That aside, station shops (especially in hub stations) are really amazing. There are usually several お土産 (omiyage, souvenir) shops and various food shops as well. The souvenir shops sell many specialties from various regions in the area where the station is located, just in case you didn't have time to buy some local specialties for friends back home before arriving at the station!
Shin-Osaka Station is where we had to leave from for Tokyo, and I was amazed also by the bathrooms. As silly as it sounds, I will share some pictures.
The plants are plastic but this is still super luxurious in feel. There were even ambient sounds from the stalls. Inside most public toilet stalls in Japan there is a motion detector you can put your hand near to activate, and it will make sounds of water or nature to shield the sound of you doing your business. I guess some people are very shy of their bodily functions, and this provides comfort. It's actually a pretty nice idea, but unusual and amusing from a Western perspective.
Apparently people have been stealing toiletries from the bathroom stalls. These signs are asking passengers to please stop doing this, because it is becoming a problem for the station. The worried bear and sad bunny staff member characters are super cute that, it sort of cracks me up.
Sometimes these are in the US, but we need more of them.
Ease of mind, super useful!
Easier and less wasteful than covering the whole seat with toilet paper.
This is an anti-theft SOS button. I guess it must relate to the message about toiletries theft. The station must have installed these in the hope it would eliminate the problem, and that other customers will alert the station if they see criminal activity.
mine
my mom's
An explanation of where all my ingredients came from on the inside of the top flap! For the most part from around Kansai.
my amazing lunch, nom nom
We were a bit early to our reservation at 新宿区役所前カプセルホテル (Shinjuku Kuyaku-mae Capsule Hotel) despite getting lost on the way, but the staff allowed us to check our luggage with them and we went to a British pub chain called HUB for some wine and a pint of Bass Pale Ale. It was my first time having it and the best beer I've had so far on the trip. Selection's a bit limited, but I shouldn't complain!
Bass Pale Ale at HUB
some wall decor:
cute
haha yes
After a short break we went to see what our capsule rooms were all about. There is one women's floor and two men's floors, plus a common-space floor for hanging out, laundry, and eating meals. Each floor has a password to enter the living space, but suitcases don't get lockers. If you trust your fellow travelers, this arrangement is fine. I usually have a suitcase lock, so I'm never too worried about someone carrying out my whole suitcase. There are small lockers for slippers, pajamas, and towels that they provide for your stay. Each capsule has a solid screen your roll down over the opening to your room, it doesn't actually close you in, so it is not as claustrophobia-inducing as I expected. It's not incredibly private, but it is comfortable!
women's floor: lines of capsules, top and bottom
my bottom capsule
screen open view
sumou on TV!
screen closed view
more sumou :)
as you can see you are provided with a blanket an pillow
the bottom mat is firm but comfortable
inside toward the back of the capsule you have tv/radio controls
no headphone plug, but one outlet, and volume and channel controls so you can watch tv quietly with your head near the speakers (in the control panel) and not bother your neighbors
you even get a small mirror if you want to do makeup, check yourself, or take shamelessly lame selfies
my space!
After checking in my mom and I decided to see ひつじのショーン (hitsuji no shoun, Shaun the Sheep) at an 映画館 (eigakan, movie theater) nearby. It is a huge theater, but theaters in Japan are a considerably different experience from the US. For one, US cinemas are usually sprawling: you walk along a long hall of theaters to find your own. In Japan, space is limited so the movie theater construction migrates up... you take escalators up from the ground floor where you buy tickets and concessions up to your theater's floor.
It may just be my perception because we went to the theater on a weekend, but it seemed to me as though movies in Japan are more likely to see out hours ahead of time. My mother and I had to buy our tickets, leave, and come back. The movie was subbed with Japanese where English appeared, which was infrequently, because Shaun the Sheep does not require spoken words, only written signs and such at times since it's 子供向け (kodomomuke, for children).
The capsule hotel is surprisingly comfortable. Showers are equipped with all the soaps you could need and more, and the pajamas are very nice. The sinks even have facial soap, disposable toothbrushes equipped with toothpaste, hair dryers, and lotions at the side. I would, and indeed will, stay again!
yeah pajama!
(sign behind me says "smoking prohibited")
