Thursday afternoon: after lunch I started making a list of all the things I needed to get ready for my weekend trip. It was a long weekend so I could leave any work until after I got back. Camera, battery, extra clothes; it was a pretty simple equation. Having never stayed in one, I also decided to try to think of things that would be good for the capsule hotel. Pajamas, check. I used my hiking backpack for my change of clothes and toiletries. I then brought my regular school-style backpack for anything I might collect at the event. If it was similar to Tokyo Game Show (which was held at the same exhibition center) there would surely be some neat freebies and things I’d like to keep. With that in mind I also bought and packed two paper organizers that were made of somewhat rigid plastic to keep anything I wanted organized and unwrinkled.
After class I came back to the apartment in a good mood, listening to Japanese music on my iPod, and started packing up. Once everything was ready I hopped on the internet and took notes: subway maps, train maps, and hotel reservation info. I’ve gotten in the habit of using my digital camera to take my itinerary and reminders electronically. This is a wonderful idea as long as the camera has battery power. I’m still getting used to the new one which doesn’t use AA size batteries so unfortunately I can’t buy spares if the main one dies unexpectedly. Amazingly everything was going right on schedule and I left for the station within 5 minutes of what I’d planned. On the walk there I saw a nice car on my street so I grinned to myself and felt like it was a good omen of the weekend to come.
I reached the station and asked about the bus schedule. The next one was leaving in only 10 minutes. I bought a ticket and strolled over to MacDonald’s to buy a hamburger for the road since it was a long trip; a little over 2 hours. The ride went without incident and I arrived at Shinjuku, a main hub of Tokyo. It was also where I’d booked my hotel as I know that area of Tokyo best. I hopped off the bus and decided that before anything else I’d check into my hotel.
After a fair bit of walking around I located the hotel. My first, and possible only (considering that my time in Japan is nearing an end) stay at a capsule hotel. It looked like a pretty neat building.
I had to go down a floor to get to the elevator which I took up to the 4th floor where the check in desk was. I also had to take off my shoes to get to the front desk so I hoped I could check in with no problems (my hiking boots take a good 2 minutes to get on and off; it’s annoying to do unless it’s the end of the day). I talked with the lady at the front desk and got everything sorted out. She very kindly explained the rules of the hotel to me in Japanese; I understood everything without incident and asked what to do about my bigger bag, which she said they could store behind the front desk.
The way capsules work is interesting in that you don’t have any sort of lock on the entry to your capsule, just a shade that pulls down so you can’t really keep valuables there. There’s also a locker which you have the key to so assuming you don’t leave it somewhere the locker is safe but the best place for wallets and such is to check them at the front desk. I checked my wallet, passport, International Driver’s License, and car fund at the desk and put everything else into the locker.
You change into a set of pajamas more or less, which you have to wear anytime you’re inside the hotel. You can’t wear whatever you want so I ended up wasting space bringing pajamas. I guess it’s to help identify who’s supposed to be in the hotel and who isn’t, make everyone feel at ease by looking the same (course I was still looking like a hakujin aka white guy) and limit people to the 1 pocket on the front of the shirt so that they are discouraged from bringing alot into the capsule…or in the case of thievery so that it’s hard to conceal things. There’s also cameras all over the hotel. Not inside the capsules but covering the hallways and racks of capsules. Of course there weren’t any on the top floor where the onsens were.
I changed my clothes and went for a walk to acquaint myself with the building. Evidently the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors were the capsule areas. The capsules were 2 rows high and not unlike bunk beds save for the lower capsule being right on the ground. You had to crouch and crawl into it. Probably to make getting into the top one safer as it was about head level, with a “ladder” to use. More on that later. Floor 5 was a restaurant, the 6th floor featured the showers, grooming area with all amenities provided (more wasted luggage as I brought my own), saunas and various massage rooms. There was actually a 7th floor which featured a big relaxation room and internet access…but it was more of a half floor as the 6th featured outdoor onsens where you could look up at the Tokyo sky.
I then went to check out my capsule for a few before I planned what to do for the night; after all, it wasn’t exactly late. However, when staying in the upper row of capsules one does not simply “get” into the capsule. It’s more of a Tarzan move that I’d hate to see a middle aged salaryman try, especially after a coming back from an izakaya (Japanese style bar). The capsule itself is about the size of a box made of 4 twin beds. And in between each set of capsules is the ladder to get into the upper level ones. Problem being, the “ladder” is stationary and thin. You can just get both feet on it and it’s steps only; no handrails. Considering that the entrance to the capsule is slightly rounded and that you are a bit away from the entrance to begin with it’s really a bit tricky. The capsule entrance itself has handrails on either side and a lip a little bigger than a windowsill to help you get in but it’s still pretty much a leap of faith swinging up on to the ledge, securing your balance and finally crawling in. Getting down is less awkward. Maybe it was harder for me since I’m taller than the expected guest.
Inside there was enough room to sit upright and barely enough to stretch out on the bed when laying down. It featured a television with about 10 channels, a radio, adjustable light, and alarm clock. The only “door” to speak of is a semi see-thru shutter you can pull down but it did a sufficient job making the pod dark enough to sleep in. The pillow was way to big to be comfortable for me but I didn’t worry about it.
I decided to climb back out and go upstairs to take a shower then I soaked in the onsen for awhile. It was really pleasant and I came back to the relaxation room on my floor (nice leather chairs, vending machines, space to stretch out away from the capsule) and had a beer before calling it a night. Unfortunately, having the beer and then laying down right away gave me a mild case of heartburn or something? That was a first. Also the pillow was too big to use and I slept without one which still cramped my neck a bit. Lastly, with no doors someone a few pods away was snoring so I didn’t get the best night’s sleep. Still I was really looking forward to Friday.
