Bizarre is one of Japan’s specialities.
So it may come as no surprise that when it comes to accommodation, the country has some truly quirky offerings.
Here we present a run-down of some wacky places for the weary to grab 40 winks there, with the list including internet cafes, classroom-themed rooms where guests are encouraged to ‘enjoy forbidden play’ and, of course, a hotel specialising in Godzilla-style suites. Scroll down and behold.
Bedding down in a bookstore
Book & Bed offers capsule-style pods for readers to rest their heads in during a marathon read, for as little as £36 a night
The capsule includes a mattress, pillows and an overhead light but if you want to step it up you can rent a private room with wall-to-wall windows showing Tokyo’s skyline for only an extra £10
Book and Bed, which has six locations scattered across Tokyo, doubles as a book store and offers cosy pods that sit within book-stacked shelves.
The quaint hotel is great for bookworms who get so caught up in their novel that a quick kip is needed during their marathon reads.
A standard bed costs around £36 per night but if you’re after a view of the city’s skyline while you read, that’ll set you back £43.
The hotel offers free wifi, small lockers, soaps and dryers – just in case you want to freshen up between chapters.
Boarding a first class plane
First Cabin is billed, on its website, as ‘a new future type hotel which has never existed’, with rooms it claims resemble aircraft cabins. Above, a view of the ‘first class’ rooms, which start from £40 a night
First Cabin’s cabins all come with airline-style amenity kits filled with soaps, shampoos and a toothbrush
First Cabin is billed, on its website, as ‘a new future type hotel which has never existed’, with rooms it claims resemble aircraft cabins.
Whether the concept actually stands up remains to be seen. Some may think the cabins just resemble… small cabins with beds. After all, there aren’t any airlines that have actual beds in first class that aren’t seat conversions, bar Singapore Airlines.
However, First Cabin’s cabins do all come with airline-style amenity kits filled with soaps, shampoos and a toothbrush. So there is at least one distinct nod to air travel.
Rooms start from £40 a night for ‘first class’, but you also have the option of downgrading to ‘business’ or ‘premium economy’, where the pod-like rooms measure just four feet wide and around three feet high.
Sweet dreams in a Christmas grotto
Christmas doesn’t have to end after December 25 as the Hotel Chapel Christmas in Narita offers rooms filled to the brim with festive cheer all-year-round
Christmas doesn’t have to end after December 25, because the Hotel Chapel Christmas in Narita offers rooms filled to the brim with festive cheer all-year-round.
Giant Santa models and Christmas trees adorn the outside of the building, while candy canes, wreaths, flashing lights and fake snow can be found outside.
There are eight different styles of room to choose from, including ‘carnival’ and ‘romantic’, with each centered around the Christmas theme.
Sleeping in a school room
At Keibajo US Hotel in the city of Niigata, there are 50 rooms flaunting various themes, including one fashioned after a school room. Blurb describing the school-inspired chamber reveals that a bell rings when guests enter and no smoking is allowed ‘because it’s a classroom’. Lastly, guests are told to ‘please enjoy forbidden play’
There is no shortage of love hotels in Japan, in fact there are over 37,000 in the country.
They range from the seedy to the super luxurious and come in a range of themes – think hospital rooms, classrooms, jail cells and all are available to rent by the hour. The more innocent variety come in the form of ‘chill out zones’ complete with game consoles and big screen TVs.
At Keibajo US Hotel in the city of Niigata, there are 50 rooms flaunting various themes, including one fashioned after a school room. A blurb describing the school-inspired chamber reveals that a bell rings when guests enter and no smoking is allowed ‘because it’s a classroom’.
However, instead of doing sums, guests are instructed to ‘enjoy forbidden play’.
Entering Godzilla’s liar
An enormous Godzilla head stands tall next to Hotel Gracery and overlooks the popular Kabukicho entertainment district
A Godzilla theme runs throughout the hotel and includes monster-themed rooms that allow guests to sleep below an enormous claw that runs up the wall and into a crushed ceiling
Hotel Gracery in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district opened in 2015 and has drawn tourists from all around the world, not only because of its luxury, but for the eight-storey Godzilla head that overlooks the Kabukicho entertainment district.
The hotel has an obvious affection for the monster. Memorabilia is placed throughout the lobbies, dining rooms and they even have themed rooms where guests can sleep below a towering claw that runs up the walls.
However, you have to be quick – the Godzilla rooms are booked out virtually all-year-round and will set you back around £200 a night.
Checking in with robots
The Henn Ha Hotel, located near Nagasaki’s Dutch theme park, Huis Ten Bosch, is almost completely run by robots
If social interaction isn’t what you’re after, then the Henn Ha Hotel is for you. This state-of-the-art hotel is near Nagasaki’s Dutch theme park, Huis Ten Bosch, and is almost completely run by robots.
Three alternative robots, which include an English-speaking dinosaur, help you check-in and your luggage is inserted into drawers by an electric arm that looks like it’s straight out of Transformers.
Rooms start at around £36 a night but you better be quick, as this hotel is almost booked up all-year-round.
Getting cosy in a capsule
The futuristic Nine Hours hotel is popular among tourists and Japanese workers who need a quick nap on their lunch break. And don’t worry, those aren’t the rooms in this picture. They are lockers
Nine Hours offers overnight stays with flexible check-in from £30 a night and with ‘nap and shower’ options from £5 for anyone just wanting to freshen up. Above are the rooms
These space-savvy capsule hotels are now popping up all over the world but it was Japan where the craze started.
Initially designed for the over-worked who just needed a nap during their lunch break, the capsule hotels now draw tourists from all over who wish to squeeze themselves into a pod for their eight-hours.
One of the most popular in Japan is Nine Hours, which is located in Kyoto.
The Millennial’s capsule hotel (pictured) offers artistic and fun rooms for the young at heart who wish to sleep among quirky quotes or colourful patterns
The capsule hotel offers overnight stays with flexible check-in from £30 a night and with ‘nap and shower’ options from £5 for anyone just wanting to freshen up.
But if the space theme is too cold for you, the funkier The Millennials capsule hotel in Shibuya, Tokyo, might be the one for you.
Each capsule is decorated with art to suit all personalities and ensuring no one leaves hungry, they also serve complimentary bread and pastries along with coffee and green tea every morning.
Kipping in a karaoke booth
A trip to Japan wouldn’t be complete without a trip to a karaoke joint. If you find yourself singing your heart out so much that you need a kip, then don’t worry, these private rooms are available to you for as long as you need
A trip to Japan wouldn’t be complete without a trip to a karaoke joint.
Some of the spots aren’t unlike five-star hotel rooms with plush sofas, wide-screen TVs and room service that delivers your favourite drinks on tap.
If you find yourself singing your heart out so much that you need a kip, then don’t worry, these private rooms are available to you for as long as you need – as long as you have the money to pay of course.
Getting into the arty groove
The One@Tokyo hotel (pictured) has rooms ranging from compact studios to more spacious lofts all with a similar aesthetic of wooden walls and angular lighting
Appealing to the hipster types who love a bit of ‘industrial chic’, One@Tokyo hotel in the Oshiage district looks more like a contemporary art gallery than a place to sleep.
The striking design adorning the facade and the building’s industrial interiors were the work of world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma.
Rooms within the hotel range from compact studios to suites and more spacious lofts.
Claska is a conceptual hotel that has just 20 rooms. Each one has been masterminded by a different architect and designer
All of the chambers boast a similar aesthetic, with industrial materials used and fused with slabs of natural wood.
Continuing on the design theme is Claska in the Meguro ward of Tokyo.
This conceptual hotel has just 20 rooms, with each one masterminded by different architects and designers.
The rooms have been split into four different categories including ‘modern’, ‘tatami’, ‘contemporary’ and ‘story’. Guests are instructed to ‘choose a room that best fits your purpose, preference, and style’.
Switching off in a 24-hour internet cafe
Japan’s internet cafes, known as ‘Manga’ cafes, double as accommodation for those on a serious budget. Nagomi cafe, in the Akihabara area of Tokyo (pictured), even allows guests to rent traditional clothing, hair irons, and order breakfast sets
Japan’s internet cafes, known as ‘Manga’ cafes, are not just for playing games and surfing the web, they also double as accommodation for those on a serious budget.
Becoming a member is mandatory to stay here, but for a seriously reasonable price you’ll get a (tiny) booth, reclining chair, hot and soft drinks, miso soup and toast.
Rates start at 250 yen (£1.50) for the first 30 minutes and then 100 yen (70p) for every half hour after that. Nagomi cafe, in the Akihabara area of Tokyo, even allows guests to rent traditional clothing, hair irons and breakfast sets.
Pampered in a princess’s chamber
If you’ve dreamed of feeling like a princess for the night, the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel offers a collection of themed suites to sweep you off your feet
If you’ve ever dreamed of feeling like a princess for the night, the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel offers a collection of themed suites to sweep you off your feet.
A blurb describing the Cinderella-themed room reads: ‘Imbued with the ambience of the Disney classic film Cinderella, the graceful blue interior of this room calls to mind the gown Cinderella wore to the ball where Prince Charming was waiting. Guests can spend an elegant time here as if invited to the castle.’
Other quirky rooms include one fashioned after Alice in Wonderland and another inspired by Tinkerbell, with huge flowers and plants dwarfing you as you sleep.
Getting your sleep back on right track
Those wishing to sleep on the move might want to journey to Japan’s third largest island, Kyushu, for the luxurious Seven Stars train experience
The train includes spacious suites and a fine dining room where food is served from Japan’s top chefs. There is also a cocktail bar, so travellers can relax in style as they gaze out of the panoramic windows and listen to live piano performances
Those wishing to sleep on the move might want to journey to Japan’s third largest island, Kyushu, for the luxurious Seven Stars train experience.
Travelling through a spread of breathtaking scenery, this train hotel prides itself on offering five-star service with an experience that will never be forgotten.
The train includes spacious suites for its guests and a fine dining room where food is served from Japan’s top chefs. There is also a cocktail bar, so travellers can relax in style as they gaze out of the panoramic windows and listen to live piano performances. Prices vary depending on the time of year travelling and all interested guests must submit an application to be considered.