Osaka/Kyoto/Nara Dec 2014 Itinerary: Part 1: Day 0 Capsule Hotel Experience

Day 0: Arrived at Osaka in the evening at 9.20pm at Kansai Airport. Decided to take the most convenient mode of transport to my accommodation using the Nankai Airport Express to Namba Station (920 yen).

I stayed at First Cabin Midosuji Namba. First Cabin is a capsule hotel chain with various properties around Japan. Decided to stay here because of several reasons:
1) Location- great location at Namba
2) Wanted to experience a capsule hotel- well sort of. First Cabin promises a capsule hotel experience without the claustrophobia. Each room has more space than the cramped quarters of regular capsule hotels and they are not "stacked up".
3) Didn't have much choice as other hotels were mostly snapped up already! (Peak season)


The hotel is really accessible from Namba station- just look out for Exit 13 from the Midosuji Line.

Check in was fuss free- collected my b-mobile visitor data SIM purchased online beforehand and shipped over to the hotel (which was a lifesaver- Google Maps!). There are some special instructions during the stay- Men and women live in separate parts of the building (special access cards are given to you!), be considerate and not be noisy, and to help yourself to toiletries provided at the reception.

Here is a picture of a section of the floor I stayed:

Each "cabin" is separated by a thin frame and there are no doors but magnetic folding screens that cannot be locked. Valuables can be placed in special lockers in the rooms that can be locked with key.

And here is a picture of my cosy "cabin". The room is big enough to fit a single bed, a small bedside table and a narrow walking space. Not too shabby for "capsule" standards. There's even an LCD TV fixed above the bed.

There was a common toilet and shower area in my floor which was really clean and well stocked with toiletries.

Unfortunately, I am a really light sleeper and had difficulty falling asleep- I'm easily roused by footsteps of people and their opening and closing of doors. A group of Japanese men returned to their rooms late and while they did make an attempt to speak softly, I could still hear their conversations. The walls are not really soundproof here. I guess that's why they provide ear plugs!

Tried to catch some sleep and feeling excited about exploring Osaka the next day!