Space is truly at a premium in Tokyo. Apartments are so constrained that having a dedicated shower room is a true luxury. There are even special toilets that double the functionality of sink for washing hands in leau of an actual sink.
All this translates to a premium for living in rooms of sizes similar to rest of the world. But for the frugal travelers, there is a special type of hotel that allows staying in Tokyo at a true budget: capsule hotel.
As the name suggests, instead of given a room to stay, a capsule. The capsule is essentially a tiny pod equipped with the basically necessities for overnight stay: futon, blinds, and even a personal TV. The particular establishment I stayed at is Capsule Kimeya Hotel Ikebukuro (カフセルきぬやホテル池袋) in the Ikebukuro (池袋) region of Tokyo.
Just like the ‘rooms’, most services are non-frill and self-serve. It is only staffed by one person most of the hours who does not even process transactions and only hands out keys and towels. Payment is done at a vending machine, which prints tickets for exchanging the said keys and towels.
The residential quarters consists of sleeping capsules and lockers. The only source of privacy of each capsule is the blind which covers the hall side of the capsule. Since most guests are those who have stayed too late and missed the last train home, people usually start waking up around 7am in preparation of going to work or returning to home. If you are a light sleeper who can not sleep in noisy environment, then living in capsule hotel is probably not recommended. Also, due to the nature of the establishment, most capsule hotels are male-only.
In terms of personal hygiene, each floor has its own toilet and sinks, while showering can done at a communal bath in the basement. There is also a smaller shower room for those wanting more privacy.
Sinks of each floor
Communal bath
Outside the entrance of the bath is a resting area where people relax after shower. It is quite a cozy area with TV and beer (also sold by a vending machine), but I did not stay in this area long due to people smoking.
Relax area
Overall, the stay was quite interesting and definitely saved me some dimes. I would recommend any travelers to give it at least one night to try just for the experience. But like previously noted, if you are a light sleeper who is sensitive to noise, a capsule hotel would not be the best for you.
Packing can be quite difficult in such a setting :/
The rates of the hotel. There are special rates for shorter stays.