9 Hours Kyoto Teramachi - "Once in a Lifetime Experience"

3rd June 2011. Written by Xin Li.
Kyoto, Japan.
Curious to try out a capsule hotel, I decided to pick 9 Hours Teramachi, recognized as one of the best capsule hotels. Designed by Fumie Shibata of Design Studio S. The capsule hotel was founded in December 2009.

My experience at 9 hours started off badly with an issue of miscommunication. Upon checking in, 9 hours did not have a record of my reservation from Hotel Club. However, this was quickly rectified by the female receptionist who advised me to come back later for a cheaper rate as they charge by the number of hours used. My luggage was kept in a locker. The key was kept by the hotel for safe keeping.

I came back around 11pm and it appears that they forgot about my reservation once again until I showed them the Hotel Club receipt. This time round I was told that I would be charged the full amount for 17 hours instead of the rate by hour. This information was not furnished on the respective booking sites such as Hotel Club (which are provided by the hotel). Therefore, walk-ins are cheaper if you do opt to stay here. Fortunately, we managed to iron this out and I got a partial refund for the unused hours.

The hotel has a clinical atmosphere. The lounge area has vending machines which you can use and there are power plugs for your electronic devices.

The instructions to the showers, lockers and capsules were presented visually with much clarity and if that doesn’t help you, there is also a slip of paper which they provide to orientate you to how the hotel functions.

Unfortunately, the hotel has fallen into the range of what you see, you don’t get category of hotels. Put aside the videos and photos you see online, the polyester loungewear has been replaced by a yukata (weird size and quite uncomfortable), packets of shampoo, body soap and conditioner are provided once only instead of being placed at one corner for you to use.

The showers are not that private, as there a passage way at the rear that connects all showers to a common bath area. However, people seldom use it.

The toilet has a problem with the sensor, the lights and ventilation would switch off when the sensor couldn’t sense you when you are doing your business.

The capsule, the most important thing was not as soundproof as they claimed, I could hear my neighbours shifting or snoring. However, the ambient lighting is a nice feature. It slowly dims as you start to sleep. Furthermore, the capsule is quite big (for a 169 cm person) and comfortable.

The capsules and rooms are separated by gender, with the males dominating the upper floors. The showers and lockers are in a separate level. The lockers are not very big. It is only big enough for a medium size backpack.

Last but not least, Nine Hours Kyoto Teramachi is a once in a life time experience. I doubt I will return there again. It is however recommended if you are in need of a place to stay if you are arriving in Kyoto late at night or midnight and only wishes to spend a few hours overnight. In this case, please be advised that the 4000-4900 Yen rates are actually for 17 hours of stay. You can get a cheaper rate with walk-ins by paying by the hour. There are plenty of capsules available. Refer to their website for more information instead of the booking sites.

Nine Hours Kyoto Teramachi
9h(ナインアワーズ)

京都府京都市下京区 寺町通四条下る貞安前之町588
600-8031, Japan
075-353-9005

Open Daily 24 Hours