9h nine hours Suidobashi — Hotel in Tokyo

If you're looking for a place where you can't get any sleep, this is the place!

Unfortunately, I don't understand how you can screw up the soundproofing so badly on the one hand, and on the other hand, people basically have no decency left in the world. But let's take a look in detail.

About the hotel itself:

Storage facilities and check-in were fine and went without major problems. Not a once-in-a-lifetime experience or anything like that - just standard. The entrance area was "cold as ice". Presumably, one nuclear power plant could be operated less if the temperature was corrected upwards a little. But this way, cryostasis experiments can be carried out in the room. But if you want it a little warmer, you can go up to the 6th floor to a kind of "subtropical simulation room" where the temperature is 35 degrees Celsius. Living at the limit of temperatures, so to speak. Next it was off to the showers. There I could only come up with two theories: whoever lost so much hair must probably have gone bald within a day or people have shaved their entire bodies. For the former, I wish the person my condolences.

But now let's turn to the core area: the bedrooms. After I went to my cave at about 10.30 pm and was convinced that in a few minutes the phone calls, soliloquies or mobile phone sounds would fall silent, because after all it is about sleeping and the hotel would not be a debating club, I was disappointed when after about 45 minutes more jungle noises developed. Many people were simply sick or perhaps smoking cigarettes without filters on their lungs, as there was non-stop coughing or sneezing. Doors were constantly opening and closing. Or the flatmates snored so violently that I was seriously afraid of having to witness a death by suffocation live. Or were they sawing wood in the room? I will probably never know.

Another highlight: the trumpet concert of two flatmates, whereby I'm pretty sure that at least one "tone" also had divine substance in it at times - bon appetit.

All the noises (whether snoring, door slamming, mobile phone ring tones, conversations, farts, coughs or other indefinable sound waves) arrive unfiltered or even amplified in the capsule. Here I had to realise that both my earplugs and my noise-cancelling headphones had reached their limits.

Now that I had all the time in the world, I went to the toilet (as quietly as possible, of course). Considering the sick leave on the floor, however, I would have been happy to at least have soap on the toilets. Fortunately, I had my own disinfectant with me.

So to sum up: I didn't get a second's sleep that night and probably caught it from the sick housemates as well. This "capsule hotel" is simply a more modern hostel. You sleep the same way in a shared room where you can hear every noise and you just have to be lucky how your roommates behave.

For me, however, it was the first and last time. At least the coffee on the ground floor was good. It helped me to...

In my quest for a unique capsule pod experience in Japan, I opted for the Nine Hours brand, meticulously researching to secure a clean and well-located option. Despite a somewhat lackluster welcome from the staff, marked by a lack of smiles or inquiries about my well-being, the check-in process proved surprisingly swift and straightforward.

Navigating the facilities, particularly the women's section, presented a minor learning curve initially. Nevertheless, the experience itself proved enlightening, helping me grasp the functionality of elevators and other amenities. The overall safety and security of the premises served as a reassuring backdrop throughout my four-night stay.

While the overall experience was positive, a couple of drawbacks surfaced. Despite my explicit request for a bottom bunk due to disability concerns, I found myself assigned to a top bunk, causing inconvenience. Additionally, on the third night, I encountered the unexpected situation of someone occupying my designated pod. This led to nightly disruptions as I had to switch bunks and lockers, a somewhat bothersome aspect of an otherwise pleasant stay.

I would have appreciated a more proactive response from the staff regarding the intrusion into my assigned space. However, their remedy was to provide a new pod without addressing the underlying issue. Despite these inconveniences, the luggage storage was generous, and the location of the Nine Hours branch proved excellent.

A noteworthy aspect was the requirement to vacate the pod and locker room between 10 AM and 2 PM, encouraging exploration but posing a challenge as Tokyo establishments often remain closed during the morning. This policy might be a drawback for those who prefer to sleep in on certain mornings.

On the positive side, the locker room and pod rooms were consistently clean, enhancing the overall experience. The pods themselves were comfortable and equipped with lounge clothes, disposable slippers, toothbrushes, and towels replenished daily.

In conclusion, I would recommend staying at Nine Hours, specifically at this branch, for its cleanliness, location, and the unique capsule pod experience it offers. Despite minor issues with staff friendliness and bunk assignments, the overall positive experience, coupled with the convenience of the location, makes it a worthwhile choice for those seeking immersion in the capsule hotel...

Don’t be fooled by the “futuristic” pics of this hotel: whoever designed this place, never stayed overnight to see if their ideas actually worked. Because they don’t. The building is a maze and if you’re a “female” you have to jump from lift to lift to get to different areas of the hotel - including a simple toilet (good luck if you need a quick pee overnight!). The lockers are tiny and all located so close together guests have to scramble to get to their belongings. It took me 2 hours just to have a simple shower due to all the waiting and moving around people and getting things in and out of the locker, it’s an absolute faff. There’s no clear signage anywhere, only two toilets for women in the whole building, nowhere to get filtered water, nowhere to dry off your towel or clothes (good luck if it rains!), the hand soap is such bad quality my hands got super dry after using it just once (and no soap or place to dry your hand near the sink where the toilet is, which is gross, as you have to touch surfaces and go all the way across the floor to wash your hands), there’s no full length mirror in the women’s bathroom so the women were trying to catch their reflection on the window (again, bad design), no place to put down your things once you step into the shower, no place to sit down to put your shoes on/off in the locker area, the socket in the pod doesn’t work (at least mine didn’t, so I couldn’t charge my phone), there’s no kitchen area, a microwave or even a couch, you have to sit on the hard wood floor if you bring any food in, no laundry room, it’s near the station which sounds great except you can hear the trains all the way from the 8th floor (the highest) so I can only imagine what it must be for guests staying on other floors, there’s also absolutely no safety: all the suitcases are left at the entrance by the entrance door, nobody checks the people coming in and out of the lifts… plus, there are SO many rules you end up loosing track, like for example, you can’t have a lie in and must leave your pod between 11am and 3pm even if you paid to stay multiple nights, there are specific times for naps… Honestly, I booked for 2 nights, I haven’t slept my first night yet and I’m regretting it immensely....