I’m not really writing about my trip to Japan in sequential order, so I figured I would jump to one of the most asked about aspects of my trip (mostly by my mom and her co-workers)- the capsule hotel.

In Kyoto there’s this capsule hotel that I found called 9 Hours, and it looks just as futuristic and straight out of a sci-fi movie as it does on its website.  I’ve found that it’s actually cheaper to book through their website, and since I was staying in hostels the whole trip, this was the most expensive place I stayed in.  But it’s all about the experience, right?   It looked a lot fancier and sci-fi than a lot of the other capsule hotels I saw online, so I took the plunge.

Who wouldn’t want to sleep here?

It really feels like you’ve stepped into another world.

I really like the IKEA-esque wordless directions.

They hotel is divided by gender and has a really nice locker room/shower area.  It actually takes up 2 of the floors in the hotel (one for men and one for women).   They provide you with not only shampoo and conditioner, but also PJ’s, towel, and a toothbrush all waiting for you in your locker.

The only thing that I really disliked about the hotel was the wide variety of PJ sizes available, in case the ones in your locker didn’t fit.  I know it’s Japan, but come on.

This was followed by one of the best things.  The tub.  Once you went into a shower stall you could go through a door on the back of your shower and hang out in the awesome,  huge, scalding hot bath tub.  It may have been weird with more than one person in it since it wasn’t the size of a pool, but just a big tub, but I was the only one in the showers at the time, so me and my exhausted feet enjoyed a good soak.

The capsule itself was larger than I imagined.  I was in a top pod and had to climb the little stairs.  You also leave your slippers on the arrow that points to your assigned pod number so they’re ready for you in the morning.  I had plenty of head room inside the pod, and when I sat up in bed my head didn’t touch the ceiling, so that was nice.  I did expect there to be some sort of door to close, but instead there was a heavy weight curtain you pulled down and snapped into place.  It makes sense as far as air circulation, and in case of an emergency, but you can hear other people moving around.  Usually the noise is just while getting in and out of their space pods/beds, and after spending most of the trip in hostels it doesn’t bother me.

The whole place felt and looked like a space ship, a very nice, neat, and comfortable space ship.  Even the alarm system which wakes you up by gradually turning on the lights worked really well. Plus it means you don’t bother your neighbors with loud alarms buzzing.  I woke up a few minutes earlier than the time I set.  I have to admit for someone who loves a good afternoon nap, I was skeptical about this whole light alarm thing working, but it worked quite well.

After experiencing the capsule hotel, I can honestly say that I’m well prepared for space travel, so if you need someone to do some interstellar traveling, I’ve got my passport ready- just give me a call.

From Busan with Sci-Fi Love,
Jenna

Filed under: culture, Japan, lifestyle, travel