The Capsule Hotel

For our second night in Tokyo, Zabeth booked us in a capsule hotel. It was ironic because when I told people where I was going they often made a joke out of asking... are you going to stay in a capsule? But, I actually was, to save money and for the cultural experience. Maybe one was weighted a little heavier than the other. I had actually never heard of them before, but they are actually quite brilliant. Instead of getting a hotel room all to yourself, the capsule capitalizes on the idea that some people are only just looking for a bed. So thats what they give you, just a bed. Its right next to about 1,000 other beds that hold people who only want a bed. Its handy if your maybe just passing through, or maybe out all night drinking. Anyway, we walked in and the first thing the staff does is give you a wristband with a four digit number an a key on it. You walk back into the locker room (for lack of a better term) and find the locker that matches your number. You put all your luggage in the locker, and hanging up are a pair of blue boxers and a blue robe. When your ready for bed you can put them on, and leave your clothes in the locker. Then you walk up and lay down in your capsule, which from the outside looks like a bunch of little oven doors attached to the wall. But inside each oven is a mattress, sheets, and a little shelf. Very convenient, maybe a little short but I wasnt complaining. The real cultural experience for me came in the morning when I went back down to the lockers. Everyone who had been sleeping in the capsules was now wide awake, and cleaning up for the day. The hotel had a spa, hot tub, showers, and any soap/razor/shampoo/toothbrush combination you can think of. But being that its efficient, everything was communal. So all these fellow guests were now naked and running to and fro the showers, sinks, and their lockers completely naked. I didnt know where to start cleaning. So I just took my towel off and walked up to one of the plastic buckets that sat in front of a shower nozzle like everyone else was doing and started washing my hair. It was great, i was so clean and I didnt even have to bring my own soap.