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Published: June 12th 2006
Asakusa Morgue
Nah, not really. This is a capsule hotel.Okay, so the other day, I ran into some problems trying to get some more time booked at the hostel in Tokyo. Apparently it's "golden week" (a sort of Jap equivalent of the Easter holidays), which means everything gets booked up. I found myself without any accomodation, for the night of the third of May and decided to make the most of it by checking out the Asakusa Riverside Capsule Hotel, only twenty minutes walk away. I didn't know quite what to expect with this, but its something a bit different.
After the pleasant surprise of discovering it was actually cheaper than what I am paying a night for a bed in a shared dorm at the hostel, I duely handed over my 3000 yen, and exchanged my trainers for some nasty green slippers. The man gives me a wristband with the number 4020 on it, and a key attached. He then informs me that my capsule is on the 4th floor, and there is a bathroom on the 9th. Expecting some mad, futuristic, incredible capsule, I rushed off to the lift and went straight to the 4th floor to see where I was going to be sleeping. Poking my
Capsule 4020
I have no name, I am just a number now... head expectantly around the door of the capsule room, if anything, the place looked quite creepy! Rows of these little holes about 3ft by 3ft, bathed in darkness, disappearing down the corridor. The place looked eerily similar to a morgue, as you can see from the picture! I found 4020 and, after working out how to turn on the little light inside, had a look around. You have a little screen that rolls down to cover the entrance, a matress, pillow and blankets to sleep, a television mounted at the foot of the capsule, and a little control panel at the head end. That is it. Not sure what I was expecting, but it serves as a place to sleep, and watch a little TV while you are lying there, and nothing more. The size, must be about 3ft, by 3ft, by 6ft 2. If you were over 6'2, I think you would have a really uncomfortable stay!
I dumped some stuff in 4020, and headed back down to see what is in the locker that the mysterious key attached to my wrist unlocks. Turns out you get a towel, a toothbrush, a razor, and some weird "hospital pyjamas"
looking garments. Unimpressed I decided to have a quick look at the bathroom on the 9th, and get back outside to find some food. The view from the bathroom area is really good. You can see up and down the river, some not too ugly skyscrapers, and you are right opposite Asahi Breweries, with the "golden flame". There is a little balcony there too, and the view is definately impressive.
I escaped from the Capsule Hotel to have something to eat, and wandered around Asakusa for a while, perusing the markets. On my return, I was confronted with an even more terrifying vision when I got to the 4th floor. The morgue had woken, the dead were up and walking. It really did look like a scene from a zombie film. The inhabitants of the hotel had arrived and were now getting ready to settle down for the night. They were all, without exception, old Japanese men, shuffling around lifelessly, only pausing to make an occasional groaning sound, and all wearing these strange hospital pyjamas.
I resisted the urge to "remove the heads, or destroy the brains", because common sense told me they probably weren't actually zombies...
Capsule 4020
Got my own TV. The website can be found here, if you want to see their pictures. I have no idea how they managed to make it look unscary, but they did !! Capsule Hotel Website
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Duncan
non-member comment
The Sperm Outside
can't remember who... but that weird building is done by a post-modern designer, like Paul Aran, Phillippe Starck or someone that Ih ave studied on my course. such a weird building. oh, and they were zombies... trust me.