Experience Japan while you sleep - The ULTIMATE list of 'unique' and 'unique while on the cheap' accomodations part II

Click here for part I - Unique, but pricey sleeping experiences
https://www.odigo.jp/articles/7001-experience-japan-while-you-sleep-the-ultimate-list-of-unique-and-unique-while-on-the-cheap-accomodations-part-i
Unique on the cheap
Love Hotel
The love hotel is a true gem for those on a budget. Love hotels were built in 1968 as an escape for couple to spend ‘quality time’ together. The main idea of paying by the hour originates from this concept. 

Nowadays, love hotels are also functioning for people only wanting to pay for a hotel room for the time actually staying inside the rooms. Because you pay only for the hours you are using the rooms, this option has gained much popularity over the years. Therefore most love hotels have opened their doors even for individual travelers. Note: A small exception remains: Guests under 18 years old are not allowed to stay in these hotels. 

Capsule Hotel
Capsule Hotels is a hotel developed in Japan and features a large number of small ‘rooms’ intented to provide cheap overnight accommodation for quests who do not require the standard services from conventional hotels. The main target of these hotels used to be businessmen who couldn’t make their way home on time and spend the night in one of the capsule hotels. However, capsule hotels gained popularity and are used by a great variety of guests (without claustrophobia. Please keep this is mind!). 

You pay a fee of around 2000 to 5000 yen a night and you are assigned a capsule of roughly 2 bu 1 by 1.25 meters. Most capsules include a small television, an alarm clock and wireless internet connection. The capsules are stacked on top of one another and lined up side-by side giving some people a vibe of being inside a morgue. Other facilities like showers, toilets etc are shared with the other guests.

The capsule hotels can be found anywhere in Japan and are popular in big cities and are a great way of spending the night as a single traveler.

Note: There are male or female only capsule hotels and most hotels have separated rooms for each gender. 

Note: For those not wanting to sleep in a 2x1x1.5 meter room, some larger capsule hotels have developed, where you are given your own ‘bedroom’ of 2x2x2 meters which doesn’t give you the capsule hotel feeling, but the feeling of sleeping in a small hotel room. These rooms tend to be a little more expensive, but are still on the cheap side of the scale.

Manga Cafe
Manga is a type of Japanese comic drawing style. Manga books, can therefore best be compared to comic books. However, Manga books can have a wide range of genres: From Comedy to Drama and from Romance to Fantasy and adventure.

Manga cafes, or referred to in Japanese as Manga kissa are 24 hours cafes with a huge collection of Manga books. Manga cafes rent out small nooks in their café for visitors to sit back and read their books in a quiet environment. Some cafes even offer nooks with televisions so you can watch anime (Animated shows based on manga). 

You can rent one of these nooks, often equipped with a longchair and sometimes even a stretcher bed to spend the night. 5 hours may costs as little as 1500 yen and are therefore a great way to spend the night on a budget, while also being able to read your favourite manga.

Overnight Trains (or Bus)
Overnight are a great budget option to spend the night. You pay a fee to ride the train/bus (might even be free when using the JR rail pass) and you skip the time you need for travelling during the day by making the trip at night.
 Due to the popularity of low cost budget airlines and overnight buses the overnight trains have decreased and two remain running to this day.
 The Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto remain travelling from Tokyo to respectively Izumo and Takamatsu. 
 You are assigned a 'seat' which is in reality a form of a bunk bed where you are also given a blanket and have your own reading light to keep yourself comfortable during the ride. On the train you can use the toilets and shower utilities making this a great experience on a budget and which will also save you a great amount of time.