Is it worth sleeping in a Japanese capsule hotel?

Is it comfortable to sleep in a Japanese capsule hotel?

Yes. 

It is not a hotel where you will spend a week in - it's more of a one-night hotel, but I enjoyed the experience which allowed me to stay in the center of Kyoto for a very affordable price

What is a capsule hotel?

A capsule hotel is a place where you can sleep, just like any other hotel. However, instead of renting a room with a bed, you just rent the bed!

Sleeping in a capsule hotel is a little bit like going to space. There's a wall filled with tiny spaces that have no more than a bed. You climb to your space and sleep.

Capsule hotels only have individual spaces where you can spend the night. Each individual space includes the basics needed for an overnight stay: bed and sheets, power sockets and some include TVs.

These hotels were invented in Japan but the concept has outgrown the nationality and you can find other hotels in many places of the world.

Why sleep in a capsule hotel?

I was traveling in Japan, and staying in regular hotels and airbnb. I was getting excellent deals on the price for each night, but when I got to Kyoto, the prices for hotels were much higher. 

Staying in an airbnb is a very good solution to get a low price, but you minimize the accommodation costs when you are traveling with a group; if you're alone or a couple, even airbnb can be a costly solution.

The capsule hotel is a good answer to lower the costs of your trip. You will be sleeping in a very tight space, that is shared by many people, but is usually in a very central location. This lowers the price and gives you the possibility of waking up in the center of the city.

Also,Japan is where capsule hotels were invented and very unique to the country. Even though the capsule concept spread throughout the world, sleeping in a capsule hotel is also part of experiencing Japan, just like eating Japanese food. 

So, in my opinion, anyone that visits the country should spend a night in a capsule hotel.

What are the downsides of sleeping in a capsule hotel?

A cheap and centrally located hotel is not something easy to find. Capsule hotels offer just that. But there are some downsides to it.

The space where you sleep in is shared by many capsules and many people, so even though people respect others and do not do a lot of noise, there is always some noise caused by just the fact of being a lot of people in the same space.

This also means that your privacy is limited to your own tiny capsule. So there's no walking around naked, just like you could do you a regular hotel room.

In a regular hotel you can keep all your belongings with you at all times. This is not the case in a capsule hotel. You can only bring the essentials with you: pajamas, sleepers, a book, smartphone, and not much else. 

All your remaining items and bags are left in a locker in a specific area of the hotel. You can always access it of course.

Lastly, man and women sleep separately, in different areas of the hotel. Meaning, that if your traveling as a couple, this may be a downside. Also, you need to pay for 2 capsules.

My Experience

I slept in a capsule hotel in Kyoto, Japan. More specifically, the 9 hours Kyoto hotel.

The hotel is very clean and minimalistic and is kept very tidy and organized, as one would expect from a Japanese hotel.

It is very easy to understand what you need to do and the staff is very helpful (and multilingual).

Once at the hotel, I was delivered my pajama and a place to keep my shoes and main bag in. I was also given a key to my locker where I could leave all my other clothes and other belongings.

There were separate floors for man and women, which included the rooms area and the shower and lockers area.

The room area was very quiet and kept a little bit cold to create the perfect sleeping environment, which paired well with the long sleeved pajamas they gave me at the entrance.

My capsule was on the top row, so I needed to climb to it. But once I got there, I fit in perfectly and I could comfortably be sited without bumping my head against the ceiling. 

Although the space was tight, it felt cozy and comfortable. I did like the mattress and the sheets. 

To have additional privacy, there is a curtain at the entrance of each capsule that you can close and no one can see you sleeping in.

I had an unexpected comfortable night sleep!

During the night I did hear some noises, but nothing that prevented me from sleeping. But be prepared to hear one or two guests snoring.

When it was time to wake up, the silent "light alarm" of the capsule waked me up gently. I had programmed the waking up time the night before, and at the desired time, the capsule started gently increasing the light until it got full brightness. This was very thought out and it woke me up in a very comfortable manner.

In the morning, I climbed down my capsule and headed to the shower and locker area where my clothes were at. I had my relaxing shower, got dressed and proceeded to the check out.

Honestly, even though I had an excellent night of sleep I don't think I would have spent several nights in a row in the hotel. But that is only because of the nature of the hotel and the limitations I described above. I was traveling with my wife, so I would rather have a more traditional type of hotel. 

However, it could be an excellent way to bring your travel costs down and I would totally go again to this excellent hotel, just not more than one night...

I prepared a video of my experience in being in the 9 hour kyoto capsule hotel:

Conclusion

A capsule hotel is a place where you spend a night in, but just rent a space with a bed inside, instead of renting an entire room, as in a traditional hotel.

The capsule hotel is a good answer to lower the costs of your trip, since it is usually cheap and gives you the possibility of waking up in the center of the city, since they are usually very well located.

Cheap and centrally located hotels are not very common, so there are a few compromises when you stay in a capsule hotel:

• The space where you sleep in is shared by many capsules and many people.
• Privacy is limited since you are restricted to your own tiny capsule.
• You can only bring the essentials with you. The rest is kept in a locker area.
• Man and women sleep separately, in different areas of the hotel.

I slept in a capsule hotel in Kyoto, Japan. More specifically, the 9 hours Kyoto hotel, and my experience was surprisingly excellent.

I had a good nigh sleep, but I would not recommend staying too many nights in a row, unless you really want to keep the costs down.