For my final night during my 2018 Tokyo visit, I stayed in a capsule hotel. For the uninitiated, a capsule hotel is an accommodation where instead of paying for a whole room, you get a small, bed-sized pod to sleep in. It’s like a morgue, but for living people! They’re generally around $30-50/night, but the one I stayed at was about $88.
My capsule was about the size of a twin bed, and just tall enough that I could sit upright comfortably. There’s a TV with a few free networks and some pay-per-view entertainment (the kind they don’t identify on your credit card bill), a mirror, a hanger, and, of course, a Japanese futon and pillow to sleep on.
My sleep didn’t go well for a couple reasons. One, the capsule gets quite stuffy. Even with the provided fan, they still get quite warm and gross in there. Second, noise travels between capsules. You can hear when your neighbours bump into the walls, which made me super concious about me shifting around while trying to fall sleep. And if your neighbour snores? Gotta pop in those hotel-provided earplugs.
Despite all that, I was pleasantly suprised by the amenities. The hotel had a good selection of the the usual hotel freebies like toothbrushes and razors, but they also offered free soft drinks and vending machine food, as well as free massage chairs and an onsen (public hot spring bath).
One thing I should note is that capsule hotels are generally not meant for long-term stays. The hotel I stayed at had small lockers that were only big enough for your coat, so you had to keep your luggage at the reception. Also, many capsule hotels require you to check out every day, which is probably going to be inconvenient.
If you ever take a trip to Japan, I recommend staying at a capsule hotel for a night, just to experience it. Keep it to one night, though.