Hotel admits up front that you probably won’t get much sleep, but will thoroughly enjoy your stay anyway.
Japan’s capsule hotels are sometimes scoffingly referred to as “rent-a-coffins” in English guidebooks, and even among Japanese people, they have a stigma as cramped, bare-bones accommodations. Because of that, in their marketing many capsule hotels make a point of mentioning how surprisingly comfortable their facilities are, giving you every assurance that you’ll get a good night’s sleep for a fraction for the price you’d pay at a conventional hotel.
So it might seem strange that a new capsule hotel that’s about to open in downtown Tokyo’s Kanda neighborhood is trumpeting the “sleepless” nights it’ll provide, until you see that the full promise is for a “sleepless, indulgent night” spent staying up late and reading manga.
▼ Manga Art Hotel, Tokyo interior/exterior
The key amenity of Manga Art Hotel, Tokyo, is its collection of over 5,000 manga, with each of the comic collections chosen by basis of its artistic value. The staff have prepared a review/recommendation reason for each and every one, and in recognition of the continually expanding global reach of anime and manga, as well as the increasing number of foreign travelers to Japan, these reviews are bilingual, in both Japanese and English.
Also for the benefit of guests who can’t read Japanese, a portion of the collection consists of English-language manga editions, though again, with special prominence given to visually impressive works, even those who can’t read the dialogue should find plenty to enjoy. Manga Art Hotel, Tokyo also promises to be a bastion for those who’re saddened by recent shifts away from physical media, as the hotel is committed to the unique experience of reading manga in non-digital form. “We want to provide our guests with the unique emotional experience born of reading manga on paper,” the hotel says.
Other amenities at the 35 guest-capacity hotel include free Wi-Fi, shower facilities, in-room safes, pajamas, slippers, hangers, and electrical outlets. As is the norm for capsule hotels, male and female guests’ sleeping and shower areas are located on separate floors.
▼ The hotel’s floor plan
Of course, even if you stay up all night reading, with over 5,000 manga to choose from there’s a good chance you’ll still be right in the middle of an exciting story when it’s time to check out the next morning. Luckily, all manga within the hotel’s collection are available for purchase as well, so you can finish up whatever volume you’re on while riding the Shinkansen to the next stop on your Japanese journey.
The hotel looks to be extremely welcoming towards foreign travelers, with an English website already up and running alongside its Japanese one. Reservations are set to open soon, with the hotel planning to accept its first guests sometime in February.
Hotel information
Manga Art Hotel, Tokyo / マンガアートホテルトーキョー
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kanda Nishikicho, 1-14-13 Landpool Kanda Terrace 4th/5th floor
東京都千代田区神田錦町1-14-13 ランドプール神田テラス4F・5F
Website
Sources: Manga Art Hotel, Tokyo via IT Media, PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Manga Art Hotel, Tokyo
Follow Casey on Twitter, when he was really happy the hotel he stayed at one time had a huge selection of Initial D manga.