A new place to stay not far from the real-world inspiration for the setting of My Neighbor Totoro.

When looking for a place to stay in Japan, the first choice to make is between a modern hotel or a traditional ryokan inn. But even if you’ve decided on the former, you’ve still got one more choice to make: will you be staying in a fancy luxury hotel, a no-frills “business hotel,” a super bare-bones capsule hotel, or, if you’re staying in Japan’s newest class of accommodations, an anime hotel?

This month marked the opening of Tokorozawa Sakura Town, an entertainment complex catering to fans of anime, video games, and other aspects of Japanese pop culture in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, about 20 minutes from the Tokyo city center (and also the town where you’ll find the real-life woods known to locals as “Totoro’s forest”). In addition to shops and restaurants, the complex will boast the EJ Anime Hotel (EJ standing for “Entertainment Japan”), Japan’s first hotel where every guestroom has some sort of otaku-oriented theme.

With Tokorozawa Sakura Town also serving as the site of new offices for anime/manga/light novel/video game publisher Kadokawa, many of the company’s titles will be teaming up with the EJ Anime Hotel to let travelers “spend the night in your favorite story,” with special guestroom interior decorations and exclusive merchandise for fans to take home. In keeping with the hotel’s focus on audio/visual arts, rooms are equipped with 150-inch projection systems and high-quality soundbar speakers, so that you and your traveling companions can keep up to date on currently airing anime during your sightseeing downtime.

▼ The initial batch of collaborative partners includes A Certain Scientific Railgun T, KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out, and Yuki Yuna Is a Hero.

Theming will continue in common-use areas such as the lobby and elevators, and the EJ Anime Hotel will also offer “character party” and wedding reception hospitality plans for large gatherings of like-minded/loving otaku.

Five room configurations are being offered, with “Superior” oddly the most basic (but then again, unorthodox use of common vocabulary is a staple of anime storytelling). Those looking for more upscale accommodations can opt for a “Universal,” “Deluxe,” or “Old Japanese” room, or a suite, or junior suite.

▼ Suite

▼ Superior

The hotel also houses a restaurant, Tiam, which will offer themed full-course meals.

While a number of Tokorozawa Sakura Town’s facilities opened on August 1, the center’s full grand opening isn’t scheduled until November 6. The EJ Anime Hotel will be opening its doors somewhere in between those two dates, with the first night guests can stay being October 1, and reservations opening through the hotel’s website here on September 1.

Related: EJ Anime Hotel
Source: PR Times via IT Media
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, EJ Anime Hotel
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