Nine Hours Kyoto

Nothing particularly exciting, but decent if you simply need a place to stay on the cheap. Capsule was pretty comfortable, but the airconditioning inside was slightly weak by my preferences. Pillow and mattress were on the firm side, so do take that into consideration if you're not used to firm sleeping surfaces. Unlike other capsule hotels, this one gives you free usage of a locker, so the paranoid traveler can have more peace of mind when leaving their belongings. Toilets and showers are in a shared space of course, but the booths are well designed and give a comfortable sense of privacy, so even the shy traveller can do their business at ease. Most importantly, everything is well maintained and clean. Definitely up to Japanese standards.

Futuristic hostel with pod looking sleeping halls. Each pod is equipped with a charger outlet and reading light. Beds and pillows are quite hard but comfy. Plenty of showers fully equipped with soap, shampoo and conditioner. Every pod is provided with a locker for storage of luggage, but large suitcases will not fit and have to be left in the lobby. Overall we liked this hostel, it's very clean and the futuristic space look of it makes it very interesting. It is quite overpriced compared to other hostels and it might not be recommended for those that are claustrophobic.

Very comfortable bed, although it is a “capsule” concept, hotel offers many amenities: toothbrush and toothpaste, shower towel, pajamas, shampoo, liquid soap. You can keep your bag and some clothes in a locker. Overall cleaning is very good! I do recommend for those who want to expend few money and does not demand huge room and luxury. Hotel location is fine, it has many restaurants and shops just 5 minutes away. Also easy to go for subway stations.

We slept here one night and I would not do it again. We chose this hotel because we wanted to try a "real" capsule hotel but if this is the only reason to go here - don't do it. In generell, the experience was okay, the staff friendly and the place clean. However, the locker is pretty small for a backpack, the lockers/bathroom are on a different level than the cabins. The cabins are nice but the mattress is thin and my sleep alarm didn't work at all....and despite being futuristic there is no usb socket. It was a nice try but the next time I will choose any other hostel where I find capsules as well and furthermore a more lively atmosphere and places to hang out at as the "lounge" is only a couple of seats in the entrance area.

The staff were friendly and the amenities were clean and had a cool futuristic aesthetic. The capsule was comfortable enough. It was too warm with the provided "inside clothes." It was a bit difficult to get a full night's sleep, as a light sleeper. You can hear the other guests coming into the sleeping room at all hours and everyone has trouble operating their privacy shade quietly. Every single attempt is accompanied by banging. It was reasonably priced, though. I would recommend if you are a good sleeper.

Clean place, fresh towels, tooth brush and toothpaste, fresh loaner pants and long sleeve shirt each day. Clean showers. You get a fairly large but narrow locker that you can keep the entire stay. Downside is u must clear out of your pod each morning even though you get to keep the same number. They use this time to clean and remake the sheets. Noise level is okay as some guest aren't very graceful with their entry and movements. Don't use this hotel or any capsule hotel if you are a light sleeper.

Reception is warm and welcoming, the bed is comfy yet claustrophobic. Men and women are on separate floors, get supplied pyjamas, toothbrush/paste, shampoo&conditioner etc. But do not expect a good night's sleep, especially if you are a light sleeper as the pull down shutter to your cubby does not shut out any noise from your neighbours, and check out time is 10am. For the price, a hostel would probably give more satisfaction.

As a single night experience, I loved it! If you want to stay consecutive nights it would be a bit of a pain, as you have to check out by 10am each day so they can clean and then check back in at 1pm again; which would be an inconvenience. As I used it as a one day layover, it was perfect. The hotel is very nicely situated for enjoying the local market and eateries. You can also check your bags earlier than your check in time, which was nice not to have to carry my pack all over!

First time at a Capsule Hotel and it was amazing! Obviously it is not as spacious as a real hotel room, but you'd be surprised how much space there are inside the pod. I did not feel claustrophobic at all. They have plenty of shower rooms, sinks and toilets so there aren't any lineups. Everything is so clean, modern and minimalistic it is amazing. Since a lot of people share the same room there are a lot of movements, but after midnight it gets quieter. You can hear everything so be considerate of other guests. Don't bring kids in those places! Location wise it is right next to Gion and Nishiki Market!

What an experience! Clean facilities. Amenities are basic but adequate. Living quarters are hard and with very little sound proofing. You will hear everything from your roommates opening up theier bags to them accidentally hitting the sides of the capsule. This place was, at first cluster phobic but I settled in after I turned the lights down. The ambient lighting option actually wakes you up. It gets super bright in your pod. Bring ear plugs and a extension cord.

This was my first time staying in a capsule hotel & it was AMAZING! I cannot stop raving about it and recommending this experience as a must do to anyone visiting Japan. Check in was super simple and honestly such a steal at around $25USD a night The rooms are divided by gender, there are so many showers, toilets, sinks, makeup mirrors and everything is super spotless and clean. I was so impressed with how clean and enjoyable this was. You are assigned a pod and a locker for all of your belongs. You are also given pajamas to sleep in. The pods are very spacious and I had no issue with it being noisy. The pods also have their own lighting and outlets. I had the best time here and will 100% be returning every time im in Japan!!

First time staying at a capsule hotel... I love it. Super fun experience. It ain't a 5 star Ritz Carlton, but it's hella cool. Firstly, the location of this Nine Hours is bombbbb. It's super close to tons of attractions, there's a variety of convenience stores right around the corner (who doesn't love Japanese conbinis?!?!), ANDDD close to lots of shopping! In this area, there are also many transportation options available - buses and subways for your easy access. The process of staying here is pretty simple and intuitive: - Check in at the front desk with their provided iPad - Each guest receives a shoe locker key and paper card which contains your own barcode, pod number, locker number, and wifi. They also give you a piece of paper containing all the rules and pod instructions. - Store your shoes in the shoe locker at the front door, put on your very own pair of slippers that you must wear throughout the building - Head up to the washroom-shower area to store your luggage, jackets. These lockers here are large enough to fit carry-on size for sure, but if your luggage is too big you can just leave it in the main lobby underneath the stand-up counter. (Note: If you're just leaving your large luggage in the main lobby, there's no security to safekeep your stuff... it's all based on honesty and trust!) - Shower, do your business, put on your face, brush your teeth all in this washroom-shower area. In your locker, PJs, tooth brush, toothpaste are included. There's also shampoo and body soap provided in the showers. - Head up to the sleeping quarters - each floor has a washroom - Find yo pod AND GET COMFFYYYYY. The sheet that they gave you when you first checked in? Use that to set your light alarm and learn how to adjust the lightning. - Each pod has a pillow and a blanket. The pillow ain't the comfiest and fluffiest but it works. The mattress def ain't the thickest, but it also works. The blanket is super crunchy, it's a louuuud ass blanket LOL and can get quite warm through the night. The facilities here are so CLEAN. I was worried that since the washrooms and showers are shared, that it would end up being messy/dirty, this was not the case. Srsly, someone was cleaning the washrooms at 1AM, hell yah. Sleeping in the pods itself is actually not that bad! There's plenty of room to move around and roll around and sit up (FINALLY, my shortness has a benefit haha! haaailllll yaaaahhh). On the control panel, there are outlets to plug your phone charger in and a little ledge to hold your phone as it charges and to hold your key and card. HOWEVERRR, there are definitely some negatives to these capsule hotels. If you happen to have the bottom bunk, you will def hear your upstairs neighbour walking up and settling into their bed. AND if you happen to be surrounded by a bunch of snorers, you will def hear that too. Luckily for me, I did not encounter any of the above scenarios, but my male travelling companions complained of exactly those. The staff here are super friendly and very hardworking! Even at 1AM, the staff was cleaning the showers and the washrooms, super impressed. Also, if you need any assistance or advice in your Kyoto adventures, don't hesitate to ask them for help... they are extremely helpful. FYI, Males and Females are segregated! There are specific floors and elevators for males and females. My tip: Bring a little bag/purse to hold your key and paper access card (and your other knick knacks that you like to keep by your side). I feel like the paper card can be lost very easily because it's not exceptionally thick, it's literally a piece of cardstock. You also have to check-out each night regardless of how many consecutive nights you are staying... a bit inconvenient if you stay multiple nights. But for those staying just 1 night for the experience, mehh makes no diff.

Okay, if you're thinking that you want to try this for the experience, learn from me and skip it. I wanted to experience this just for fun and because, let's face it, it's cheap. I got a deal for just $21 for a night. But there are so many more amazing experiences in Japan, spend your time on those instead of riding an elevator up and down here. The staff was okay but not overly friendly. They did speak English so that was helpful. So why the bad review? Well, for starters, the entry was dirty. I mean, with everything being white, you can't help but notice the balls of hair and dust, and not just in the corner. It was pretty gross. Maybe they just missed the entry area when they were cleaning? But it was dirty when we checked in and dirty when we went out later that night. Very uncharacteristic of Japan. Admittedly, it was cleaner the next day. While on the subject of cleanliness, the shower had mildew on the grout. Not just a spot or two. We're talking like spots all over the shower. Again, seemed so out of character for Japan. Maybe that's why I noticed it. Even if the place were spotless, I would still recommend against it, just for the huge inconvenience of it all. First, the lockers are on a different floor from the sleeping area. And not just 1 floor away but all the way on the 9th floor with only one tiny elevator (3-4 people max) for ALL the male guests. So say you forgot something in your locker. Get up, wait for the elevator, ride up to the 9th floor, go to the locker room, retrieve said item, wait for the elevator, ride down to your sleeping floor and go back to your capsule. Really a pain since you can't really bring much with you to your sleeping area. So let's go back to the locker room. If you have an actual suitcase vs. a small daypack or something, the locker will become a source of tremendous irritation. First, the locker actually fit my 24" hard-shell suitcase, but just. In order to fit it in there, you have to open the door fully and because of that, my door accidentally locked my travel companion's locker with his key still inside the locker. Whoops! Down 9 floors in the elevator to get another key and back up 9 floors. Ugh. Anyway, back to the locker. So this locker room is like a gym locker room but there are no benches near or in-between the lockers where you can sit or put things down while you change clothes or anything. There is only a small, partial shelf inside the locker and everything falls off this shelf. So if you have to open your suitcase, you have to open it in the aisle on the floor, forcing everyone to step over or around your open suitcase. Not fun. Especially if you are near the entryway to the locker room, which, unfortunately, we were. Argh! If your suitcase is too big, you have to leave it in the lobby, which is even less fun. Now for the pod itself. It was large enough but beware that there is only one (or were there two?) outlets and only a small shelf. The shelf only held my phone. But I had to charge my phone, spare battery, camera, tablet, watch and router. So I had them all lined up like little soldiers around my head, wedged between the mattress and the wall to cover all those charging lights. Then the pillow. OMG, that cursed pillow. See my picture. That was the actual, permanent shape of the pillow. And it was hard as rock. I tried to re-arrange it and when I took the pillow out of the case, I was in for a shock. The pillow was TWICE the size of the pillow case and was just jammed in this small pillowcase. So there was no give and it was all misshapen. I went all the way down to the lobby only to be told those are the only pillows. You've got to be kidding. So I unstuffed some of it so that I could actually put my head on a softer portion and slept on that part. So was this experience worth the $21? No way. Let me say that again. NO WAY. I would have gladly paid for another night at the wonderful ryokan we stayed at for the rest of our time in Kyoto. Our friends in Japan said they would never stay there...and from what we saw, there were pretty much only tourists there. So is this really a Japanese experience? I let my naivete lead us on a bad experience...next time I'll know better.

Probably the #1 asked about part of my Japan trip when I got back to the US (apart from the double eyelid tape I tried on). Around $30-40 a night, this capsule hotel is an awesome experience! It's right next to the busy Gion district of Kyoto where you may be lucky enough to spot a geisha or two and get your shopping done. We decided to stay for one night just to try it out, and it was totally worth it and here's why: - very clean - change into the pajamas they give you (optional), and wear slippers around - has everything you'd need in the showers (high water pressure, body wash, shampoo, conditioner) - had a very comfortable and relaxing sleep inside the capsule, which isn't too small contrary to popular belief - friendly and English speaking staff Only reason I think it'd be inconvenient to stay here more than one day is because you have to check-out and check-in everyday, even if you're staying for multiple days. This makes it inconvenient to leave your belongings. It's also located next to two 24-hour convenience stores that has everything you'd need, an electronics store next door, and a pretty popular rice-thing lunch stand directly across the hotel that opens around 11am (which I didn't get to try unfortunately).

It gets HOT in here. We stayed on the fourth floor for females only. Inside the unit it has one charging location, two small shelves to place your items on and a small clock console with the ability to set an alarm for in the morning. Lockers and bathroom facilities are located on the third floor. You'll receive a QR code at check in that you can use to open your locker. Take a picture of it if you're afraid you'll lose it. You can use the picture to open your locker too! The bathrooms are very basic and only come with the essentials: hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Bring anything else you may need yourself! The shower rooms are really interesting: you'll open a door to a small dressing area, the next compartment is the shower room. Then there will be another door that leads to a tiled walk way connected to all other shower stalls. This walkway will lead you to the communal bath area where you can soak and relax. For the price, it's definitely worth it! However, Personally I like to sleep in colder temperatures so I woke up 3-4 times since it was so hot inside the unit!

Perfect for the non Bougie travelers. All we needed a place to sleep and shower without being ghetto and 9hours was absolutely perfect. For less than $30/person you can sleep in a capsule! If you're severely claustrophobic maybe this isn't for you. Floors are separated by gender. Everyone gets their own locker for shoes (at the front) and for luggage. If your luggage doesn't fit you can leave at the front desk. We did this after checkout. Having said that.... Checkout. You have to checkout everyday even if you book a 2 night stay like we did. Checkout is before 10 but you can do it anytime before that if you're gonna leave at 5 like we did and check in is after 12 but we checked in late each night. They didn't care. You pay separately each night. Its freezing in the locker rooms so it was amazing they had heated toilet seats. Lights shuts off after a minute so you have to wave your arms around if you're gonna be a while. Only 2 toilets on each floor. This was never a problem because we woke up early. Everyone gets a set of tiny PJs, slippers, toothbrush, toothpaste, and towel. The pods itself were the best part. It felt like I was a kid in a fort or I was in deep space travel. Each pod has an outlet. Absolutely cozy. I would bring headphones or earplugs because if the polar bear next to you snores you'll be up all night. Good thing I'm a deep sleeper. I love this hotel!!!! Please try it.

It's a capsule hotel, so the only reason you should be here is to get a roof over your head. I got my bed for roughly $29 USD and they provide you the same amenities you'd get at a hotel, but also with set of jammies. If you're over 5'9", you most likely won't be able to sit upright in your bed. While I was there, there were no vending machines available on the men's floors, meaning I'd have to go onto the women's only floor to hit them up. All in all, a decent experience, but I'll stick to AirBnB for the extra space.

This review is based on a two day stay on Kyoto. The hotel is located slightly to the north easy of Kyoto and in walking distance to several shrines and the Nishiki market. The area also is a main shopping district so you can do plenty of doing and eating. Transportation: I learned that in Kyoto... It is best to take the bus wherever you go. The one day pass can be bought for 500 ¥ which is less than 5 USD. There are several bus and train stations that were close to the hotel. Hotel \ stay: The capsule hotel has lockers which is to small for most suitcases, but larger bags can be kept on the first floor lounge area. Make sure that you don't keep high value possessions in those bags. Men and women are separated by floors and each capsule is considerably large. My friend who was with me is 6'1 and fit perfectly in it. There is a public area for washing up and includes shampoo, towels, and body wash. Overall, a pleasurable stay. I met a few travel friends there and had fun. The staff does speak some English. As a quick tip, the check in time is 12pm and checkout is 10pm, and you have to checkout and in every day if you are planning several nights at this location. You will have to empty your lockers but there are several good coffee and breakfast shops nearby.

This capsule hotel has incredible ambiance and unique feel giving a very unique experience. The amenities provided are suitable but a little lacking. They provide nightwear, two scales of towels, a toothbrush, and slippers. The WiFi is quite reliable while in the pods but as you move around the building, it is somewhat spotty and nonexistent in the shower areas. The shower areas have very spacious lockers that you can use for the entirety of your stay. The showers are good but the rooms are separated with non-locking panes of translucent plastic which doesn't afford a level of privacy I find comfortable. There is also a public bath room but it was out of service while I went and appeared to have been for at least a little while. My main issue was that I am transgender and because of my gender marker on my passport I was unable to stay on my desired floor. I understand the level of adherence to policy but there should also be a level of common sense. The other guest seemed quite offput by a seemingly female presence in the men's shower area. Regardless of the negatives, the hotel was quite suitable for my stay in Kyoto.

Pros: Ridiculously clean. Staff spoke good English. Ideally located within the heart of Kyoto's shopping and nightlife district. I complained about a loud snorer above me and was relocated to a different floor with no hassle. I made a reservation for a Tuesday night through Kayak and only paid 1430 yen (a little under $12 U.S.). Cons: These capsules only have pulldown drapes and no doors, so noise pollution is more of a problem here (bring earplugs to be on the safe side). My first capsule got very stuffy too (no AC controls within the capsule). When I switched to the other capsule, this wasn't an issue for whatever reason. The pillow was fairly hard if that's an issue, but it seems to be a common trend among the budget hotels. Capsules come with one power outlet, clock, and light-therapy alarm.

How could you not absolutely LOVE this place? Unless you hate it, but even then, you would surely love it in a hating it way? It's maybe the coolest place I've ever stayed. Like stepping into some mad Japanese Stanley Kubric set. So cool. Monochrome everything. Everyone wearing the same sleeping attire. Cool and collected receptionist staff (not friendly, no, but they go with the vibe of the place!). The pods are surprisingly roomy too. Comfy with nice duvets and big enough to sit up in. Kinda hard to work the lighting and alarm system if you're a dumbass technophobe like me, but overall, bloody brilliant. Top tip: bring earplugs. Sleeping in such close proximity to people is never gonna be pin-droppingly silent, but having said that, it's no Piccadilly train station either. If you go to Japan, you need to try this. Just the once. Go on. (Did I mention how friggin cool it is???)

Really great early and same day booking price online. Very clean. Always accommodating staff. If you're a bigger person the pajamas they give you may not fit. Pretty spacious capsule. Wifi is faster than other places.

My partner and I are staying this hotel for third night. I am getting used to it now. It's fun sleeping in the capsule especially all women. I like the location in Kyoto, perfect spot! I'm able to see places with short distance. I won't mind coming back here again.

This is a gimmicky place that attracts foreigners who want to experience a night in a clean and roomy capsule hotel. My Japanese friend actually advised against it, as the capsule hotel is usually a last resort option for people who missed their train and don't want to pay exorbitant taxi fare to get back home. But this capsule hotel is a bit different, as it seems to be much cleaner and roomier and comfortable. However, I didn't have a good first impression. The lady at the desk seemed unhappy to see me, as I came in 30 minutes before checkin so I could drop off my bags. Everyone's baggage was strewn about the front of the hotel and wasn't protected in any way. I could have easily swapped my bag with someone else's while the lady at the front was busy chatting with someone. They need to rethink the way they handle baggage, more like a regular hotel, where luggage is kept in a safer place. I guess I got what I paid for. I ended up heading to the Takashimaya lockers down the road by the subway station, and trusted them better there. Pros: -pretty clean place -the bed in the capsule is decent, definitely better than some business hotels I've stayed at in Japan -capsules are bigger than expected, in all dimensions. I'm 6 feet tall and had no problem. I even had room to bring in my camera bag, which I was absolutely not going to leave in the open area downstairs -great location in downtown Kyoto, near Gion and the subway -depends on the people, but my floor was pretty respectful and tried to be as quiet as possible. Apart from snoring and alarm clocks Cons: -worst thing by far is how luggage is handled (as described above). I would pay extra to use coin lockers. But be sure to grab your essentials out of your bags first. -no air ventilation inside capsules. It got pretty stuffy even in springtime. Can't imagine what the summertime would be like. -you will be sleeping in the same room with snoorers, guaranteed. The sound is projected onto the wall and back into the capsules unfortunately (maybe they could have created a better sound design to mitigate this?). You can also hear random knocks and whispers. Basically, bring earplugs. -Wifi is spotty. Didn't work at all in the middle of the night, finally worked kinda slowly early the next morning -Have to listen to peoples' phone alarm clocks in the morning -as mentioned in other reviews, even if you stay multiple days, you'll have to check out with your bags daily. Checkout is at 10am and checkin is at 12pm. As recommended above, it's probably better to splurge on the Takashimaya lockers for piece of mind.

We stayed here for one day last week and had a good experience. We were there simply for that - EXPERIENCE. The check in was easy and very cordial. The rooms were awesome, have never experienced anything like it. The problem is, they don't tell everyone to be quiet when entering or exiting the pods. People rummaged through plastic bags on both the morning and the night. We also got filmed at one point, not sure if it was the hotel or some crew documenting their stay, looked pro though. Wouldn't do it again, but once was pretty cool.