Smallest hotel rooms in the world

The capsule concept has been around for at least 30 years, starting out as lodging for businessmen working or partying late who missed the last train home and needed a cheap place to crash. But budget travelers and other folks curious about a unique lodging experience use them too. (AP)

Manager Akiyoshi Kaneko stands by the rooms at the Capsule & Sauna Century Shibuya in Tokyo. (AP)

Akiyoshi Kaneko stands by the rooms at the Capsule & Sauna Century Shibuya in Tokyo. (AP)

Coin-operated washing machines at the Capsule & Sauna Century Shibuya in Tokyo. (AP)

Kaneko peers inside of a room at the Capsule & Sauna Century Shibuya in Tokyo. (AP)

Kaneko, right, checks a chair at the Capsule & Sauna Century Shibuya in Tokyo. (AP)

People walk by the Capsule & Sauna Century Shibuya, a building at center, in Tokyo. (AP)