Japan has some very luxurious establishments for overnight stays and it’s also home to some of the best budget accommodation on the planet. Capsule hotels in Tokyo and other cities in Japan are very popular among the locals and tourists alike, but if your not sure what to expect when staying in a capsule hotel in Japan then read on to find out.

Our cheapest nights stay in Japan was in Tokyo of all places, staying overnight in a couples capsule in Kiba in Tokyo.

Day 50 – April 22nd, 2014.

Many travellers to Japan like to experience what it’s like to stay at one of Japans Capsule hotels. If you’re traveling alone finding a capsule for a single is relatively easy, however trying to find a couples capsule is not.

“What to expect when staying in a capsule hotel in Japan”

Most of the capsule hotels have very strict rules and keep male and female users separate often on different floors which I totally understand. So my mission was to find a capsule hotel for couples in Tokyo. After researching on the Internet and sending requests I finally found one. The Kiba Hotel in Kiba.

Kiba Hotel in Kiba Tokyo. Checking in for our couples capsule.

Kiba subway exit is just 30 seconds from the entrance and easy to find. At night the place is lit up with green and blue lights. Check-in is easy and nothing different than staying anywhere these days, name, passport, fill in your details.

Then we are given a ket to a locker that has your bathrobes and slippers in and where you can store your small bags. I wouldn’t keep anything valuable in them as they are only very thin lockers (like school lockers), but fine for your wet jackets shoes etc.

Lockers at Capsule hotel in Kiba

For bigger stuff they have an area set aside for them (I don’t think it gets locked up), most people that use these capsule hotels are just overnight stays, you wouldn’t move in for a week with all your stuff, saying that though, theres no reason why you couldn’t or wouldn’t stay longer.

Big bag store & common room with tea making facility

“It is unusual to find a capsule hotel for couples”

As I mentioned before it is unusual to find a capsule hotel for couples to stay in, and it was no surprise to not see it listed on the wall. I think this must be a new thing as more and more travellers are requesting them. This place has a floor for male and one for female keeping them separate however couples get to sleep in the double capsules which are found on the 5th floor the female floor, yeah I don’t get it either but it works for us.

Female Capsule’s on 5th Floor, Male on 4th Floor… Mixed on 5th Floor…..umm

“Lets take a look inside the double capsule”

In the capsule you have a mattress that fits snug to the edges, two pillows and a sheet with blanket (we didn’t get cold). There is a night lamp, a radio with alarm (just check it’s not set), a small TV and that’s it.

Inside the double capsule

My idea of how these capsule would be was that they were a lot smaller and tighter, even though our one was a double, the singles are not that small.

“So really not much feeling of claustrophobia”

Plus you are only there to sleep, but I don’t suffer from confind spaces, it’s not a hotel room as such only a mattress with covers really, even though you could sit up and read or work on your laptop computer in a capsule if inclined.

Working in a capsule in Tokyo. Side view of the Kiba capsule hotel, and the Kiba station exit

The photo above is actually taken from our next morning in a Capsule Hotel in Tokyo which I have added here as well to compliment the post, but please click this capsule hotel stay the next morning to read more about what to expect when staying in a capsule hotel in Japan. In that post I take a look at the communal bathroom facilities.

Many business men frequent these capsule hotel after a late night at work or on the town and can’t get home or decide it’s probably not worth the commute and so they stay the night in a capsule hotel.

“We did notice that it got quite busy late in the evening (after 11pm)”

These business men and ladies as a rule don’t plan on staying out and for that reason the capsule hotel has some general supplies for the over night business stopper. There were shirts, socks, toothbrushes and some other items, all for sale so you can get back to work the next morning looking fresh.

Items to buy like shirts, socks, toothbrush etc

Finding this capsule accommodation for couples in Tokyo took a while, but it paid off in the end and we had a great ‘sleepover’ experience. We both said that we’d do it again no problem.