Review: 9 Hours Capsule Hotel, Tokyo

Capsule or pod hotels are very popular throughout Japan, especially in Tokyo. They offer nightly or hourly rates for those who need an accommodation overnight, or are simply taking an afternoon nap or using the property's amenities for a few hours. One of the reasons why capsule hotels are so popular is largely due to Tokyo's corporate lifestyle. With long hours and working overtime on a daily basis, it's no wonder the average salaryman in Tokyo needs a power nap during the day. As a result, capsule hotels were created to solve this problem.

Although capsule hotels were mainly designed for people looking for quiet and comfortable escape throughout the day for a quick power nap or to freshen up, most visitors today are tourists and backpackers looking for a cheap hostel-like accommodation for their stay in Tokyo. Although capsule hotels are not exactly hostels since they do not promote a lively atmosphere and social gatherings, they do have shared sleeping areas, lounges, and showers separated by gender. Females and male sleeping pods and showers are separated by different floors and specific elevators - there is one main elevator to enter and exit the lobby and hotel for everyone, and then there are separate different elevators for females and males.

Overall Thoughts

The 9 Hours Capsule Hotel has several different locations throughout Tokyo, and I stayed at the one in Shinuku and in Akasaka. I stayed at the one in Shinjuku for two nights, and it is personally my favorite one out of the two. The Shinjuku location is much larger than the location in Akasaka, and there are also more floors so the view from the lounge area/lobby was beautiful. The decor and design of both locations are almost identical and both hotels require you to be out of your pod by 10am so that they can start cleaning. I believe the physical lockers at the Akasaka location were more narrow as I couldn't fit my suitcase in there, but didn't have an issue when I stayed at Shinjuku. Since you have to store all of your belongings in a relatively small and narrow locker, I don't recommend staying here if you have a large suitcase(s). One of the biggest differences between the two locations is that the Akasaka location does not have a lounge area, but they do have tiny coffee shop with some bar seating on the lobby floor, whereas the Shinjuku location has a large lounge area with plenty of seating and electrical outlets. In terms of location, I also prefer Shinjuku since it is closer to the train station. If you are a germaphobe/clean freak, a light sleeper or just like having your space and privacy, I do not recommend staying at 9 Hours or any other pod/capsule hotel as you will more than likely not have the best experience.

9 Hours - Shinjuku (8.5/10)

I stayed at the 9 Hours Shinjuku on my first and third night in Tokyo, and it was overall a great experience. The hotel is only a short 2-3 minute walk from the Shin Okubo station, and is located amidst Japan's Koreatown. There are also several konbinis in walking distance from the hotel, and I mostly went to the 7 Eleven one block away, on the way to the train station. When you arrive at the hotel entrance, you will have to take an elevator up to the lobby, where you will be greeted by hotel staff. Behind the front desk is the relatively large lounge/common area with plenty of seating, electrical outlets, and great views of the city. As with almost all common areas and shared spaces in Japan, there is a ground rule of maintaining a respectful volume level when talking and not causing any disruptions to other people.

9 Hours Lounge/Common Area | Courtesy of 9 Hours Shinjuku North Facebook

While you check in at the front desk, you will be given key card with your pod and locker number to access your locker and a small bag with slippers, a towel, and a pajama set. Once you've finished checking in, there are three different elevators that you can take. Besides the main elevator that you take to enter/exit the hotel lobby and is open for everyone, there are two other elevators - one for females only and the other for males only. Both elevators will take you to the pods and locker area and the shower area by gender respectively. Whenever you would like to leave the hotel, you must go to the lobby first, and then take the main elevator down to the entrance.

Elevators at 9 Hours Shinjuku North | Courtesy of Qantas

The pod and locker area are on the same floor, and all lockers and pods are assigned a number with your key card only having access to that one locker. The lockers are very narrow and tall, and barely fit my large suitcase. If you have an issue fitting your suitcase into the locker, you can take the necessities out of your luggage to store in the locker, and ask the hotel staff to hold your suitcase for you. The lockers are placed in rows and are side-by-side each other, so space is very limited. There are also some bathrooms on this floor which was very convenient if you just had to use the toilet or brush your teeth. On the same floor, the pod room is right next to the locker area but there is a soundproof door and walls to keep the noise at bay while people are sleeping. The room is dark with the minimal lights from the small ceiling lights, the lit up numbers for each pod listed on the floor, and lights turned on inside the individual pods. Food and drinks are forbidden inside the pod room to keep the area clean and to avoid disturbing others while they are sleeping. There are two rows of pods, one row on the lower level and one on the higher level with steps to get up and inside your pod. Each pod has a USB and electric outlet, a light switch, a pillow and blanket, small crevices to store your phone or other things, and a curtain blind that you can pull down for privacy. Although the curtain blind does a great job at blocking out light, it does not block out sound, so you can still hear people walking in and out of the room and people snoring or talking. The pods were clean, comfortable and had a good amount of space for a 5'2'' female like me.

The showers were on a different floor with plenty of spacious shower stalls as well as shared hair dryers, straighteners, and curling irons for you to use. The showers were for the most part pretty clean with the exception of some that had hair on the walls or in the drain (if you're a female and you shed a lot, you'd understand!). The only thing that was inconvenient for me was the fact that the showers and lockers were on different floors. Every time I went to take a shower, I had to make sure I grabbed all my clothes and toiletries so that I wouldn't have to awkwardly take the elevator back down with only a towel and soaking wet hair.

Overall, I give the 9 Hours Shinjuku North location an 8.5 out of 10 because you really get a good value in the heart of Tokyo for what you pay for. For about $34-38 USD per night, I got a comfortable night's sleep and a nice hot shower in a clean hotel. The main reasons why I didn't give it a perfect rating is because space is definitely an issue, especially in the locker rooms and the inconvenience of having to take an elevator to a different floor for the showers.

9 Hours - Akasaka (6.5/10)

Front of 9 Hours Akasaka | Courtesy of @cest.la.v on Instagram

The 9 hours in Akasaka is located in a more quiet residential area, about a 3-4 minute walk from Akasaka Station. The property itself is much smaller than the location in Shinjuku, so the pod area, locker room and shower area are also much smaller in size. The lobby is on the ground floor, and upon entering there is a small coffee shop with some bar seating and the front desk where you check in. True coffee lovers will really appreciate this small coffee shop which offers a variety of fresh coffee beans from around the world, and the lovely barista asks you how you like your coffee.

Coffee Shop at 9 Hours Akasaka | Courtesy of Agoda

Just like the location in Shinjuku, you will get a key card with your pod and locker number and a small bag with slippers, a towel, and a pajama set. There are also separate elevators here for females and males, and the pod areas and showers are also separated on different floors. I'm not sure if there was an actual size difference in the lockers compared to the ones at Shinjuku, but I couldn't fit my suitcase into the locker, and had to store it with the front desk overnight. At this location, the lockers and showers were on the same floor and only the pods were on a separate floor. This did make it a bit more convenience when going to and from the showers, however, space was a big issue as I would often feel like I'm in other people's way or vice versa, especially in the locker area.

In addition to the smaller space, another reason why I gave this location a lower rating than the Shinjuku location is because of the cleanliness. The showers were not as clean, as you can see some dirt within the tiles, and I found a few pieces of hair on the bed of my sleeping pod. It wasn't really that big of a deal to me personally, however, it was something that I noticed and definitely left a poor impression for me. Additionally, the coffee shop was definitely a nice extra touch, however, the bar seating area wasn't large enough, and there really wasn't anywhere to hang out besides inside your pod.

If you are planning a trip to Japan, check out my post on my travels throughout Japan and some travel tips for Japan!