Aside from its awe inspiring sightseeing spots and tourist attractions, the Land of the Rising Sun is known for its distinctive and one of a kind types of accommodation such as but not limited to themed hotel rooms, book and bed rooms where guests can sleep on the bookshelf and of course, the famous capsule hotels.
Year in and year out, hundreds of thousands of tourists who come to visit and explore Japan prefer to stay in capsule hotels. These small bed-sized rooms known as capsules are not only less costly on the part of the traveller but are also very convenient and comfortable. Staying in a capsule hotel is one of the most practical accommodation type in the country available for both locals and foreign tourists alike.
Last August 6, 2019, Hanshin Expressway announced to the media that they are set to open a unique capsule hotel at Izumiotsu Parking Area (PA) situated in Izumiotsu, Osaka Prefecture. Known to many, expressways are already equipped with accommodation facilities as well as parking areas but the project of Hanshin Expressways is Japan’s first capsule hotel type accommodation to be installed in an expressway.
The hotel was built in an observation space on the eleventh floor of a twelve story building. In sum, it has one hundred and twelve capsule rooms. Ninety two of which are intended for men while only twenty are available for women.
Unlike other types of accommodation, this capsule hotel does not only offer overnight stays. Tourists can also avail of the capsule hotel for short naps or showers. However, the hotel is exclusive only to expressway users specifically intended for long distance truck drivers and for travellers who are planning to make a stop at Kansai International Airport which is just near the area. The accommodation cost is around 3,996 every night.
Reference: The first highway capsule hotel opens in Osaka
