Book and Bed Tokyo: A Cheapo Space for Word Nerds

Concept

The name says it all. It’s a hostel filled with books so you can enjoy the written word, the pretty pictures and maybe catch a few ZZZs in the process. A chat with that staff explained that guests might have trouble falling asleep due to a new environment or jetlag while traveling, and that the addition of  books was an obvious choice to help them nod off in a comforting way. (Although, if you’re a true book lover, the opposite effect might occur and you’ll expend your precious snooze time turning pages.)

And if you’re wondering who you’ll be sleeping with, the hostel is open to both international and Japanese tourists, with a slight emphasis on attracting domestic visitors to Tokyo.

Atmosphere

It’s pretty cozy. It’s a long narrow space giving it an intimate and snug feel more so than cramped. There are long blue couches to curl up on (should you wish to opt out of reading in your bed) accompanied by warm lighting and an amiable wooden ambiance. If you’re lucky to snag the spot by the window, you’ll have a decent city view in your periphery—offering a whimsical touch to your Tokyo experience.

There’s no stove to prepare food, but they supply toaster ovens for heating up some grub. And espresso will set you back 150 yen.

Cleanliness

The hostel just opened its doors in early November, so all is neat and clean. Beds, bedding and furniture are all new and the bathroom area gets two thumbs up. No funky findings to report as of this writing.

Location

Stay here and you’re on the doorstep of Ikebukuro Station. Depending on the line you want, you could be on a train in under two minutes from the hostel. Ikebukuro Station is a popular transportation hub that can get you to almost all the major Tokyo hot spots via one train (transferring is for suckers after all). There’s also a fair amount to check out in the Ikebukuro itself, although most of the good stuff—restaurants and shops—is on the east side of the station so we recommend heading there (Book and Bed Hostel is on the west side).

Book selection

As previously mentioned, there’s a slight emphasis on attracting domestic tourists resulting in a larger percentage of books in Japanese, although the staff did mention this was also for the benefit of international guests—they believe a wider Japanese selection will increase the cultural experience for foreigners.

To name a few, shelves are stocked with travel books, popular anime like the Akira and Slamdunk series, and fiction novels by the famous Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

But if you do want some English books, you’ve still got options.

Pricing

Fees depend on the type of bed you want. You can either sleep within the bookshelf itself or you can sleep in capsule-style bunks off to the side. There are also two sizes to choose from: a standard bed is 129cm x 205cm while a compact is 80cm x 205cm (the latter choice being 1,000 yen cheaper). Wifi access is included in the price.

And you don’t need to stay overnight to enjoy the space. As a daytime user you can read the books, drink the espresso and lounge on the comfy couches between the hours of 13:00 and 19:00 for 1,500 yen.