Well I hope if you travel to Japan you are not claustrophobic! The 9H hotel is a 9-story “luxury” capsule hotel in Kyoto Japan that provides the minimum amount of amenities you need for a night’s rest.
The tiny capsules (there are 125 of them) look pretty futuristic with their clean lines and their Panasonic environmental and lighting controls… but to be honest I don’t care what’s inside them there is no way I’m going to willingly step into a sealed coffin that is built into a wall. I’m not a bear, I don’t need to hibernate, and I certainly don’t want to rely on some computer pumping the right amount of oxygen into my cocoon so that I don’t suffocate.
These minimalistic styled capsule hotels are becoming all the rage these days as countries like Japan need to find a way to build more travel accommodations into their already over-crowded cities. The 9H has shared bathrooms, lockers, and a lounge (in my experience anytime you have to share a bathroom with all your other hotel guests the word “luxury” should not be used in describing your hotel), and they supply you with a toothbrush, slippers, bottle water, and all the other gear you would need to pass out for the night. The idea behind it is that it is convenient for someone who is making a quick one-night stopover and just needs a place to rest for 9 hours, hence the name 9H.
According to Panasonic, who has designed all the fun toys on the inside of these things, the lights and environmental system controls work in a way that guarantees you a great night sleep! In my opinion a good night’s rest never includes sleeping by yourself on a single bed in a hatch that may not open.
For more pics on 9H and all the gear they supply check out my Flickr Feed.
Cheers!
jordenf
Filed under: eco, travel | Tagged: 9h, capsule hotel, environmental controls, luxury hotel, panasonic
Hi there. Thought you might be interested in this: http://jkfowler.com/2010/02/01/capsule-hotel-sumi/ . Cheers, JK.
true.. I’m claustrophobic but only when it comes to some things. When I was little I had no problems climbing into the dryer (best hide-and-seek spot..), but being held under a blanket and tickled would make me terrify to the point I’d think was going to die of suffocation immediately, for example…
uh oh…now that I’ve put that out there, I’m feeling very vulnerable..
em
Oh don’t worry no one reads this blog anyways so your secret will be safe… most people just come for the post I wrote on having sex with a block of foam… and those definitely aren’t the types of people that would hold you down and tickle you under a blanket… or maybe they are the exact type of people to do that… I don’t really know… that’s why I wear a touque and goggles all the time… paranoia.
Jorden
I see how any North Americanized ideal of traveling would make you feel like you’d never be interested in sleeping in a capsule hotel. Small, confined, sealed, coffin-like sounds like anything BUT luxury – but… didn’t you ever build couch forts when you were little? I know I did..errr..do….(Daryl and hung out in a couch fort just a few weeks ago). I would definitely try one out just for the experience!
Yeah couch forts are pretty awesome… I should blog about that actually! But at least with a couch fort you can kick the cushions off and get out. I’d be worried this thing would seal me in and never let me out!
Jorden