Capsule Hotels: How To Sleep In A Pod

Last night I slept in a pod at the Nine Hours Shinjuku-North capsule hotel. My cousin, Kasey, and I both wanted to sleep at a capsule hotel, but neither of us wanted to stay for more than one night. We had planned to go to Hakone to relax at an onsen our first day in Japan, and we knew we wanted to end our trip in Tokyo. Since it is not possible to go from Hakone to Kyoto without stopping though Tokyo, we decided to use that as an opportunity to stay at a capsule for one night in a neighborhood different from where we will be staying later on in our trip.

We were both happy to have had the experience and equally happy that it was only for one night. To comfortably stay at a capsule hotel, it's important to select the best accommodation, know what you're getting into, and come prepared. Here are our lessons learned.

Choosing a Capsule Hotel

Like with any accommodation, selecting the right capsule hotel requires knowing what your priorities are. Location, price, gender preferences, amenities, and aesthetic are all worthwhile criteria to consider for capsule hotels. 

Location was important for us in that we knew we wanted to stay just one night in Shinjuku, choosing to stay in Shibuya for our longer stint in Tokyo later. Our location was fine--in the right area, safe, and close to a subway stop--but not perfect. We were a 15-20 minute walk from all of the things we wanted to see in Shinjuku. Good, but not great.  

A big benefit to the capsule is price as it's typically less expensive to rent a pod overnight than a whole hotel room, especially if you are a solo traveler. However, there are some "premium" capsules, so choose wisely if this matters to you. Nine Hour Shinjuku North was 7,000 yen per person, or about $65. 

Capsule hotels originally served the working professional (i.e., men). A respite for the weary businessman who is too tired to trek back to his home or too drunk to make it there, capsules were a cheap way of kipping in the city center. Now, though, capsule hotels serve all kinds of people. Some of them are all-male, and a handful now are also all-female. Some, including Nine Hours, serves both men and women but divide the floors. At Nine Hours, guests have to check in on the 8th floor and then are directed to take separate elevators to their gender's floor. This may be annoying or offensive to some and reassuringly safe others. Choose your own adventure.

The amenities and aesthetic are also worth considering. Since we wanted to stay at a capsule hotel to really experience sleeping in a pod, we didn't want to stay at a place set up with bunk beds like a hostel. Nine Hours really "looked" the part. Some capsule hotels have baths, saunas, massages, or other amenities. Nine Hours, though, just has a few desks and tables at the reception area. (They didn't even have a cup of hot water for me to make my own tea in the morning).

Understanding the Experience

If you hate small, enclosed spaces, this is not the experience for you. If you're afraid of heights or would be unwilling to sleep in a top bunk bed for some reason, this is not the experience for you. If you need to sleep in total quiet and darkness, hate sharing space, or like to spread out your things while traveling, do not stay at a capsule hotel. 

The pod itself is plenty big for a single person and tall enough so that there's no chance of hitting your head on the ceiling while inside. The inside of the pod consists only of a mattress, pillow (and not an especially comfortable one), comforter, and single outlet. There are also two embossed shelves just big enough for a phone or glasses.

Your things will be in a locker in another room while you sleep in your pod, so don't expect to have easy access to anything. And, like in a crowded dressing room at the gym, expect that your locker will be inconveniently inaccessible right when you need it most because some other woman has decided to take over the entire floor area with all of her things. If you can't roll with it, go somewhere else.

Preparing for the Experience

Based on my personal experience, here are some things I would bring:

Eye mask - The pod is closed by drawing a black-out curtain. It doesn't perfectly cover the sides, so a bit of light peeks through. Bring a sleeping mask if light bothers you.

Ear plugs - Despite signs asking guests to be quiet in the sleeping area, you might be unlucky enough to be next to the two girls who decide that their whispers are somehow inaudible to everyone else. Even if you're not stuck next to insensitive talkers, you will likely wake up from people climbing up to and down from their pods or--worst of all--the early morning alarm clocks going off. The black-out curtain does nothing for noise; you're out in the open.

Packing cubes - When your stuff is stuffed into a locker, staying organized is key. Pack light, know where your things are, and be able to access them quickly. Don't be the person to spread all your crap over the entire locker room floor. 

Long charging cable - There's a single plug inside the pod just above the head of the bed. If you want to charge and entertain yourself on your phone simultaneously, I'd recommend a longer cable. 

Water bottle - Somehow I always find that I become most thirsty when I know I don't have easy access to water. It's psychological. I brought a water bottle into my pod and appreciated having it. But don't over-hydrate; getting out of your pod to pee in the middle of the night would be annoying. 

Guests each get a pod number, which matches both their sleeping quarters and their locker. 

Every guest is provided with a towel, slippers, and loungewear (comfy!) in this mesh bag, all of which needs to be returned at check-out. 

Each locker is easily identified by the number. The washing area is to the side of the lockers.

Pods are outfitted with a pillow and folded blanket. Everything was very clean.