ZT Tokyo space capsule

Tokyo space capsule

By Patrick Whiteley

August 16, 2005

DATING a Tokyo girl in the land of the samurai can cost an arm and leg. This place is officially the world's most expensive city and local guys need a lot more than a red rose and a box of chocolates to win hearts.

Tucked in for the night ... sleeping bunks are fitted with a TV, a wooden blind, which is pulled down for privacy and earplugs are supplied to block out the sounds of snoring.

A whopping 94.3 per cent of twentysomething Tokyo women own something made by Louis Vuitton and there is a 92.2 per cent chance of finding Gucci gear in their wardrobes, according to a recent survey.

It is little surprise more than 70 per cent of the world's luxury items are purchased by the Japanese – the world's richest people.

Not only are they a nation of big spenders, they also save like crazy. It is not uncommon for a woman, in her late 20s, to have saved $30,000. But if you think that's impressive, her grandparents' efforts are mind-boggling. About 70 per cent of 65-plus Japanese have $770,000 cash in the bank, on top of their already expensive properties.

The locals are loaded and willing to spend and this is what gives Tokyo its official the "world's most expensive" price tag.

In this mega-yen environment, the Japanese capital is a pricey place to sleep. An exclusive Tokyo hotel can cost up to $800 a night and an average hotel about $300.

But surprisingly, in this land of the ridiculously rich, you can pay just $43.60 for a night's accommodation. This cheap option is called the capsule hotel and offers one of the most bizarre forms of sleeping you will ever try.

It also gives you an insight into a fascinating culture that is not found on a package tour.

Tokyo's nightlife is engaging and can keep you up to the wee hours, when you can meet some friendly people out and about. The capsule option is popular among businessmen who live a few hours out of Tokyo and stay in the city during the working week. It is also used by hard-drinking workers who miss the midnight train and need a place to crash. You may meet a few on your night out.

A room full of capsule beds looks just like a dog kennel. The beds are lined in double-decks and each sleeping area is individually isolated in a capsule, hence the name.

There is a small TV in the capsule that picks up about six local channels – don't expect to tune into CNN or BBC World News. The lack of English-speaking programming won't distract from guests who channel-surf from being kept highly entertained.

On one quiz show an old lady has to answer questions about pop culture. If she gets the answer wrong her grandson is catapulted about 80m into the air by a bungy machine. The old woman bows in apology just before he is launched into the sky and the man screams, "Grandma, Grandma!" as he is flung high. There is another show in which a group of teenagers, boys and girls, sit in a loungeroom watching the filming of bikini TV commercials. The scantly clad model steps into the freezing ocean and forces a smile for the camera. The camera then cuts to the teenagers laughing their heads off. This goes on for 30 minutes. Yep, only in Japan.

Before you reach your capsule bed and the delights of local TV, you may want to bathe – Japanese-style of course. Firstly, you must get naked and then go to a same-sex communal washroom that fits about 10 people.

The cleaning process starts by sitting on a little plastic seat and using a hand-held shower nozzle. There is a lever that needs to be held to sustain the water jets, with the water stopping if you don't hold it down.

Using the soap and hand-washers provided, bathers work up a lather and scrub all over furiously. Rinse off and then there's the sauna option or a soak in a hot, hot tub. You must shower before using a Japanese bath, which is strictly for soaking and never for scrubbing.

Tokyo is a city of smokers and there are areas in this nine-level hotel where bathrobed men drink canned beer, smoke and read Manga comics. All these items can be bought from one of the vending machines handily located on each floor.

When checking in, foreigners must show a passport and this is handed back after ID is proved. You then hand over 3700 yen ($43.60) and receive a token. The token goes into a vending machine, which spits out a ticket. You then hand over the ticket to the staff behind the counter, who all speak English. They will give you a key to a locker where you can put your small carry luggage.

Many of the capsule hotels have bigger lockers outside the doors, to accommodate larger bags. It costs about $7 to store bigger bags overnight but make sure to get the stuff you need for your night's stay.

You don't need a toothbrush or toiletries but you may want to grab some clothes to wear the following day. Before you catch the lift up to the capsule bed, shoes must be removed and stored in another locker.

After squeezing into the very small lift to the designated floor, a hotel guest squeezes past men in suits to a very small locker-room and then changes into a bathrobe, which is to be worn in the capsule bed.

The capsule hotel is not the sort of place you want to hang around because there's nothing much to do except bathe and sleep. But this is what the concept is all about.

It is simple, very practical and great value for three or four days of Tokyo nightlife fun.

Why pay $200 on average for a nice hotel room you'll only spend eight hours in?

Checking-out time at the capsule hotel is 10am and a loudspeaker prudently comes on at 9.30am reminding guests it is about time to go. Checking in time is after dark.