Star Capsule

Conveniently located next to convenience store and it's easy to get to the monorail station and Naha Bus Terminal. Staff was friendly and helpful. Smooth check-in with English speaking staff. Notices were in English as well, which is helpful for foreigners. Bathroom and toilet available on each level, but locker room where you keep your belongings is at level 1 (you'll have a key to enter the locker room and another key to access your locker), so you may need to go down the stairs to get to your luggage. Cosy common area. Towels and toothbrush provided. But sleepwear come at an extra charge of 500yen. Typical of capsule hotel, it's not soundproof, so do keep your volume down and also hope that you don't get noisy capsule/bunk neighbours. A power outlet is available in the capsule but you'll need an adaptor to use it. The staff has kindly lent me an adaptor to use my USB cable for charging. In general, it's great for a place to rest/sleep and get on with your traveling itinerary in the day.

I chose this hotel because it is a capsule hotel. However, I was mistaken to think this was a typical capsule hotel for drunk salarymen and seniors who sit around smoking all day. This is more of a youth hostel that happens to be retrofitted with classic (1970’s) capsules. Also, there is no onsen which is typical of many capsule hotels - only a large (communal) shower area. This being said, I felt the hotel was quite comfortable, very well maintained/cleaned, and offered a laid back, friendly vibe from the owner and his children who run the place. There is a small communal area in the front/lobby, but unfortunately there was a lot of cigarette smoke wafting inside from the smoking area just outside. Most of the guests were in their 20’s, although there were some businessmen who stayed here. The location is excellent - a 10 minute walk from Asahibashi Station and just off Sunshine Dori which is home to many restaurants. A convenience store is adjacent and the surrounding streets offer a pleasant place to walk as well as a number of small bars and cafes. There is a 24-hour coin laundry just around the corner. Overall price/value is very good in an otherwise expensive city.

So far it's been the 2nd best capsule hotel I've been to, but just because I've only been to two. The capsules (a roughly 1x1x2 metres box) are yellowish and feel outdated, a sad look for a futuristic place. One can spot stickers on the capsule walls (rogue guests are to blame of course, but the maintenance team could remove them). I really liked another capsule hotel I stayed in back in 2004. But since then TVs have become flatter, so now that old CRT box is an obstruction my head hit several times. It's a bit like a time capsule in a bad way. In terms of facilities available, I didn't find the traditional Japanese bathroom so impressive. The flip flops they provide aren't comfortable as well. If you travel in pairs and you are not in a same-sex relationship, you will have to stay in two separate parts of the building. I guess it helps to provide the ladies with a feel of personal security. But it makes the stay a bit awkward, especially as the lobby is tiny and they have silly rules like you can't charge mobile phones there etc. Each guest gets a locker, which is good enough for a small bag, but backpacks/large suitcases should be left outside, so you may consider a small padlock. Finally, I didn't find the staff very helpful. In many place in Japan the hosts are most welcoming. In Star Capsule I got the feeling our arrival interrupted the staff's joy of smoking and chatting at the entrance. My questions about their procedures were frowned upon as well. It was quite cheap, an interesting experience for sure. If you've never been to a capsule hotel you may well want to try it. It's a good value for the money, considering the alternatives. But this isn't the best capsule hotel in Japan.