Job Discussion Forums

[Dooly]

My summer vacation`s coming up, and I was hoping to do some travelling on the cheap. Also, my Japanese isn`t good enough to book hotels in advance, and I guess the youth hostels and cheap hotels will book up quickly for August.

I was wondering if anyone here has stayed at Internet cafes overnight? Is it possible to get much sleep at one, or are they generally pretty noisy? Does pretty much every city have 24 hour cafes (Takayama or Kyoto, for instance)?

Thanks!

[ripslyme]

[Bobqb80]

I too have only stayed at one overnight in Tokyo (somewhere in Shinjuku) cuz I missed the last train home. I really didn't get much sleep so much as spurts of short naps because the dude in the chair next to me kept getting up, returning, getting up, returning ... and my chair, though squishy and a recliner, didn't recline enough and I ended up just putting my head down on the desk in front of me. It was decently quiet though, if it's any consolation. There is no privacy, rather uncomfortable (and I'm an average-sized female -- can't imagine how anyone bigger would deal with the chairs and space) and I got outta there as soon as my train home began operations. So it's an option, but if your aim is to get a good night's sleep, I'm not sure if this (staying at an internet cafe) will help you.

[The_Hanged_Man]

Actually, there are the internet cafes that have the private booths. There's a bunch of them around Akihabara. They come equiped with a nice lounging chair and are reasonably quiet. You can rent movies and such at them as well to entertain yourself. And of course each booth comes well stocked with tissues for....um...well...you know.

[earthmonkey]

The new private booth type are quite nice.

Check this article from Metropolis magazine. There are listings for the various chains down the left column.

http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/590/feature.asp

Have a nice vacation.

[Willy_In_Japan]

If you don't feel comfortable making reservations, why dont you book with asiarooms.com ?

They have really good prices, and you can book online with a credit card.

[sidjameson]

I dont know about the rest of Japan, but Hokkaido has great camp sites that are often free. I had the best month traveling around and seeing the place for next to nothing.

[Filinadian]

My buddy and I went to Shin Okubo for some Korean food, but because I live out in Saitama, I missed my last train from Akabane. He offered to go with me to an internet cafe (Manboo was the name of the cafe - a franchise I think) eventhough he lived in Takadanobaba.

It was pretty interesting. You can save a lot of mony by going to an internet cafe. He told me most people that travel to Tokyo or stay for a few days, sometimes use internet cafes rather than hotels because the prices are cheaper, and also because they have entertainment for you (such as a PC, Playstation 2, Manga and DVDs).

The cool thing is that some of them have a shower you can use. I saw a lot of people checking in the internet cafe with mid-size luggages. I assume they were treating the internet cafes like a hotel. And yes, they do have private booths, but the price is a bit higher than a regular booth. You get privacy, but in terms of sound, because the walls don't go all the way up to the ceiling, you occasionaly hear someone sneeze or cough. Other than that, it is generally quiet. Also, the one I stayed at offered all-you-can-drink bar, but of course no alcoholic beverages.

So it is a great option if you are looking for cheap places to stay, but in terms of tranquility, if you have sensitive ears, then it might not be a good choice for you. Good luck.


Filinadian

[whatthefunk]

most internet cafes are great to sleep in...do it all the time. sleeping in one tonight. most of them have a 6 hour night pack from about 1000-2000 yen, but most also have a 8 hour pack for just a bit more. always get the booth, be sure the chairs are big and recline. some even have sofas.

booking hostels is pretty easy and you dont need much japanese.
"yoyaku shitin desu kedo" is what you should say when they answer the phone. they will ask you when, you can say "kyou" (today), "ashita" (tomorrow). they will ask you how many people, sex, if you want meals, how long you will stay. many of the receptionists speak a bit of english too, so that should help you out. japanese people are nice enough that you could probably even get away with putting a pitiful look on your face and asking somebody on the street to do it for you.

[tokyo story]

I've stayed over a few times.

Personally I'd only do it if you missed the train. Even on a reclining chair it's not that comfortable & it can be pretty hot. Plus some guy always has porn turned up too loud (despite the head phones), so you hear moaning all the time.

The last time I did it, one of the staff asked me to turn off my cellphone alarm clock -- granted I took a while coming round, but you have to pay extra if you stay after 6 hours.

[MrCAPiTUL]

You know, I think that will be the one of the hardest things to get used to - not having 24 hour subway service. I'm from NYC so our trains ran nonstop (I'm actually in FL, at present, but even here we drive everywhere so it isn't an issue). I suspect that will drive me bonkers a little bit. Especially if I go out. In NY or even Miami, you can stay out until 6am, easily. Don't think that'll quite happen in Nagoya. Not that I really go out terribly much, anyway, but still. . .

[Dooly]

Thanks for all of the replies! I plan on mostly taking 2 or 3 day trips to places, so it sounds like an Internet Cafe will do if I can`t get into the youth hostel. I can always catch up on my sleep when I get back home.