A Capsule Hotel with the Air of a Japanese Tea House

Located in Ningyocho-Nihonbashi, the business district of the Japanese capital, Hotel Zen Tokyo is a capsule hotel consisting of 78 single rooms spread over five floors, two of which are reserved exclusively for women.

The establishment does not have a futuristic look, however, unlike many hotels of this kind. Each module is designed according to the wabi-sabi aesthetic so dear to the Japanese, where subtle details, minimal decoration and clean lines are of utmost importance.

‘Most of the affordable and convenient hotels in Tokyo are business hotels. They are standard and functional, but unfortunately they do not offer an authentic Japanese experience’, explains Taro Kagami, architect and manager of the hotel. ‘On the other hand, ryokan, traditional Japanese inns, are very expensive and often impractical for customers who do not speak Japanese. We created Hotel Zen Tokyo to offer our guests a convenient space to enjoy a Japanese-style hotel experience at a reasonable price’.

Modern capsules with traditional elements

These small spaces give pride of place to natural materials. Wood plays an integral part in their architecture, and some ‘pods’ even have tatami on the floor. The colours chosen for the decoration are also very natural: black on the floor in the corridors, then white and beige for the interior partitions.

Each room has a tokonoma, a small alcove in which a painting hangs, reminiscent of the kakemono found in tea houses. The whole space is illuminated by soft, subdued lighting.

In addition to the different rooms, the hotel also has a café-bar which serves breakfast to guests in the morning, turns into a café during the day, and then becomes a bar with live music in the evening. The menu features meals prepared with local ingredients and traditional pastries, and craft beers, cocktails and an assortment of sake can be enjoyed at night.

In the centre of the bar, on a raised platform, stands a tea pavilion with a metal structure and tatami mats. When night falls, it becomes a stage for concerts given by traditional Japanese artists and featuring instruments such as shamisen or koto.

More information on Hotel Zen Tokyo can be found on its website.
Address: 1 Chome-5-8 Nihonbashi Ningyocho, Chuo City, Tokyo 103-0013, Japan