[JAPAN] Tokyo - My First Experience Staying in a Capsule Hotel

Capsule Hotel is a unique type of hotel developed in Japan and I decided to give it a try for my last night staying in Tokyo. The capsule hotel I chose is Tokyo Nihonbashi Bay Hotel. It is conveniently located a 2-minute walk from B1 Exit of Nihombashi Subway Station and a 7-minute walk from JR Tokyo Station.



The 24-hour front desk (2F) at Bay Hotel Nihonbashi offers free luggage storage. Therefore, I left my luggage in the morning and went for sightseeing before coming back later to check in.



Exterior of Tokyo Nihonbashi Bay Hotel at night. It’s the brown building in the middle.



Female capsules are separated from male capsules on different floors. The key card will only give access to certain floor, so it’s secured.



Free amenities provided in the locker include a small towel, a set of pyjamas, toothbrushes and slippers. Personal belongings can be stored in the lockers. However, the locker is quite small. For big piece of luggage, you need to store it at the front desk.



The toilet gets quite busy in the morning. So it’s best to wake up early to avoid the wait. Brushing teeth or blow drying your hair while sharing the same space with strangers is an unique experience for me. It feels like a dormitory.



Shampoo and soap are available for use in the shower room. I like the shared shower room. It’s clean and the amenities is nice.



The user’s guide of the hotel.



Each pod is numbered. The number of the key card correspond to the number of your pod and locker.



A single capsule unit measures only 22 ft. My pod is on the upper unit. I have to climb the steps on the side to get to my pod. I would have prefer the lower unit as getting up and down to the upper pod is inconvenient and require some ‘Spiderman skills’.



After climbing into my pod, I rolled down the curtain to allow some privacy. I could hear noises of people coming in and out because the sound-proof of the paper-thin curtain is very poor. But generally, people staying in the pods are courteous, as many of them are Japanese. So it’s not a big issue for me.



All capsule units have free WiFi. My pod also comes with a personal TV.



My key card. Headphone is provided if you want to watch TV. 1 night stay cost about 4,400 yen. Check latest room rates at Agoda, Booking.com or Expedia.

Overall, I think capsule hotel is most suitable for solo travelers or for last-minute check-in. Because it’s not that much cheaper as compared to sharing a double room with someone. Of course, I tried it just for the sake of the novelty and new experience. I didn’t regret the experience. Will I stay in one again? Depends if the location is good and I’m tight on budget.


Tokyo Nihonbashi Bay Hotel
Address: 3 Chome-8-1 3 Nihonbashi, Chūō, Tokyo 103-0027, Japan