Karaoke seems to be one of Japan’s national pastimes as almost all Japanese love to get a group together and sing the words the their favorite songs. Most people have their one song that they do so well you would swear they have practiced it over and over again (actually they have). Anyway, you are probably asking yourself what does karaoke have to do with sleeping? Well, in Japan, karaoke is done a little different than back home. It is not execution style where you go in front of the whole bar and blast out a song, but instead, you have a private room for just you and your friends. There are rooms to accommodate just a few people and, as you can see below, large rooms that can hold even 15-20 people or more.

Assuming you do not get the all-you-can-drink, it is often much cheaper staying a few hours in the karaoke place rather than dishing out for a hotel. On the other hand, if you get the all-you-can-drink plan it the night might pass by a little quicker

Another unique experience in Japan are the capsule hotels. Traditionally these hotels are made for business men who have missed the last train and just need a place to crash for the night. Basically you have enough space to lay down and that is it. Some people say it feels like you are sleeping in a coffin, so if you are claustrophobic, this is 100% not for you.

However, if you are ok with tight spaces and are looking for something cheap and/or unique to Japan, you should try it for a day or two. Thanks again to Greg Logan for the photos!

Here is a list of capsule hotels in Tokyo and here are capsule hotels in Osaka.

Business hotels are western style hotels that are mainly for business men but anyone can stay there. The rooms are usually very simple and tend to be a little smaller than regular hotel rooms. Personally, when I travel, if I will stay at a western style hotel, I like to stay at Toyoko Inn. You can make reservations on their website and there is no cancellation fee if you cancel more than 2-3 days in advance (each branch is different so check it out). They have hotels in almost every prefecture in Japan and the prices are fairly reasonable at around 4500-6000 yen for a single room (and a double is usually not too much more) where as a regular hotel could run anywhere from 9000-12000 yen for a single room. Most Toyoko Inns have free internet access in the lobby and tend to be fairly new or recently renovated.

No I do not work for Toyoko Inn nor am I affiliated with them in any way!  While business hotels are never going to be as comfortable as 4 or 5 star hotels, business hotels are a nice compromise between comfort and price.  Here are a couple of links, in no order, where you can search and make reservations for business hotels in Japan (English):

• Rakuten
• Japan Hotel.net
• Japan Hotels Online

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Internet cafes are one of my favorite things about Japan. The photos for this post are from Fujiyama Internet Cafe in Kyoto, but many internet cafes share the same good qualities. Most internet cafes are open 24 hours so sleeping here is no problem. Some even have beds/futons/sofas you can sleep on. At an internet cafe, besides surfing the net, you have access to the following free things: drinks (usually everything from coffee and tea to sodas and even slushies), magazines, books, comics, tv, dvds, video games (usually PS2s but I can see in the near future some PS3s showing up), and some places you can even use some really fancy massage chairs, or even take a shower. There is food available but you usually have to pay for it, but some places to have some free food. Also some places have a partnership with a restaurant (usually a fast food place in the same building) that will bring you food. As you can see, Japanese internet cafes are a little different from what you might be used to if you come from the states.

There are different rates depending on what kind of room you get and the interent cafe and at some places you have to fill out a membership application which might come with a small fee, but it is still much cheaper than going to a regular hotel to stay here the night… If you are staying for the night, just be sure to get the multi-hour pack if they are offering one. You can stay the night at internet cafes from about 1200-2000 yen. While obviously it would not be convenient to stay here long term, it certaininly would not be too inconvenient to stay here a night or two out of your vacation.