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)