – and it is – but there are definitely deals for the more budget-minded traveler.
The Hotel New Tochigiya is definitely one of those gems.
You can stay there for a super-low ¥2,200 per night, or about $18 US!
No question – that’s one of the cheapest places I found in Tokyo.
What is a capsule hotel?
Capsule hotels originated in Japan. In my opinion, the whole world needs to catch up with this part of the culture.
Pre-molded fiberglass or modular plastic assembled together in a large room and stacked in rows of two to maximize the space needed to fit more people – like containers on a ship!
Japanese capsule hotels offer the basics for travelers. And they are even highly popular with Japanese people themselves, who often choose to stay in one for a couple of hours instead of going home after a late night out.
They were designed for travelers who didn’t care to stay in a large hotel room or couldn’t afford them.
Most amenities at Japanese capsule hotels are shared among all of the guests.
Where is Hotel New Tochigiya?
The Hotel New Tochigiya doesn’t have any eye-catching signage and it’s hard to find directions.
You’ll have to know where to turn to find it.
As is the case everywhere in Japan, any street names and numbers are confusing to foreign visitors. Don’t expect to find much English here like you do in other destinations.
My suggestion is to look it up online before you arrive to get a good look at the store front (above), as well as any general directions to get there.
What happens at a Japanese Capsule Hotel?
Upon checking in, the attendant brought me to the fourth floor and assigned me to a capsule pod, as well as a locker.
Inside my capsule were a bathrobe and a pair of slippers.
Guests are expected to slip off any street clothing they’re wearing and leave everything else inside the locker.
Oh, and they have male and female sections inside the hotel, so no need to worry about leering eyes from the opposite sex as you’re undressing.
The first thing you do is don your robe and slippers and go the basement to the onsen. Onsens are public bath houses where you can clean up and bathe after your journey.
When you’re in an onsen, there’s a specific routing you should follow.
Check out this Wikipedia entry for more.
After you’re clean and relaxed, you can spend the rest of the night in the Hotel New Tochigiya lobby. They have a library full of anime comics to read.
Or you can purchase food from a large selection – including ramen noodles – in one of their vending machines.
Feeling tired? Go to your air-conditioned room where your capsule awaits.
Are Japanese capsule hotels claustrophobic?
Will it feel like you’re inside a coffin? Not at all.
If you are a tall person (anything taller than 6’1″ or 186 cm), it may be a tighter squeeze for you. They’re build for Japanese people and the average Japanese person wouldn’t have this problem.
The average height here is 5’8″ or 172 cm.
Otherwise, there’s actually plenty of room inside a Japanese capsule hotel. You even have your own TV, reading lights, and alarm clock.
You can sit down and read – as you can see from my photo, I have plenty of room to wiggle.
After a while, I got used to my modular plastic wall. I had more room than I anticipated.
It kind of felt a bit like being a kid again, to be quite honest. Once again, I was inside a fort in my parents’ living room. All I was missing were the sheets over the cushions!
Every capsule pod has its own pull-down blind, which provides a nice, dark environment to sleep in.
Unfortunately they have a very thin mattresses. Not unexpected, since the Japanese tolerance of thin sleeping surfaces is very high.
A lot of Japanese people even sleep on tatamis, or straw pads.
Further reading: Hungry? While you’re there, check out some of Japan’s most unique and authentic dishes.
Are capsules “the hostels of the future”?
Maybe! Not that I expected otherwise, but this was not a glamorous hotel. Simply put, the Japanese capsule hotel seems to be an “out there” and futuristic concept.
But the interior of the hotel and the condition doesn’t appear to be management’s highest priority.
Not that I stayed in the most modern one, mind you!
Like a typical hostel pretty much anywhere in the world, you have to share a bathroom and the onsen. And their decor is very basic.
They decorated it with whatever was available back when they built Hotel New Tochigiya in the ’80s.
In the end though, the experience was worth it. I’ve seen these online and on TV and really wanted to try it. Mission accomplished!
If you are looking for things to to in Tokyo, check out this Tokyo Travel Guide for more information.
If you want to see more of the places we’ve stayed at, check out our accommodations page!
Reserve this hotel: Ready to book? Consider using our affiliate link to book your stay at Hotel New Tockigiya. We will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Hotel New Tochigiya
111-0032 Tokyo Prefecture
Taito-ku, Asakusa 2-22-2
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Halef moved from Indonesia to the US nearly two decades ago to go to college here. He hasn’t looked back. He’s been to over forty countries and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He’s a Landscape Architect in Atlanta, GA.
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Great post! I’d love to try these some time but I’m travelling with a kid when I go, so I don’t think it would work too well!
Thanks for the insight!
I would be claustrophobic as he’ll!! Agree that this is not future. Thank God! ????
I agree. But I am bigger than Halef. I’d still try it though, just to say I did. *One* night! 🙂
I am off to Japan next month and i really want to stay at one of these hotels now. I think i would be able to manage the small space, luckily i havent got any phobias. Thanks so much for sharing!
Give the place we linked to a try. It’s a little old, but the price is right!
You seem pretty excited in the photo. Would you do it again? Thanks for sharing.
In a heartbeat. It was cheap, clean and comfortable, and you are learning about Japanese culture while doing it! You definitely should try it sometime.
You are brave…lol…just looking at this capsule induces claustrophobia for me I just couldn’t stay in one of them and hope I never have to but really interesting to read about them. I gather they are coming to the US and Canada soon as well.
I’d like to see them in airports. I think that would be a really good option for long layovers, don’t you think?
This looks so cool I am definately going to try this out when I go to Japan. I love the fact that they have TVs too lol.
Ahahaha I always wanted to spend a night in a Capsule Hotel.
Thank’s for your article and the picture. Got a pretty good idea now what’s the experience 😉