Capsule hotels was perhaps the greatest invention since sliced bread, at least to the people on budget. But that doesn’t mean millionaires shouldn’t try this cool concept – a spaceship escape pod, though some say it looks more like a coffin nevertheless. Tell that to someone who’s too tired or intoxicated to make it home and they will tell you it’s better to sleep inside this “coffin” than on the street.
Late last year, Kyoto-based Nine Hours’, which was known as the provider of the coolest and most modern capsule hotel in Japan, decided to close down. The concept of Nine Hours’ was derived from the believe that a proper restful hotel visit should last approximately nine hours – one hour spent bathing, seven resting, and a final hour freshening up and grooming the next morning.
You may not realize this but in reality, the concept of capsule hotels started more than 30-years ago, before some of you were even born yet. Back in 1979, the idea was hatched in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. Needless to say, those 30-year-old capsule hotels are now in really bad condition, not to mention it only cater to unisex customers. Nine Hours’ seized the opportunity by providing a modern looking spaceship-liked resort for both male and female.
Now the good news – the same Nine Hours’ has since reopened in an updated form – at Narita Airport. This is a brilliant idea considering that nobody has thought of such concept in any airport on the planet Earth before. For people who are flying in or out of Tokyo, this is a “must try” to-do, especially if your flight is still hours away or simply postponed due to whatever unusual circumstances.
Open two days ago on July 20, the new capsule hotel operates 24 hours a day, so remember to note this in your smartphone. The price – 3,900 yen (US$38.40, £22.50, RM121.80) per room for a night of stay, with free showers facility thrown in. If you’re just looking to grab a nap during the day, you’ll pay 1,500 yen (US$14.80, £8.60, RM46.80) for the first hour and 500 yen (US$5, £2.90, RM15.60) for each additional hour.
For those who get themselves sweaty and smell like sardines, you could choose for shower-only session for a mere 1,000 yen (US$10, £5.80, RM31.20) – for an hour. There’re 129 rooms (or rather capsules) – 71 for men and 58 for women – together with 16 showers, 7 for men and 9 for women. While this is a great news to travellers and businessmen, you should note that this hotel is located underground, below the parking lot in Terminal 2.
So, what will you get for a night stay? How about shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, towel, indoor slippers, a Panasonic “Sleep Ambient Control System”, pillow, mattress and even polyester lounge wear (*grin*)? Here’s how it works – upon payment you’ll receive a locker key and your coffin (err, capsule) unit number. After storing your belongings in the locker, you can change into their “exclusive” clothing.
Then, you can proceed to use their lounge area or enjoy your once-in-a-lifetime spaceship shower, or for a good sleep inside the pod. Remember to return locker key to the front desk upon check-out, otherwise the cost of replacement is a whopping 5,000 yen – that’s more expensive than a night stay. There’s no laundry facility though and payment is via cash of credit card (only Master or Visa Card, not American Express).
The next time you’re on transit, or simply too early or too late for the local train and bus services, remember about the capsule hotels so that you don’t have to sleep on the airport bench or their, well, toilets. No trip to Japan is complete without a sleep or a shower at their capsule hotels (*tongue-in-cheek*).
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July 22nd, 2014 by financetwitter
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