Capsule hotel

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Capsules in Osaka

View in a capsule, with TV in the upper left corner

A capsule hotel (カプセルホテル, kapuseru hoteru^?) is a hotel system of extremely dense occupancy. Guest space is reduced in size to a modular plastic or fibreglass block roughly 2 m by 1 m by 1.25 m, providing room to sleep and little more, although facilities usually include a television and other electronic entertainment. These capsules are then grouped and stacked, two units high. Luggage is usually stored in a locker away from the capsule. Privacy is maintained by a curtain at the open end of the capsule but noise pollution can be high. Washing facilities are communal and there are often restaurants, or at least vending machines, and other entertainment facilities.

This style of hotel accommodation was developed in Japan and has not gained popularity outside of the country, although Western variants with larger accommodations are being worked on (such as the Yotel and the Pod Hotel, in London and New York respectively). The Japanese capsule hotels vary widely in size, some having only fifty or so capsules and others over 700. They are often used primarily by men^[1]. There are also capsule hotels with separate male and female sleeping quarters. Clothes and shoes are sometimes exchanged for a yukata and slippers on entry. A towel may also be provided. The benefit of these hotels is convenience and price, usually around ¥2000-4000 a night ($25–34, €21-29, £15–20). Such hotels are not necessarily regarded as only an option for those with lower incomes— a typical customer would be a business salaryman, someone looking for a place to stay after drinking, or a someone who missed the last train and doesn't want to waste money just for an overnight sleep. Some capsule hotels offer low daytime discounts for those needing an afternoon nap or other mid-day hotel accommodations.

The first capsule hotel was the Capsule Inn Osaka, designed by Kisho Kurokawa and located in the Umeda district of Osaka. It opened on February 1, 1979 and the initial room rate was ¥1,600.

These rooms can be seen in the movies The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Gung Ho and an episode of The Amazing Race. They were also used as a basis for sets in the film The Fifth Element. They also appear in the cyberpunk novel Neuromancer under the name of "coffin hotel." A capsule hotel is also seen in the end of The Killers' music video "Read My Mind".