Capsule hotels have been an innovation in the field of accommodation since 1979 when the first one was built in Osaka. They provide a cost-effective and minimalist approach to traditional hotels. They put a focus on smaller spaces, allowing a larger number of people to use them, ideal for Tokyo’s large population. However, with their unique circumstances, it brings many questions to people wanting to use them. A main one being ‘how long can I stay in a capsule hotel?’
For the majority of capsule hotels in Tokyo, there is no specified maximum amount of days that you can stay. However, the establishments would rather these longer bookings were done online, and you will have to leave the hotel everyday at a certain time to allow for the cleaners to do their job.
With that being said, there are still a few considerations to keep in mind when it comes to determining the length of your stay in a capsule hotel. Such as luggage holding, if it is somewhere you actually want to stay for a long time and more. In this article, I aim to answer all these questions, to put you in a better position to choose how long you use these hotels for.
Is There A Maximum Amount Of Days You Can Stay In A Capsule Hotel?
Due to the cost-effectiveness and simplicity of capsule hotels, many people debate just spending their whole trip in staying in one of these establishments.
And for good reason. They are cheap, easy to navigate and usually in prime locations like Kabukicho, making it easy to get to famous attractions, stores and restaurants.
I always assumed that you could only stay in a capsule hotel for a maximum of 3-4 days. But, I wanted to make sure, so I did some of my own research.
I headed on to Booking.com, a hotel, flight, attraction and car rental booking site. Once on there, I decided to message around 20-25 different capsule hotel establishments in Tokyo privately.
I simply asked them “how long can I stay in a capsule hotel for?”
Around 80% of the establishments all got back to me with the information I needed for this article.
For most capsule hotels, there is actually no maximum amount of nights you can stay at the hotels. In this case, they are similar to other accommodation types, as long as the space is there and they aren’t family booked, you can stay as long as you please!
However, some hotels (like nine hours Ningyocho) informed me that they would prefer for you to do these longer bookings online, to avoid disappointment for you and to make the system a bit easier for the establishment.
Almost all capsule hotel establishments would also require you to leave the building for a couple hours each day, usually around 12pm-3:30pm, to allow for cleaning procedures to take place.
You see, long bookings are not common at all for these hotels. And it may not be the best idea.
This leads us into the next point…
Should You Stay In A Capsule Hotel For A Long Amount Of Time?
Now that we know most capsule hotels do not have a specified number of nights you can stay as a maximum, it’s time to decide whether or not it is the right thing to do.
To put it very simply, for most people it is not ideal to stay at a capsule hotel for a large amount of time.
There are several factors that make me say this, which we will get into now.
It’s important to note that just because it isn’t ideal for most people, doesn’t mean to say that you won’t have a great experience. If you read through this upcoming list of considerations and they won’t massively impact your stay, then by all means go for it and save your money!
1. There’s not much space
This point may sound very obvious as it it is the main unique feature about these hotels.
However, a lot of people don’t seem to realise just how little the space provided actually is. You have a bed inside a capsule where you don’t have the room to stand up. Depending on your height, you may even struggle to sit up in the capsule!
This is a serious consideration to take in mind because staying in a confined space every night for your trip may not be healthy for your sleeping experience.
However, if you do not struggle with small spaces and are smaller in height, this point may not be an issue for you at all.
2. Not the best option for couples or families
If you are a solo traveller then capsule hotels are a great, cost-effective option.
However, if you are travelling with family or a partner, this may not be the case.
This is down to the fact that capsule hotels have separate rooms for each gender, potentially making quality time with loved ones difficult.
If you have family members or partners of the same gender, then the situation will still be difficult. Afterall, you have separate capsules to sleep in, and you need tor respect the other guests, so conversations should be to a minimum when in the capsule room of the hotel.
I would not advise staying in a capsule hotel if you are travelling with families or a partner.
3. Luggage difficulties
This point of consideration is probably one of the biggest ones.
Since there is no room for you to store luggage in your capsule, you are provided with a locker, which is located in a public locker room.
Of course the lockers are secure, that is not the problem. The problem lies in whether or not the locker is big enough to hold your luggage for an entire stay.
If you are travelling for a short amount of time and only have small bags with you, you may be fine.
It’s also important to note that if the locker isn’t big enough, the specific establishment might be able to help you out with storing it somewhere else that is just as secure.
However, I don’t recommend this as if it is stored somewhere only staff have acces to get it for you, everytime you need to grab something from your suitcase will be a nuisance, not just for you but also for them.
It’s crucial to always get in touch with the hotel before booking to find out the measurements and specifications of the lockers, as well as if they have designated storage for larger bags and suitcases.
Can you leave your stuff in a capsule hotel?
A common question that people have when wanting to book a capsule hotel is whether or not they can leave their bags and belongings in the building while they go out travelling.
Yes you can.
With the locker system in place, you can rest assured that your things will be safe while you are gone.
Not only this, but the majority of the residents in Tokyo are well behaved and respectful, providing an adding sense of trust when leaving your things behind.
However, I would strongly recommend that if you have any smaller items in your capsule itself, to remove them and put them in your locker, as the capsules themselves cannot be locked.
Why can’t the capsules be locked?
There are a couple reasons on why capsules in these hotels cannot be locked.
The first and main one is down to safety.
It would simply be a health and safety hazard to have locks on them. If there were to be a fire, the capsule needs to be as easy as possible to get out from, so the guest can evacuate the building with efficiency.
Read my article on the safety of capsule hotels.
Summary
While it is definitely doable to stay in a capsule hotel for a long time, it wouldn’t be the ideal solution for a lot of people.
If you realised that a long stay in a capsule hotel wasn’t for you, I would still recommend staying in one, albeit for a shorter amount of time. I find that a couple days is the perfect amount of time. I would still recommend booking a regular hotel as your main form of accommodation in Tokyo.
If you, however, found that the considerations mentioned would not massively impact you or your stay, then by all means, book that capsule hotel! They are a great way of saving money and keeping your trip as simple as can be.
