Under-the-radar downtown Tokyo neighborhood’s hotel is close to Ueno Park and super affordable

Spending the night at Capsule Land Yushima.

Just about anyone who’s looked into taking a trip to Tokyo knows about Ueno, the downtown district famous for Ueno Park and its collection of museums. On the other hand, Yushima isn’t a neighborhood that many travelers know by name, even though Yushima is just off the southwest edge of Ueno Park.

That lack of name-recognition can make Yushima a bargain-priced place to stay, and we recently went looking for a way to stretch a travel budget, while still staying in a good location, with a night at Capsule Land Yushima, which cost us just 2,900 yen (US$18.70).

As you can guess from the name, Capsule Land Yushima is a capsule hotel. The location is incredibly convenient, as it’s just a 30-second walk from the exit of Yushima Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line, and just a quick six-minute stroll to Okachimachi Station on the Yamanote Line, the rail loop that encircles the Tokyo city center. It’s also just a four-minute walk from the hotel to Ueno Park.

You’re asked to take your shoes off upon entering, with a bank of lockers right by the front door in which to place them. If you don’t want to walk around in your socks, the little lobby shop has slippers for sale for 300 yen for a pair (or you could just grab some for a third of that price at Daiso or a 100 yen shop).

The hotel does supply roomwear/pajamas that you wear while on the premises, which are found in your lockable locker where you can store your belongings.

Because the lockers are pretty narrow, though, you can also keep a bag on top of the bank.

After checking in, the first place we headed was down to the basement level, which has a laundry facility and the bath/shower area.

The bath is a traditional Japanese communal tub set-up, but even more so than the soak, the shower felt great. Capsule Land Yushima’s shower booths have nice, high-mounted showerheads with good pressure, so it felt like we were getting clean by standing under a cascading mountain waterfall.

▼ There’s a sauna too.

The clothes-changing area has a drinking water fountain, but once we were done bathing we headed back up to the lobby, where there’s a free self-service drink bar with coffee from Japanese cafe chain Doutor.

▼ You can even get a cappuccino or cafe latte.

The lobby also has a lounge space with a TV, where you can sip your drink.

Other public-space amenities include a manga library on the second floor and a workspace on the third.

Capsule Land Yushima only allows male guests, and sleeping capsules are located on floors 2 through 5. Each floor has its own bathroom and sink area for washing your face, brushing your teeth, and basic grooming. They’re clean, spacious, and nicely stocked with tooth brushes and skin lotion, which are provided free of charge.

In recent years, we’ve seen some capsule hotels spruce up their capsules with modern touches and stylish aesthetics. Capsule Land Yushima, on the other hand, keeps things old-school.

▼ The mattress was a little on the thin side, but the pillow was nice and soft.

But hey, with the great location and low price, Capsule Land Yushima will give you what you need in a place to spend the night and leave you with plenty of time and money to get out there and see Tokyo while you’re awake.

Hotel information
Capsule Land Yushima / カプセルランド湯島
Address: Tokyo-to, Bunkyo-ku, Yushima 3-36-6
東京都文京区湯島3-36-6
Website

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