Morning, Narita! I stayed at 9 Hours Capsule Hotel in Narita Airport Terminal 2 because I had to catch an early morning flight to Taipei for work. Early morning flights will be the death of me and till today, I try to avoid morning flights as much as I can. I woke up at 5am to take a hot shower before checking out and heading to Narita Airport Terminal 3 for my 9am flight.

It was 2°C in Narita, but I decided to dress lightly because I expected Taipei to be ~20°C

Had to take a shuttle bus to Narita Airport's terminal 3 and people were giving me incredulous stares because of the way I was dressed — long sleeve top and jeans when everyone else was in several layers of huge coats.

9 Hours Narita Capsule Hotel Review

It's as if heavens answered my prayers for cheap and convenient accommodation in Japan with capsules hotels, which have been steadily gaining popularity with Japan tourists. For my budget Japan solo travel, I stayed in 9 Hours Narita Capsule Hotel — the airport's answer to my hatred for early morning flights.

9 Hours Capsule Hotel is named after Japan's belief that you only need nine hours to recharge yourself after a busy day: one hour to shower, seven hours of sleep, one hour of preparation. Popular with tourists for its unique concept, 9 Hours Capsule Hotel has four capsule hotels around Japan — in Kyoto, Narita, Sendai and Shinjuku-North.

Similar to my stay at Imano Tokyo Hostel, I booked 9 Hours Capsule Hotel via Booking.com, and checking in was super convenient! A few taps on the iPad and confirmation with my passport was all it took. The staff at 9 Hours Capsule Hotel then passed me a key to my locker, and a bag with a body towel, face towel, a bathrobe and bedroom slippers.

God, I was already impressed by the service provided by 9 Hours Capsule Hotel — I didn't expect much because a capsule hotel is meant for guests to just check in, sleep, check out but I guess Japan has its way of surprising everyone with its hospitality.