I emerged from the subway station in Ueno with a throbbing headache. Desperate for a nap, I asked around for a cheap hotel. They told me it was nice and cheap, and that was exactly what I needed. I waved goodbye to them and headed inside. Room on the 6th floor of the building was actually a Japanese sleeping capsule.
It felt as claustrophobic as a coffin. It had a little hatch with a retractable bamboo curtain on one end where you wiggle your way in and sleep for the night. It had everything I needed: It was cheap Y , it had a pillow, a thin mattress, and even a small television. With my headache not going away, I decided to take a rest. At 10PM, I woke up and walked around town in search for a hot bowl of ramen. The streets and alleyways filled with pedestrians earlier were now empty except for a few stragglers.
Most of the businesses were already closed, but there were still a few shops open, including a few restaurants serving their last customers. I walked into a tiny ramen bar and headed straight toward a vending machine near the door. I dropped several Y coins for an order of tonkatsu ramen and waited by the counter. For the first time in that trip, I felt satisfied.
On my way back to the hotel, I was hassled by a man holding a clear vinyl umbrella outside the entrance. He approached me with a colorful catalog full of half-naked women. As I headed back to my room, I noticed a lot of nude ads on the walls. There was even a TV guide inside my own capsule with nothing but softcore pay-per-view channels. All the nudity around me made me curious about the place I was in, but I felt too tired to investigate.
I put my pillow under my head and went to sleep again. At around 4 a. I badly needed a shower so I went to the concierge and asked where the shower rooms were. Massage, shower 9th floh. It was yet another offer for a massage. But what kind of massage did they offer?
