5 of the weirdest hotels in Japan
Checked in by a robot, sleeping in a capsule and a wake-up call from Godzilla? It can only be and stay in Japan.
It's no wonder Bill Murray got a little zoned out in his Tokyo hotel in the film Lost in Translation - Japan's hospitality industry has a personality of its own. This weirdness has just reached surreal new heights with the opening of the world's first ‘robot hotel’ Henn-na Hotel near Nagasaki, where guests are checked in by a smiling automaton. How about a toilet that offers massages, a bed next to Alice in Wonderland or the chance to sleep in a First Class airline cabin that will never take off? If you're feeling a little befuddled get started with our favourite weird and wacky Japanese hotels.
1. Henn na Hotel, near Nagasaki
It could surely only happen in Japan, but in 2015 a new hotel, located near Nagasaki's Dutch theme park Huis Ten Bosch, opened with robots taking on some of the staff duties, such as check-in, luggage storage and concierge. The owners aim to eventually replace 90% of the human staff with robots. Don't worry if you haven't brushed up on your Japanese - there's a dinosaur who speaks English, also manning the desk. Of course. Rooms start from £36 a night but you may have to 'bid' for the chance to stay during peak months like April and November.
2. Nine Hours, Kyoto
Capsule hotels are all the rage in Japan, where space is at a premium and hotel room rates are traditionally steep. The solution is tiny capsules where you don’t have enough room to swing a Hello Kitty, but just enough to rest your head if you're on a quick visit to nearby Kenninji Temple in Kyokto. Nine Hours, a nationwide chain, offers overnight stays with flexible check-in from 12pm if you want to drop off your bags, from 4,900 yen (£30) a night. ‘Nap’ and ‘Shower’ options come to about £6 and £5 respectively for anyone who's just breezing through.
3. First Cabin, Tokyo
This stay on the grounded version of a First Class cabin may be the closest most of us will ever get to actually flying the real thing on a plane. On the other hand, it's just a clean, compact room one step up from a dorm and not dissimilar to Japan’s ubiquitous capsule hotels. Either way, it’s plain weird and you get the super-friendly staff you'd find with a good airline and free access to the sauna, which you probably wouldn't. Catch the Metro to JR Akihabara Station to get here, rooms start from around £40 a night for 'first class' and £30 for 'business class'.
4. Aman, Tokyo
Japan’s high-tech toilets are legendary. Some budget hotels still have the horrifying (to first timers anyway) hole in the ground, but at the ultra plush Aman, a new urban resort, they do things a little differently. For the price of a mere £460 and upwards a night, their warmed toilet seats also clean your undercarriage for you and even offer a ‘massage’. The hotel is in the heart of the main business district and handily right next to the Imperial Palace park, with some rooms offering unrivalled views of the magnificent building and gardens.
5. Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, Tokyo
Godzilla is back on the big screen this year and to celebrate, the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku at Tokyo's largest entertainment complex, the Shinjuku Toho Building, has gone a little Godzilla crazy. The star attraction is a 'life-size' 12 metre high Godzilla head on the eighth floor terrace. You can, of course, sleep in a Godzilla themed room, but it’s worth remembering where you are before fleeing to reception screaming that there's a giant monster outside your window. Shinjuku is located in Kabukicho, one of the city’s main party zones, so it makes a great base for a night out too, though beware the monstrous hangover. Rooms start at 14,400 yen (£86).