When I first heard about capsule hotels a few years ago I was instantly fascinated by them. They are cheaper than regular hotels and are usually used just for overnight stays due to their size, so you have to check in and out every day. Think of it as a hostel except each bed has its own, walls around the bed rather than bunk beds. Arriving at the front desk of the First Cabin Haneda we checked in easily and were shown the rules of stay before we were brought to our rooms. Capsule hotels are always split by sex, with one floor for women and one floor for men.
The premium economy class cabins are more in line with what you expect from a capsule hotel, with just enough room for a single bed which you climb into before closing your shutter door. Silence is one of t he more important rules given upon entry, as the walls between the beds are so thin. The first thing you will notice upon entry to your room are the slippers and pjs which are given to wear to help keep the noise down, no loud heels here!
The disposable slippers must be worn anytime you are in the hotel to reduce noise. The slippers felt great but the pjs were clearly meant for someone who was a regular Japanese size which I am not, so I wore my own instead.
Inside each room, there is a inch LCD TV mounted on the wall which only plays via a headphone link in to the wall, headphones are provided for this purpose. We grabbed a couple of drinks and some noodles and tried to follow the Japanese TV shows. Ours also included a massage chair which you could use for an additional cost. There is also a separate smoking area and free wifi available here and in the cabins.
One of the most surprising aspects for me was the bathroom area. Despite this being budget accommodation it had the fancy electronic toilets with all the many functions that Japan is known for. The dressing room area around this is bright and well-lit and contains complementary skin care, perfumes and hair driers as well as other accessories making it a clean and pleasant place to get ready for the day. They also have a full sauna, however, you have to be naked to enter so we decided against using it.
