Capsule Hotels

Most histories of the format start at this address. Capsule Inn Osaka opened in Umeda in 1979 and is generally credited as the first capsule hotel anywhere.

The original capsules were designed by the architect Kisho Kurokawa, the Metabolist behind the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo. The concept he set out is still the one most capsule hotels follow: stacked fibreglass berths, a locker downstairs, and baths and lounges shared.

It works as a traditional capsule hotel rather than a design showpiece. Check which guests it admits before booking, as older capsule hotels often operate single-gender floors or buildings.

Not a lifestyle brand. A long-running, practical capsule hotel close to Shinjuku-sanchome, one of the busiest night-time districts in Tokyo.

The routine is the classic one. Shoes off at the entrance, bags into a locker, then a bath before bed. The capsule itself holds a mattress, a light and very little else.

It suits one or two nights and a traveller who wants to be near the stations rather than in a room. Admission rules and bathing arrangements are worth confirming directly.

Ningyocho is an older, lower-key corner of Nihonbashi, and this pod hotel takes its cue from that. The design leans on pale wood, soft light and quiet.

Sleeping spaces are pods rather than rooms, set out with more thought for calm than the classic stacked tube. Common areas and baths are shared.

It is a newer take on the format, aimed at travellers who like the price and footprint of a capsule but not the fluorescent version of it.