Tuesday, 05 January 2010

• Living in a 6x5 cubicle: Capsule Hotels in Japan

   

  Image Source

  With all the news we hear about the bleak economic situation in the U.S., it can be easy to forget we aren't the only place suffering. With a global economy that links the financial highs and lows of multiple countries, others are certainly feeling the effects.

  This New York Times article highlights the plight of some of the jobless in Japan. If you've watched enough reality TV or news in the last ten years or so, you've most likely heard of Japan's capsule hotels. In a country low on land and space, these hotels originally existed as overnight lodging for workers who had missed the last train home after a long day at work. Instead of having a hotel room, guests would stay in capsules that line walls, usually stacked two high. These capsules are about the size of a coffin (6.5 ft long by 5 ft wide) and consist of a mattress, bedding, a light and maybe a TV with earplugs. They have curtains instead of hard doors, and belongings are stored in lockers. Like a dormitory, bathrooms and social spaces are communal.  

  According to the NYT article, as more people are losing their steady jobs and finding themselves unable to make their rent, they are moving into these capsule hotels. Despite being significantly cheaper than renting an actual apartment in Tokyo, capsule hotels there run around $640 (in US dollars). People, like the man profiled in the article, are finding themselves there are permanent residents, finally able to use the address as their residence for job searching purposes. The worst part of the article, however, isn't that some people are living in tiny plastic cubicles- it's that some people won't even be able to afford that for much longer. I'm used to hearing about capsule hotels because of their novelty, not as actual homes.

  Have you heard about capsule hotels? Would you live in one?

   

  Check out the full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/02/business/global/02capsule.html

  • 11:03 PM
  • 9849 Views
  • 209 eProps
  • 101 Comments