capsule Archives | Tokyo Cheapo

For many travelers, staying in a capsule hotel in Tokyo is a must-do. We can't say they're the pinnacle of comfort, but they do make for a good story when you get home. From bare basics to surprisingly fancy, there are lots of different Tokyo capsule hotels to choose from. Plus, lots of hostels have started installing sleeping pods in their dormitory rooms too, for a hybrid vibe. To kickstart your planning, here’s everything you need to know about capsule hotels in general, with our picks for the best capsule hotels in Tokyo. What is a capsule hotel, exactly? Capsule hotels consist of tiny pod-like rooms - or sleeping pods -- stacked together, providing the bare minimum in terms of space and amenities. The first capsule hotel, designed by Kisho Kurokawa, went up in Osaka in 1979. They are also sometimes known as sleep pods, cube hotels, or cubicle hotels. Inside, there's just enough room for a person to crawl inside, lie down, and (maybe) sit up. Basic amenities include a light and a power outlet, but more modern capsule hotels may also provide a TV, lock box, or a small amount of storage space. You'll need headphones for the TV, but most places provide some or have them available for rent. Rooms will have airconditioning, but there may or may not be vents in the capsule. Note: There are no locks on the sleeping pod, only a shutter or curtain for you to get some privacy. Capsule hotels tend to be in convenient locations, like near major train stations. In the old days, they would primarily attract salarymen, who would turn up after having missed the last train. Or because it just made more sense to sleep near the office rather than making the long commute home and back. So, like love hotels, capsule hotels weren't the kind of accommodations you booked in advance. Fortunately though, these days you can now book a capsule hotel ahead of time online. Fun fact: Kisho Kurokawa also designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo. It was not a capsule hotel (or hotel at all), but a very cool work of residential architecture. Unfortunately, it was demolished in 2022, although parts of it were preserved. How big are the capsules? Capsules are usually designed to accommodate one person, and typically measure around 1.2 meters wide, 2 meters long, and 1 meter high. They fit a mattress inside, with amenities such as the TV, plug sockets, and a mini bedside table mounted on the walls. Some capsules, like those at First Class Cabin, are modeled after First Class airplane cabins and are slightly larger, measuring around 3 to 4 meters. What's the difference between capsule hotels and capsule hostels? Recently, lots of hostels have started to use sleeping pods in their designs too. We've fondly termed them "capsule hostels" because while they use sleeping pods, they are more geared towards tourists than traditional capsule hotels. Capsule hostels tend to have more common spaces, allow both men and women to stay, and are more comfortable. They're also more likely to have tourist information, multilingual staff, and offer breakfast. The key difference is that capsule hotels tend to be more private, while capsule hostels have more of social atmosphere. The best capsule hotels in Tokyo Whether you are looking for a capsule hotel in the center of Tokyo or one inside the airport, there are many to choose from. Note that the ones listed here are open to both men and women. Prices are subject to change. Central Tokyo Shinjuku Kuyakusho-mae Capsule Hotel 5-minute walk from Shinjuku Station From Check availability A short walk from Shinjuku Station's east exit is the Shinjuku Kuyakusho-mae Capsule Hotel, a classic Tokyo capsule hotel which has a 24-hour bath and sauna, and a business-and-relaxation lounge with Wi-Fi and computers. The hotel also has a restaurant and coin-laundry machines. Capsule Inn Kinshichō 4-minute walk from Kinshichō Station From Situated a few stops from Akihabara, is a great jumping-off point for anyone keen on exploring the city center. It's also near popular attractions, like sumo stables and the Sumida Hokusai Museum. The hotel offers a bar, coffee shop and restaurant, a sauna, hot-spring baths, a fitness center, and free Wi-Fi. Smart Stay Shizuku Shinagawa-Ōimachi 2-minute walk from Ōimachi Station From A 5-minute train ride from Shinagawa Station is Smart Stay Shizuku Shinagawa-Ōimachi. Its location makes it a great choice for sleeping after a late-night or before an early morning Shinkansen ride. All amenities are new, and the facilities include a sauna, public bath, canteen, and lounge. The Global Hotel Tokyo 5-minute walk from Shin-Okubo Station From The Global Hotel Tokyo has a lot going for it, including free breakfast and multilingual staff. It’s also in a great location -- sandwiched between Shinjuku and Shin-Okuba (aka Koreatown) -- so you're within walking distance of food, entertainment, and popular attractions. The capsules are comfy, and guests can head up to the rooftop for a view of the surrounding area. Glansit Akihabara 5-minute walk from Akihabara Station From Just a short walk from Akihabara Station, Glansit Akihabara is a modern capsule hotel in Tokyo. There are two types of capsule to choose from -- standard and superior. Plus, there are also short stay options (1 to 5 hours), if you just need a nap. Breakfast is available for an extra charge, and there is a public bath for guests to enjoy. Resol Poshtel Tokyo Asakusa 3-minute walk from Asakusa Station From For a more luxe feel, Resol Poshtel Tokyo in Asakusa is a great option. Sure, it has a higher price than a lot of the other options, but the well-thought out design and amenities make it worth it. The sleeping pods are much roomier because they're not bunk bed-style, and there's dedicated luggage storage space. Plus, there's a beautiful common area with tatami mats for guests to socialize and plan their travels. Capsule hotels near Narita and Haneda airports Nine Hours Narita Airport 5-minute walk from Narita Airport Terminal 2･3 Station From Are you stuck waiting for a connecting flight? Did you arrive past midnight? If so, attached to Terminal 2 of Narita Airport is a godsend. (It’s also the source of all those Google searches for “capsule hotel nine hours” and perhaps the urban legend about how you can only stay in a capsule hotel for nine hours.) The hotel has lockers, showers, and a lounge, plus a kind of futuristic interior design. Toiletries are provided and breakfast can be added for . You can also book a capsule by the hour during the day, for a quick nap. That costs for the first hour, and for each additional hour. First Cabin Haneda 1-minute walk from Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Station From Not to be beaten by Narita, Haneda Airport also has a capsule hotel, inside Terminal 1. It's called First Cabin Haneda, and as the name implies, this is fancier than your average Tokyo capsule hotel. Indeed, they have much more space and actual beds, making their rooms look more like mini hotel rooms than capsule pods. Size aside, the only other reminder that you're not in a regular hotel is the lack of a lockable door. The best "capsule hostels" in Tokyo Here's our pick of the nicest hybrid capsule-hostels in the city. Book And Bed Tokyo Shinjuku 3-minute walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station From Book And Bed is one of those hostels that often does the rounds on social media, and for good reason. This place is a bookworm's delight, with an impressive range of books to choose from, including some in English. Just keep in mind that the hostel is more about esthetics than anything else, with thin mattresses and noise being common concerns among guests. From what we have heard, it's an ideal place to crash during music events like Back From The Grave: Halloween Ball, but is not recommended for long stays. Unplan Shinjuku 9-minute from Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station From With a design intended to remind you of the neon lights in Kabukichō, Unplan Shinjuku isn’t about to let you forget where you are. The hostel has four room types, with the dormitory rooms using sleeping pods. There are plenty of areas for socializing, including a common room with games and a rooftop terrace. Plus, there's an onsite restaurant and bar. Hotel Tomariya Ueno 5-minute walk from Ueno Station From Hotel Tomariya is another capsule hostel option with a strong esthetic. Expect to see lots of bold graphic art and traditional Japanese embellishments alongside the more modern-looking capsules. The lobby has space for guests to enjoy light meals and socialize, and the location in Ueno is top-notch. The Wardrobe Hotel Shimokitaza 1-minute walk from Shimokitazawa Station From The neighborhood of Shimokitazawa is a favorite with locals, and a great spot to stay if you're after somewhere lively but not as crowded as Shibuya or Shinjuku. The Wardrobe Hotel offers a calm atmosphere, and simple hostel facilities like a shared kitchen and a common room. There's also the option to upgrade to a double room if you'd like more space. Tokyo Guesthouse Hive 1-minute walk from Bakurochō Station From Located in a quiet but still central part of Tokyo, Guesthouse Hive offers dormitory rooms with capsules for an affordable price. There is a shared lounge and small kitchen space, plus a rooftop terrace. Capsule hotels for specific types of travelers Best Tokyo capsule for couples If you are planning to stay as a couple, don't expect to share a capsule! The vast majority of capsule hotels only have capsules that sleep one. Plus, not all capsule hotels have mixed dorms, so you may be assigned to separate male and female floors if you are a boy-girl pair. One exception is the capsule hostel , which has double rooms. Additionally, has private capsules rooms with two single pods. You can also look for a mixed-gender capsule hotel to be next to each other. There are plenty in Tokyo, with one of the most popular being the adult-only (which is actually great for nomads too). The capsule hotel chain Unplan also has a mixed-gender floor at its . Best Tokyo capsule hotel for families It is hard to come by a family-friendly capsule hotel in Tokyo. However, some -- such as and -- do allow kids aged 6 and above. Others like only allow guests 12 years or older. Many capsule hotels only welcome adults. This is partly due to safety concerns, as well as the gender-segregated floors. It's best to confirm on the booking page of the hotel. Pro tip: Although many children may be excited by the idea of staying in a capsule hotel in Japan, we recommend looking at other options such as Airbnb, or hotels with connecting rooms, where you can let your hair down without infuriating other guests. Best Tokyo capsule hotel for women With the exception of mixed-gender capsule hotels, most others have separate floors for men and women. If you are a woman traveling solo in Japan and feel more comfortable staying in a female-only capsule hotel, there are a few options. As well as being women-only accommodation, boasts an indoor hot-spring bath and tatami lounge space. also offers the pod experience, in addition to a rather pink social space. Tokyo capsule hotel prices: Are capsule hotels cheaper than hotels? The prices of capsule hotels have notably increased in recent years, partly due to the tourist boom. In mid-2024, a night at a capsule hotel in Tokyo would have cost anywhere between and . Now, the starting price is around and can easily go up to -- or even more -- per night. And that's not just Tokyo; one of our writers paid for a night at a capsule hotel in Kyoto in late 2023! A bed at a hostel can be similarly priced, but usually has more to offer. For example, a bed in a dormitory at Sakura Hostel Asakusa costs just and includes breakfast. And for a night, you can probably get a private room at a hostel or a budget hotel in Tokyo. Similar to other types of accommodation, the prices of capsule hotels tend to skyrocket around key dates such as Golden Week. Don't be surprised if you see capsule hotels charging around . They tend to be cheaper on weekdays and during off-season travel months such as September and October. Here's a very rough comparison of average accommodation prices (per night) in Tokyo. Accommodation type Comfort Average price Capsule hotels ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ From to per night Hotels ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ From to per night (more for luxury hotels) Hostels (dorms) ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Approx. to per night Airbnb ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ to + per night Note: Private rooms in hostels tend to be pricier, but are also a lot more comfortable. Tokyo capsule hotel amenities While private space in a capsule hotel is minimal, most have a good deal of shared common facilities. For example, capsule hotels in Tokyo almost always have some kind of shared traditional bath facilities, vending machines, microwaves, and tea/coffee making facilities. Plus, there are normally some disposable toiletries like toothbrushes, razors, and hairbrushes, as well as towels. Free Wi-Fi is also a standard feature. Capsule hotels in Japan might also have lockers, luggage storage, coin laundries, and common areas with TVs and other entertainment options like games and manga libraries. Fancier capsule hotels might even have their own onsen (real hot springs) or massage services. Some places may have breakfast options, but if they do it will be something simple -- a breakfast buffet is very unlikely. Frequently asked questions about capsule hotels Do capsule hotels have private bathrooms? No, capsule hotels don’t have private bathrooms. You’re signing up for a shared bathroom situation. This might be a public bath, especially in the more old-school style capsule hotels, but many have individual shower cubicles too. Can you bring luggage to capsule hotel? Yes, most capsule hotels have dedicated storage space, usually in the form of coin lockers or an additional storage room. Keep in mind that the amount of storage space can vary from place to place. Also, while you can safely lock away any important belongings, you cannot lock your actual capsule. Why are some capsule hotels “male only”? Capsule hotels developed as cheap places for salarymen to stay when they couldn’t make it home for the night, so historically they’ve been pretty much just for men. Until fairly recently, it was rare to find a capsule hotel that allowed women. This is said to be for women's safety, but nowadays, capsule hotels are offering the more sensible solution of creating a floor with facilities just for female guests. Guests usually need a special key to access the sleeping quarters. Do you need to check out of your capsule hotel every morning? Not necessarily. Originally, capsule hotels weren’t meant for long-term stays, so if you wanted to stay for more than one night you did indeed need to check in and out each day. Now though, many capsule hotels are able to cater to longer stays without doing this. A rule of thumb is that if the capsule hotel allows you to book multiple nights online, then you won’t need to check in and out every day. Wait, but what about the nine-hour stay option? This is not a thing -- it may be an urban legend stemming from a now-obsolete time limit on how long you could stay in a capsule hotel (and kept going by the name of a popular chain of capsule hotels; see above for the listing). These days you can stay in a capsule hotel for the same amount of time as you would in a normal hotel -- in other words just follow the hotel’s check-in and check-out times. Some capsule hotels do have hourly options for travelers who just need a short rest. If this is what you need, ask the front-desk staff. There might also be a sign with the rates posted at the entrance. Are capsule hotels worth it? If you're looking for a "weird Japan" experience, yes. If you value sleep, no. Also, if you value quiet, no. And if you are claustrophobic, again, no. In all honesty, our editorial team would not stay at a capsule hotel if other accommodation was available. But if you want a fun, different kind of accommodation, or only need a couple of hours' rest in between partying, a capsule hotel is perfect. While we do our best to ensure it's correct, information is subject to change. Post first published in February 2015. Last updated: April 2025, by Jane Pipkin and Carey Finn.

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