Japan's Capsule Hotels - perfect for a budget conscious traveler!

If you are traveling on a tight budget to Japan and would rather spend your hard earned dollars to enjoy your sushi and beer instead of spending it on a plush hotel just for a good nights’ wink, then you should give Capsule Hotels a try the next time you are there.
So, you enter a lobby and buy your tickets in the vending machine and show them to the clerk who issues you a numbered velcro wrist band with an attached barcode and directs you into a huge hall of plastic capsules that resemble neatly stacked up coffins.
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Your luggage can be stored in the locker room before you move on and if you don’t mind hearing fellow travelers snore, then you could hop into one of the capsules measuring about 3ft by 6 ft that has comfortable bedding, alarm clock and a television. You are offered a thin cotton changeover robe called ‘yakata‘ so that your outfits are in wearable condition the next day when you check out. You can refresh yourself in the common shower area or by soaking in a sauna. A dining hall serves you with local delicacies.
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The concept behind capsule hotels was to offer local Japanese men on the move an affordable place spend a night if they missed their train or were too drunk to travel home. Since it was working men, most capsule hotels don’t allow women on weekdays though some of them allow women on the weekends. These are open 24 hours a day and announcements are made an hour before the check out time to tell you that it’s time to pack up.
The budget ranges from $25 - $45 for a night’s stay, far cheaper when compared to even the budget hotels. While it’s great for men traveling alone, women may just have to wait until someone comes up with a capsule hotel that exclusively serves women.
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Tags: Capsule hotels, Japan, Travel