For those that read my last post on capsule hotels, you'll know that my experience at Spa Vivi in Roppongi was pretty disappointing.

I couldn't sleep, the place smelled like sweaty socks and locker room, and the AC was weak as hell. Bleh. While the amenities and location at Vivi were alright, the overall experience was a bit of a letdown. Thankfully, however, on my most recent trip to Tokyo, I found a place in my favorite part of the city to stay--Ueno--and this place was so kick-ass that I will probably make it my new HQ for anytime I am in Tokyo on business.

Ueno Station Hostel Oriental I, Ueno, Tokyo.

I was not sure what to expect upon checking in to this new place. It was less than $30 USD a night, and seemed, judging by the website, to be pretty much the same as any other budget hostel/capsule hotel. Looking at the entrance to the building I got the feeling this would likely be a lot like Spa Vivi. However, soon after getting settled in, I realized that this place was run much more professionally, and was pleasantly surprised.

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Enjoying a fall-themed beer in my spacious capsule.

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Immediate Points of Awesome-ness @ Oriental I:

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• NO CROTCH SMELL.
• CLEAN AND WELL AIR-CONDITIONED.
• FRIENDLY STAFF.

Amenities and Features.

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I had paid an extra three dollars or so to reserve a large-sized capsule, as the smaller ones tend to get too hot, and also because I wanted to stay on what seemed to be the "luxury" co-ed floor. At Spa Vivi I had stayed in the men's ward of the hostel, and as such, it was pretty....locker room-ish. I wanted to avoid that if at all possible this time around. To be honest, though, I imagine even the men's floor at Oriental is pretty clean. The whole place just seemed more orderly and professionally run.

So, what cool shit was present? Well, jeeze, where do I start? The place was so nice I almost didn't want to leave after checking in to go out for the evening plans I had made. I headed up to the men's shower and sento (Japanese public bath), passing a portable, stand alone pull-up bar, a practice putting green, and several beer and canned cocktail vending machines. Wow. Not bad, I thought.

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After throwing my sweaty clothes in the washing machine (another bonus feature!) I hopped into the sento and took a nice relaxing shower, and a short soak in the jacuzzi. I toweled off, put on my yukata (an informal Japanese robe for relaxing) and headed out to the lounge/TV room to wait for my clothes to finish.

The manga/TV lounge. Speakers for the televisions are built into the wings of the seat headrests. Pretty neat!

I almost fell asleep here. Clean, comfy, and with a cold can of chuu-hai (a Japanese cocktail) in hand, I took in some boring Japanese television, feeling thoroughly relaxed. And sleepy. All this for 30 bucks!? Next I headed to the massage chair to see what that was all about. It didn't disappoint.

Hmm. What else. Ah. Yes. A nice collection of manga, a smoking room, acupressure foot mat, computers and free wi-fi, microwave, cups, and utensils, disposable toothbrushes with toothpaste pre-loaded into the bristles. WHAT THE HELL. I am in Japanese RPG-video-game-like budget relaxation heaven.

Very nice. So could you sleep this time?

Yes. Surprisingly, I could. Though there was no air conditioning piped into the capsule itself, the space was large, and the opening was oriented lengthwise, creating quite a large space for ventilation under the light privacy curtain. Usually, the entrances are placed at the end of the capsule, by one's feet, meaning that only a small square of semi-open space provides ventilation. While I definitely prefer capsules with AC inside, this one was cool enough, and I slept through the night without waking up.

When I realized that I had actually gotten some rest, I decided that this would likely be my budget Tokyo business HQ for a long while to come. I woke up slowly and took my time deliberately, as checkout was at an unusually late 11 AM. Another big bonus.

I cleaned out my personal locker (they're plenty big), headed out of the secured capsule area (guests enter a numeric code to unlock the door) and then headed downstairs to check out. I made sure to tell the staff what a good place they had going, and thanked them.

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A few more photos:

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Manga collection in the lounge.

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Signs written in Chinese, Korean, and English direct guests to their respective relaxation spaces.

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Acu-pressure/reflexology mat.

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Taking in some evening TV.

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Capsule on the co-ed floor.

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Location, Directions, Contact Info, etc.

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If you are going to be in Tokyo on a budget, I couldn't recommend the Oriental I enough, based on my experience this time. I personally prefer to stay in Ueno when I am in Tokyo, as it is kind of the "beginning" of the city proper, and sits up on top of all the action and mayhem down "below," in the heart of the city. It's a bit less crowded, the streets are wider, and I feel like I can breathe here. This hostel is great because it is just a couple blocks from the Ueno JR Station and the Metro subway line. You can zip down to wherever like a boss easily, and zip right back when you're ready to get out of the insanity! Click the hyperlink just above for more info!

Well, that about does it for this little informal review. Thanks for reading, and keep exploring! If ya got 30 dollars, head down to Ueno and live like a budget king (or queen)!

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~*~

~KafkA

!

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Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DLive and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)