Capsule Hotel: Bather Tested, Claustrophobic Approved!

Two years ago, my boyfriend, Jaiman, and I visited Japan together and accomplished a number of Life List goals, including sleeping in a capsule hotel for me. Jaiman is a bit claustrophobic so he opted out of the capsule hotel then. But after I told him about how wonderful my experience was (and you can read my glowing review here), he became more open to it. We recently returned to Japan for another visit, and this time, we made reservations for both of us at a capsule hotel. I chose a different one this time to put us in Akihabara, and in doing so, had very much a different experience (some positive and some negative). I thought I'd share a little bit here, to update my general recommendations around capsule hotels for visitors so you know what you may want to look for, and what could be useful for future developments as well.

First of all, most capsule hotels are for men only, so the selection for women are limited. As such, I can only visit and review a small portion of capsule hotels. The one I selected this time is called Glansit Akihabara Comfort Capsule Hotel. I was a bit bummed to learn that there was no restaurant on property, so after checking in and putting our things away, we had to retrieve our shoes and head back out for dinner. It is worth noting, however, that there was a really good ramen place just next door that we really enjoyed. Both capsule hotels had a good Wifi signal and plenty of places to charge your phone and other devices.

As with my previous capsule hotel, shoes are removed right in the lobby and you wear slippers provided to you for the rest of your stay. The capsule hotel is really set up to provide just about everything you need to stay over, even if you didn't intend to stay away from home that night. Meaning, they provide toiletries, pajamas and towels, and they had a vending machine in the lobby to buy fresh underwear (for men), socks, undershirts, etc.

Further comparing this capsule hotel to my previous one, there were quite a few drawbacks from my perspective. The biggest I think was that the capsules weren't very soundproof, so it was quite noisy as the woman in the capsule above mine moved around. I don't recall this being an issue at my previous hotel. The lounges were separated by gender (i.e., a male lounge and a female lounge on separate floors), which meant I couldn't hang out with Jaiman like I would have been able to at the previous hotel. This may be a plus for single travelers or same-gender groups, because you can perhaps be a bit more comfortable with your own gender. The showers/bath were on the same floors as the lounges, which meant in order to go bathe, I had to get into the elevator to change floors, which I found quite awkward. The good news is that the men's floors were all the bottom floors, so in theory, the men shouldn't be in the elevator going up to the women's floors, but it did happen once while I was there. Also, the shower stalls were open, which I don't think was the case at my previous capsule hotel. The toilets were on the same floor as the capsules, but the stalls were very small and there wasn't a hand washing station with soap on the floor, just a sink with water. The changing room / locker room was also very small, such that if I was changing, there wasn't enough clearance for another woman to go around me. In general, everything was just very, very tight, which obviously does not need to be the case based on my previous capsule hotel experience.
The pillows here were, I believe, more "traditional Japanese", meaning not the conventional pillows an American might expect - I'm not sure how to explain them but they are more firm and filled with something like rice, versus soft and fluffy. I would lean on calling this a negative, but the pillows weren't actually uncomfortable, so I'm a bit on the fence on them.
On the plus side of this capsule hotel, the pajamas provided to me by the hotel actually fit, which is especially impressive since I'm larger than the average Japanese woman and often have difficulties finding things that fit. Also, a big plus was that the pull down shade on the capsule was much darker / more effective than my previous hotel, making the capsule darker when my lights were out. The TV in this capsule was much larger, and came with headphones to listen to it. A bonus from my perspective was the large soaking tub that was constantly replenished with perfectly comfortably hot water. I don't believe it was a hot spring or onsen, I believe it was tap water, giving the bath the name of sento. Either way, I am a big fan of baths, and taking a nice hot bath after my shower really hit the spot. Now, for what it's worth, Jaiman had a very positive experience at this capsule hotel. He is 6'2" and I thought he might be challenged with the length of the capsule, but he said he was fine, although if he really tried, he could hit the curtain with his toes. Even with his claustrophobia, he had no issues or concerns sleeping in the capsule. One additional bonus was that the back of this capsule was super cushy and comfortable to lean up against, without even needing a pillow or anything to lean on.

All in all, I still think capsule hotels are a really inexpensive and practical way to stay in Tokyo, especially if you're traveling with a group or by yourself. It's also lots of fun to post pictures of your capsule for the sole purpose of shocking your facebook friends and family. If I've sufficiently encouraged you to visit a capsule hotel on your next trip to Japan, feel free to use the below table that summarizes my experiences at the two capsule hotels to decide which one you want to visit, or use these notes to look for a different hotel.

Glansit Akihabara Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Lounge Separate by gender, free coffee / tea drinks Combined genders, has restaurant and beer Bath Small toilet stalls, open shower stalls on separate floor, sento soaking tub Spacious and provided privacy, on same floor as capsules Capsules Shade was more effective in creating darkness, not very soundproof, big TVs with headphones Shade let a lot of light into the capsule, more soundproof Amenities PJs fit well, only one laundry machine Multiple laundry machines, beer vending machine, PJs were too small Bedding Firm pillows Comfy bedding / pillows Price $48 per night $33 per night Book https://www.travelocity.com/Tokyo-Hotels-GLANSIT-AKIHABARA-COMFORT-CAPSULE-HOTEL.h20218454.Hotel-Information?langid=1033 https://www.travelocity.com/Tokyo-Hotels-Shinjuku-Kuyakusho-Mae-Capsule-Hotel.h3020494.Hotel-Information?langid=1033
Here are some additional pictures of Glansit Akihabara:

Kyoto Adventure - Finding the Old Nintendo Headquarters!

Our recent trip to Japan was filled with all sorts of historical and modern adventures.  One such adventure was kind of a silly one, but while we were in Kyoto we decided to seek out the original Nintendo headquarters.  There was nothing to do there, nor at the current Nintendo headquarters, but the challenge appealed to me and the nerdiness appealed to Jaiman, so on we went!





We referenced this blog post "How to Track Down Nintendo's Original Kyoto Headquarters" which made it seem relatively straight-forward, especially because we were able to plug in coordinates from this post to get it on Google Maps.  However, in trying to take a bus to the proximity, we went the wrong way around a loop and then got off at the wrong bus stop, and we spent an excessive amount of time wandering the streets in the wrong area.  Not hard to do, when so much is in Kanji and we're in an unfamiliar city.  (Note: On the day of said adventure, I was positive that Google had led us to a bus stop that didn't exist.  In reviewing the maps and pictures to write this, I see now that the stop that Google had listed was in fact on the route, so I can no longer blame Google for our wandering.)  

We left from Green Rich Hotel and took the 205 bus line.  As I mentioned, we went the wrong way; having crossed the street to get to that bus stop.  I think the bus stop right outside that particular hotel is the correct one to go the right way.  So we should have gone 6 stops according to Google Maps, but the stop was listed only in Kanji for us on the map. The name in Romanji is Kawaramachi Shomen.  
 
Instead, we got off at Nanajo Kawaramachi.  The stop before it would have been Shiokoji Takakura.  (Going the wrong direction, the Kawaramachi Shomen was the one before where we got off; based on Google that stop would have worked too.) 

  

If you go this route, head in the same direction as the bus was going (which should be north if you went the correct way). At this corner, turn left, as indicated by my pointing finger. 














Cross this little bridge and keep going straight.  





















  
  

 Pretty soon, you should see this cute little unassuming building.

 

Bam!  There's the place!  If you're having trouble finding it, and you have GPS, enter these coordinates into Google Maps: 34.99168, 135.76628

 

For the record, we also went to the current Nintendo Headquarters.  Nothing to do at either place but stand outside and take pictures.  Might I recommend that you try to top my Mario jump pic?  (In all fairness, I was still very sore from a hike we had done in Miyajima, so jumping itself was incredibly painful, let alone moving into the strange position in mid-air.)

 

Personalized Home Sweet Home Gift Hack

I wanted to share this great DIY craft that I made for my Mom this year.  Don't worry, we celebrated Christmas early, so she has already received her present, no surprises will be spoiled here.  The great thing about this gift is that it takes a little bit of work, but can be done in a pinch and requires very little creative ability. 

First, find a picture frame with a matte that you want to use.  Note the size of the picture that will fit inside this frame.  Most of the rest of the steps will be done with a computer. 

Then, we need a picture of the front of the house.  It would be preferable to have a high-quality picture from a decent camera taken when you are there.  In a pinch, however, you can use StreetView on Google Maps to get it.  There are many ways to do it, but I would recommend putting your browser into Full Screen view and using the Print Screen button on your keyboard to capture the image.  Capture more than you will need, because we'll crop the image later. 

Next, clean up the picture using PhotoShop or a similar program.  I removed the mailbox, the electric box and the shadow from the neighbor's house with PhotoShop Elements.  

Copy the cleaned-up picture into PowerPoint.  Right click on the image and choose Format Picture.  In the Picture Color section, adjust the Color Saturation and Color Tone as you see fit.  I ended up leaving the Color Tone alone but bumping up the Color Saturation to 240%.  Check out the difference!  

Under Artistic Effects (still in the Format Picture settings), select the Paint Brush setting, and adjust the Brush Size to your liking.  I used a Brush Size 6. 

Use the Insert function to create a rectangle on the same slide.  Right click on the rectangle and click Format Shape.  In the Size section, change the height and width to 8" and 10", respectively (or use the dimensions of the picture frame you got, if different).  Make the Line Color black or something else pretty visible, and change the Fill to No fill.  Use this frame to center the image to show the best parts of the house.  Once satisfied, you can crop the image to the same size as the rectangle, and then delete the rectangle. 

Zoom out in the slide view, and then grab the corner of the graphic to stretch it proportionately to a much larger size; this will improve the quality of the print later on. 

Because my family has moved quite a bit, I thought it would be fun to show the coordinates of all our recent homes.  I've changed them for this blog, but you get the idea.  If you don't want to show multiple coordinates, you can just show the current one.  What you probably need to know is how to get these coordinates.  I found this handy website that converts the address to latitude and longitude in decimals: http://www.latlong.net/convert-address-to-lat-long.html,  and then a tab on that same website converts those to degrees, minutes and seconds with directions: http://www.latlong.net/lat-long-dms.html.  

Note, sometimes it can be hard to remember all the old addresses.  In two cases in my experience, I couldn't remember the address but I remembered the street name and city, so I looked for it on Google Maps, and then used StreetView to go up and down the street until I found the house that looked like mine.  Google Maps will then give you the address of the house you are virtually looking at, and you can go from there. 

Create a text box centered over the image in your PowerPoint file, and put these coordinates in there.  Adjust the fonts to your liking, but I would recommend sticking to a simpler font for a bolder statement. 

You can use different tag lines for this gift.  If you had multiple coordinates, you can use the same tag line I did, "Wherever we live, it’s HOME SWEET HOME with you!"  Here are some other ideas for multiple coordinates:

Wherever you go, there you are!
Oh, the places we will go! 
Home is Where You Are

If you went with just one set of coordinates, consider one of these tag lines or similar:

Home Sweet Home
Home is Where the Heart Is

Make sure to center your text and adjust the spacing to fit in the image without blocking the main features of the house.  We're going for a big, bold effect, so make the font bigger than you think it should be, details will be lost in the overall picture. 

Once satisfied with the finished graphic, copy both the image and the text box(es) and paste them into Microsoft Paint, PhotoShop or similar.  Save the graphic as a jpg.  

Finally, use your favorite photo printing service, like SnapFish, or go to the Walgreens or Walmart websites or similar, and upload your picture for print.  Select the size print to fit in your frame, and have it printed.  I haven't used photo printing a lot, but I know Walgreens is usually pretty fast, so in a pinch, that's where I would look to print.  You can usually pick up your order in a few hours.  Once you have the print, just slide that puppy into the frame and put a bow on it or wrap it completely.  Bam! 



Want more great hacks and crafts? Check out my book on Amazon Kindle! 

Design Hacks for Disney Themed Rooms