HotelChatter

Cheaper than a taxi ride home, Frommers.com says that capsule hotels have been popular since the 1980s. Businessmen would use them after having too much to drink, or missing the last train. For $40, you could have a bed, a tv, and access to a sauna, public baths, and vending machines with munchies and even more beer. Not much bigger than a coffin, only a curtain separates you from your potentially snoring neighbor.

If you still can't fathom what it'd be like to zonk out in a Japanese sleeping cell, check out the photos from Justin Hall's experience at, "Capsule Hotel Fontaine Akasaka."

To find a capsule hotel in Tokyo, read Shizuko Mashima's, "Tokyo Capsule Hotel Listing" on the "Japan for Visitors" section of About.com. She's even noted a few that welcome women.

So, was this a good find for a budget traveler? I don't know. For me, I wouldn't check in until I heard what was playing on the TV.

[editor's note, by rusty] I knew I'd get a good chance to link to this again! My all-time favorite capsule hotel story, by stavrosthewonderchicken, still lives at emptybottle.org. Previously linked here on HC, where I even predicted that I would post it again eventually.

Tags: Hotel Hell

by jenleo