Do-C Gotanda — Hotel in Tokyo

Before You Decide to Stay at Capsule Hotel Do-C Gotanda, Please Read All the Rules and Descriptions on the Booking Site Carefully.

Pros: The hotel is very close to Gotanda train and bus stations — just a short 2–3 minute walk.

There’s a Don Quijote store right in front of the hotel, so you don’t have to go far to shop for souvenirs.

They have a sauna room to help you relax after a full day of activities.

They provide pajamas, a large and small towel, as well as shampoo and body soap — all in good amounts. These amenities are refreshed every morning. You just need to put your used pajamas, towels, and the small amenity bag into the laundry bag and leave it in front of the reception in the morning.

There’s a communal space on the top floor where you can eat your food or work on your laptop.

Cons: They provide lockers near the toilets on each floor, but these are very small — even a 20-inch suitcase won’t fit. Your suitcase also won't fit inside your sleeping capsule. The only option is to leave it at the reception area, where all guests' suitcases are stacked up.

For male guests, you’ll need to go down to the basement to shower — a bit tiring after a long day.

The capsules are quite small. There’s a box-like structure for a TV, but no actual TV is installed. Instead, the box just takes up space and makes it harder to move inside the capsule.

Important: You are not allowed to stay inside the hotel between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, as they clean the entire facility. This can be inconvenient, especially if you’re not a morning person. You also won’t be able to access your capsule or locker during this time, so make sure anything you need for the day is already in your bag before you leave in the morning.

On your last day, you must check out before 11:00 AM, and you are not allowed to leave your luggage at the hotel after checkout, no matter the reason. If your flight is at, say, 5:00 PM and you’re hoping to leave your suitcase for a few more hours — you can’t. It’s better to find a coin locker at Gotanda Station to store your luggage.

The capsule only has a curtain, so you’ll easily hear people’s footsteps or even someone coughing in the middle of the night. It can be disturbing if you’re a light sleeper — but you can ask the receptionist for free earplugs.

There’s only one power socket inside the capsule, so you’ll have to charge your electronic devices...

Stayed for two night Saturday to Sunday and Sunday to Monday in September 23'. I'm 192cm tall and the capsule absolutely does not fit me — tall people: keep in mind! The locker provided is very narrow: had to squeeze my bag into it. I got the top capsule, and it was not hot inside it. Air conditioning was very well. Everything was clean and tidy. Provided accomodation mesh bag has slippers, clothing and toothpaste and brush provided, all of which I found clean and comfortable. Sleeping was a challenge (and I am not a light sleeper) — other capsule guests WILL wake you up at some point. From Saturday to Sunday I woke up 5-7 times during the night, but only once in the night from Sunday to Monday. It was my impression that there were a lot more people on the Saturday to Sunday night (expectedly). The sauna, which I used twice, was great in my opinion. If common showers are a big "no-no" for you — maybe you should not stay here. For me the showers were good: clean, warm and cold, good water pressure. Shampoo, conditioner and body soap also are provided directly in the showers. Consider bringing rubber slippers for the showers, as they are common and slippers are not provided by the capsule.

I will not stay at a capsule hotel anymore, because I am too tall for it. I would recommend only for one night and/or for the experience. But otherwise just...

Hard to rate this too highly after staying at First Cabin, which was not much more expensive, but it wasn't too bad once you get used to it. I think it's designed to cater for Japanese businessmen rather than tourists. Check out is before 10am EVERY DAY, which is fine if you're wanting to stay active and visit places each day, but not so good if you want to take some time to chill later in your trip. They don't allow access to even the communal areas from 10am-1pm, but you can store your stuff. Also, the showers are past reception at the front door and are communal, which was a bit unsettling at first; but in a shy, zero-banter culture, it's as though you are not there and everyone just keeps themselves to themselves, so you don't really feel exposed. On a positive, it's very near Gotanda Station to get around. There are Japanese restaurants in the local area, plus burger bars such as Wendy's, KFC and independents, and a curry house. I didn't check out the nightlife, as it seemed to be aimed more for the Japanese men, but there appeared to be lots of clubs and bars in the neighborhood. The facilities were clean, and everything was provided: shower gel, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, slippers, towel, pyjamas, hair dryer. I think I'd have given this a 4* of it wasn't for how much higher standard First Cabin was, and if it wasn't for the...