Yesterday's future was where modernity was born and Modernity is about efficiency. This future of yesterday can be seen in the architecture and shapes of the recent past - so aged now but so modern then.
The space race was a defining element of modernity and the sleek, white shapes of orbiting spacecraft were recreated using sleek, gloss, white plastic to form bulbous shapes in objects around us. Post-war, Japan's most famous technological breakthrough was decidedly ground-based but the Shinkansen did involve travelling at high speeds and bringing modern life to far-reaching places. And it did so being white and sleek, cutting through the air like a bullet. It typified the space age view of optimism and speed. And what could be more in keeping with this drive for efficiency than the hugely effective use of space for sleep? We sleep while lying down… and we sleep with our eyes closed in the dark. Ergo, who needs extra space when sleeping? High vaulted ceilings are an extravagant frippery. Colour schemes and lighting design? Needlessly decadent. This was the future[1].
The space race was a defining element of modernity and the sleek, white shapes of orbiting spacecraft were recreated using sleek, gloss, white plastic to form bulbous shapes in objects around us. Post-war, Japan's most famous technological breakthrough was decidedly ground-based but the Shinkansen did involve travelling at high speeds and bringing modern life to far-reaching places. And it did so being white and sleek, cutting through the air like a bullet. It typified the space age view of optimism and speed. And what could be more in keeping with this drive for efficiency than the hugely effective use of space for sleep? We sleep while lying down… and we sleep with our eyes closed in the dark. Ergo, who needs extra space when sleeping? High vaulted ceilings are an extravagant frippery. Colour schemes and lighting design? Needlessly decadent. This was the future[1].
A frustrating element of the nature of Japan is that it all seems so zany when you haven’t been. The things that you hear and see about Japan outside Japan are not usually particularly indicative of the mainstream[2] and the capsule hotel does fit into this trap. The concept of the capsule hotel fills a gap perfectly that it wants to and is aimed squarely at the "missed the last train" crowd. There are perfectly rational and simple reasons for their popularity as they often provide a place to rest before another day at work. Or a cheap place to stay before any type of morning appointment such as a flight or interview.
- A work culture that expects presenteeism beyond working hours into a drinking culture extending into evenings and nights.
- An urban sprawl that enables, or allows, people to work quite far from their workplace[3].
- Poor nighttime public transport contrasting with excellent daytime transport meaning that the chances of getting somewhere easily but not being able to return quite so easily are increased.
- A vibrant night-time economy with large numbers of 24-hour establishments.
- High costs of land in city centres.
A capsule hotel has two elements - a capsule and a hotel which represents both the public and the private nature of society. My original description of a capsule hotel is, therefore, a little misleading as it covers just the capsule part. And the capsule part is the zany bit that everyone knows about - the reason I love the capsule hotel is the non-capsule part of it.
Upon entering a capsule hotel[4], there are lockers for your shoes and you then give that locker key to the “front” reception staff. They then give you another key for another locker after you have checked in and paid. This second locker is for all of your belongings and this is where the aim of a capsule hotel is clear as these lockers are often quite small and rarely big enough for a suitcase. I have even stayed in one where the lockers were very thin and could only really hold the clothes that you were wearing. Yes, that’s right, your belongings that go into the locker also include the clothes that you are wearing - you are given a jinbei (effectively a set of pyjamas) for wearing around the hotel. As far as I am aware, this clothing is not optional. This is a remarkable lightening of your load.
Now, you are ready.
There are basically now three places you can go, as a guest, within the hotel: your capsule; the lounge area; the public bath.
My preferred order is public bath - lounge - capsule
Public bathing
The public bath is quite a common element of Japanese culture and is a true joy when done properly. There are many variants of the sento but at its basic level, it is a big hot bath that you soak in, communally. Many places have variations on this theme and so there may be multiple baths of different types but fundamentally, there is an area (often just next to the bathing area) to wash where there are pots and usually showers heads to use to wash yourself in that washing area. Again, usually, there are soaps and shampoos for you to use and often razors, toothbrushes and combs etc. The washing area is very important as you cannot be even marginally dirty when you enter the communal baths so I am personally quite conspicuous in this as I can only assume that other people may think that I would not be used to this. Once that has been done, you are free to soak in any of the baths. If we assume that we are at a more well-equipped one, then there will be baths with different water temperature (hot, cold and many temperatures in between), different chemicals or minerals, water jets and the ever strange electric current. People have their own preferences for which baths to go in and when but I find that the cold baths are a little less popular. One thing that I quite like is a soak in the cold water where I count to 100 and then to the hot water baths to feel the change. I would normally spend an hour or so in the baths but it is entirely variable.
Lounge
The nature and amenities of the lounge can
differ markedly but I think wi-fi will be fairly common and so many people will
be doing the things that people do glued to their mobiles. I have also been to
some with separate Internet cafes so even if you do not have a wi-fi enabled
device, you can still check on the outside world. There is usually a TV or, in
some cases personal recliners with a TV at each seat (and at-seat power) so you
can lie back and watch. It really is a very relaxing environment and
lying back in a jinbei with nary a care in the world, even if only for a few
moments feels like an act of decadence in some ways. A cheap and lovely form of
decadence.
Once I am feeling relaxed and ready to retire for the night I will go to the capsule room.
Sleeping quarters
Once into the capsule itself, there are usually a number of amenities in there too. Note, that there will not be any toiletries here as they would be in the bathing area so the things in there are usually just the pillow, covers and bedding. Usually, there are also electronics and every capsule I have been in has had a television and alarm controls – with others having PC, radio and other functions (which are often decided at the booking stage). There are not always headphones so often the TV sound will actually come from the speaker of the TV itself but it is not loud and I cannot say I have ever had a problem with hearing other TVs. I have, however, heard other people although not much. Luckily, as this is aimed at the domestic market, most people are pretty considerate when retiring for the night so I have never heard people coming back very late and loud although I can only assume that this does happen. I assume that you may also be able to hear other people snoring or suchlike but I have never noticed it. On that basis, a hotel I stayed in had a nice little extra of noise-cancelling headphones (I think earplugs can be asked for usually, anyway) which I did use.
Usually, people do not stay in capsule hotels to stay in bed (although they can be pretty comfortable depending on options) so there is a lot of movement in the mornings well before check out time and I have also been reminded of check out (remember, capsule hotels are not designed for multiple nights) by a very loud siren so that you are forced out of slumber to check out. It is worth remembering this depending on your plans the next day.
Hopefully, this has provided a little more detail on one of the apparently zany, yet entirely sensible, things about Japan – which is something the world needs more of.
1. Japanese has three alphabets and one is used almost exclusively for foreign, loan words which added sophistication and a certain je ne sais quoi. At a point in time, internationalism was the future and implicitly, katakana represented that international future. Capsule becoming kapuseru becoming カプセル.↩
2. One of the things that I was asked by many, many people when I went to Japan in 2003 was about the preponderance of vending machines selling dirty pants. Obviously, I had never seen them but I was told it was something in Japan. Looking back, I think it may have been that there was a machine that did this in one of the more interesting nightspots but this is no different to assuming that the kind of thing that happens in Soho in London is indicative of the mores of semi-rural Lincolnshire.↩
3. In many cases, the worker does not pay the costs to travel to the office but they are borne by the workplace - so the economics of living further away are changed.↩
4. All capsule hotels are not created equal and there are variations depending on the type of place. The examples I use are the most common and, where specific, this will be from experience at Fukuoka. Capsule hotels come in many forms and I recently stayed in one that was modelled after Business and First class travel in planes. It felt a little more sanitised and suitable for those worried by the appearance of seediness but I cannot say I liked it as much – it probably works for those wanting to give it a sort of go though.↩
No comments:
Post a Comment