Ever wondered how it is to spend the night at some of the most unusual hotels in the world? Shouldn’t it be that strange to escape the conventional type of accommodation right? You’re paying a fortune for a standard room and additional services you consider to be a luxury. But how about you get off your usual track and pay for an accommodation that offers you an extraordinary experience?

The perks of spending the night at the Capsule Hotel

Japan, the country where the technology that surrounds you can make you feel like you’re in another dimension, has yet another great invention that turned out to be perfect for attracting tourists from all over the world. The Capsule Hotel is a magnificent architectural masterpiece, a design inspired by the talented Kisho Kurokawa. It consists of tiny rooms, better described as capsules, which are intended to provide cheap and convenient overnight accommodation. Its interior is minimalistic and straightforward, designed in a way to look exciting and offer the necessary accommodation services tourists need without the fuss of the additional services provided by more conventional hotels. Of course, additional services such as a TV or Wi-Fi can be provided, but it doesn’t mean that you have to pay for something you do not need. For travelers this is probably the best overnight accommodation solution since it is quite amusing to visit and spend the night in and, above all, it provides a cheap stay of around ¥2000-4000 (USD 19-38) a night.

Where can you find the Capsule Hotel?

The first hotel of this kind ever to be built is the Capsule Inn Osaka, completed in 1979 by Kisho Kurokawa, located in the Umeda district of Osaka, Japan. The main idea behind the creation of this type of accommodation was to make the sleeping space as minimal as possible, while still providing the customers the comfort of staying at such hotels by keeping the level of service as high as the luxurious resorts. Of course, there are rooms offered for every taste, so if you’re looking for some privacy – you can always require being accommodated in a single, twin or triple room.

Capsule Hotel accommodation

Since this type of accommodation became famous, and the demand for it grew bigger, other hotels such as this one were opened later on. China recognized the success of this resort, so nowadays you can find a similar accommodation in several cities the country. If you’re going to China, you have to try out the following: Xi’an Capsule Hotel, Guiyang Simple Capsule Hotel, and Qingting Capsule Hotel Apartment. And if you’re traveling to Japan you can also visit New Japan Capsule Hotel Cabana – Men Only, Shinjuku Kuyakusho-mae Capsule Hotel and Nine Hours Hotel. However, in case you’re not going to Asia, but you want a similar overnight experience, then you should know that Belgium was the first European country ever to introduce the tourists with the famous Japanese invention – the capsule hotel.

Get to know the brilliant wonders of the Nakagin Capsule Tower

Located in Shimbashi, Tokyo – the capital of Japan, there’s this incredibly looking tower which perfectly matches its exterior to its interior design. Designed by Kisho Kurokawa in 1972, the Nakagin Tower is an excellent opportunity for a unique overnight experience, and it attracts visitors ever since it was created. This tower is a historical masterpiece, a fine example of the Japanese Metabolism, which is a postwar movement that takes its place in the rich Japanese culture. This is not functioning as a hotel, but rather as mixed-use residential and office tower that offers you to rent a room or an apartment for a particular price. The first capsule hotel ever to be built was inspired by this incredible architectural piece, which is why this tower is unique and first of its kind. Since the building is already quite old, not every part of it is being actively used. Around 30 of 140 capsules remained used as apartments, while the others have become storages or office places that are visited from time to time.

The tower, as seen from today’s perspective, still gives the same feeling like many years ago when it was built – the sense of an architectural piece taking you into the future. And if you ever get the chance to look through the vision of the architect, you will be inspired by the fact that the great Kurokawa was building something that will be practically used in the future. He had the idea of people living in capsules and moving across town without having to leave home. They would detach their capsule from their current building and attach it to the new one along the way. Even though this may be a somewhat advanced way of organizing the daily activities, the architect has succeeded in starting off at least part of his idea with the creation of the Nakagin Tower. The ability to change the position of the capsule and to feel the mini earthquake of a neighbor doing the same but at 3 AM in the morning is a rather exciting and delightful experience. However, the capsules were designed in a way that it would guarantee renovation after each 25 years, an activity that unfortunately hasn’t been taken for granted. That is why the tower is slowly losing its spirit, and it has fallen into disrepair, so make sure to visit it as soon as possible before it even ceases to exist.

When it comes to accommodation, most travelers find it difficult and annoying to bother with searching for the optimal mix of cheap, nice and convenient. But sometimes you have to remind yourself that you’re wasting too much energy on something that is often not so important. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a different and more fun experience then it is always nice to do a bit of research. And if you’re prepared to be adventurous, then we hope you’re going to consider spending a few nights at some of the capsule hotels in Asia or Europe. If you already have the experience with such an accommodation, don’t be shy to share it with your friends and us.

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