First Cabin Atagoyama : Tokyo Capsule Hotel Review

Introducing First Cabin Atagoyama, a capsule hotel I stayed at on my first night in Tokyo. Of all the capsule hotel rooms I’ve booked so far, the private cabins seem to be the most spacious and comfortable. So I had high expectations. Here’s my honest review of my stay.

• 3 Chome-10-7 Nishishinbashi, Minato City, Tokyo 105-0003, Japan

First Cabin Atagoyama is located in the heart of downtown Tokyo. Just two subway stops down from Shimbashi Station, or a 20-minute walk from Onarimon Station.

However, the capsule hotel itself is farther away from the subway station than I expected. If you have a suitcase or luggage, be prepared to walk a bit. There were convenience stores around the capsule hotel. But I think you’d have to go out to Shinbashi to find a restaurant.

It’s definitely in the center of Tokyo, so it wasn’t too much of a hassle to get around and do some sightseeing. However, the area around First Cabin Atagoyama Capsule Hotel is more of a business district than a tourist area. So on weekday evenings, there was very little traffic and it felt quiet.

Tokyo Tower, Shimbashi, and parks are all within walking distance of First Cabin Atagoyama, so it was a great way to get a taste of Tokyo.

First Cabin Atagoyama is unusual in that it doesn’t accept reservations through hotel booking platforms. So I booked through the official First Cabin website. It was available in Korean, but there were some parts that didn’t translate well. So I didn’t quite understand the options.

First Cabin Capsule Hotel has two room types: the First Class Cabin room with extra space next to the bed, and the Business Class Cabin room with just a bed.

On weekdays, the first class cabin was 7500 yen and the business class cabin was 6000 yen, a difference of 1500 yen. If you make a reservation in advance, they seem to offer discounts. So I booked the option that included tomato soup for breakfast for a discounted price of 6100 yen.

The men’s and women’s rooms were separate and had to be booked separately. You don’t have to pay when you make a reservation, but when you check in.

<Booking First Cabin Atagoyama>

• Check-in – 15:00
• Check-out – 10:00

Check-in took place on the 6th floor of the First Cabin Atagoyama capsule hotel building, where there was a check-in counter, lounge, and men’s bath.

Upon check-in, I was given a card key to get in and out of my room and a capsule hotel facility guide. I was also given a ticket for breakfast. In front of the counter were amenities for showering, etc. and disposable earphones for watching TV in the room.

The keycard was the size of a regular card, but it had a thick coating on it to prevent it from being damaged. So it didn’t look like it could be carried in a regular card wallet.

The lounge was smaller than I expected for a capsule hotel with multiple floors. I didn’t go to the lounge in the evening, but I think it might be uncomfortable if there were a lot of people using it.

The hotel also sells alcohol and has a breakfast restaurant, and the prices were relatively reasonable. So I thought it would be okay to have a drink or a late-night snack here.

When checking out, I only had to return the first keycard I received to the counter to leave.

To get in and out of the hotel, you need to use the keycard you received at check-in, and the men’s and women’s floors were completely separated by the lounge.

The elevator in the building was set to go through the lounge on the 6th floor in order to go out from the guest room floor to the 1st floor. Even though my floor was the 4th floor, I had to go through the 6th floor to get to the 1st floor. Especially since there was only one elevator in the building. There were a lot of people using it, so I spent a lot more time waiting for the elevator than I thought. It was inconvenient because it also prevented me from going out through the stairs.

The floor I used was the 4th floor, which is the men’s floor. When I got off the elevator, the entrance to my room was on the right and the restroom was on the left. The restroom was spacious, so there was no long wait, and there were hair dryers at all three stalls. So I could wash my face or dry my hair.

The keycard I received at check-in was also required to access the right-hand cabin area.

The cabins are located on either side of the hallway and are screened off. The Breeze Class cabins had a screen that slides up, while the First Class cabins had a horizontal slide out. I’ve used the slide out at other capsule hotels and found the horizontal slide out to be more comfortable.

The cabin I booked was a First Class Cabin, and it definitely had a lot of space to the side of the bed. So I was able to leave my suitcase there and get my luggage out easily., It also had a circular desk, so I could put my tablet on top and watch videos or do some quick work while sitting up in bed.

The bag hanging on the coat rack to my left contained my hotel pajamas and towels that I would wear in a capsule hotel.

There were plenty of outlets on both sides of the bed. So I had no problem using my smart charging devices, and there was a controller to adjust the room’s lighting.

Also there was a drawer under the bed for storing valuables, with a key to lock it, but I didn’t use it.

There was a good-sized TV in front of the bed, with an earphone jack by the side of the bed. So you could watch TV in silence, which is something you don’t often get to do. Because the TV usually only shows Japanese programming. I travel with a set-top box that lets me watch YouTube, Netflix, and other things, so I plugged it in.

But I didn’t have any earphones, so I went to the lounge and got amenity earphone. but the quality of the earphones was really bad. It wasn’t listenable at all to me. So I gave up after a while and just watched videos on my tablet and airpods on the desk next to me. I would definitely recommend bringing earphones if you want to get the most out of your TV.

This is a picture of a cabin that someone else had checked out of in the morning. It definitely felt cramped, with no room for luggage next to me. However, there was a spot in the hallway where you could store your suitcase. Since there is a roughly 1000-1500 yen difference in price. I think I would choose the First Class Cabin for the extra money.

To take a bath, I had to go up from the 4th floor, where I was, to the 6th floor, where the large public bath was located. Once you get to the 6th floor, you need a keycard to enter the bath. For your information, the hotel knows that going back and forth by elevator can be inconvenient. So I was able to go back and forth between the public bath and my room by stairs.

There were no towels in the public bath, so I had to use the ones provided in my room.

The public bath was a small, typical bathhouse, with booths for sitting and individual washing and a hot tub. When I went to wash in the early morning, no one was there, so I was able to take a quick photo.

There was also one individual booth shower room next door, which was in use most of the time I went, probably because people like their privacy. I like to soak in hot water, so I used the large bathtub.

The laundry room was also located in the large public bath. It was a combination washer and dryer that automatically added detergent, so it seemed convenient to use. The cost varies depending on the option, but I had to pay between 400 and 500 yen to wash and dry at the same time. There was only one washing machine, so you might have to wait or not be able to use it in the evening.

I booked an option that included tomato soup for breakfast, so I went up to the 6th floor for breakfast, where I was given a cup of coffee and some tomato soup to eat. There were more people eating breakfast in the breakfast lounge than I expected. But I think I was the only one eating the tomato soup. I ate it because it was free, but the amount was small for breakfast and the flavor was so-so.

They were selling French toast and other breakfast items for about 500 yen. So if you’re in a hurry and can’t eat at a restaurant, you can grab a quick bite to eat. However, Tokyo is a foodie paradise, and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. So I don’t think you need to come here for breakfast on purpose.

So far, I’ve introduced you to the rooms and facilities of the Tokyo First Cabin Atagoyama Capsule Hotel. Personally, I was pleased with the rooms, although the elevator was slow and inconvenient to use.

However, there was a pitfall: there was a person who snored really loudly right next to my room. I was the first to fall asleep and slept until dawn, but after waking up at dawn, I couldn’t sleep anymore. This was the day I realized the biggest disadvantage of capsule hotels: I needed earplugs.

This is something you have to live with if you stay in a capsule hotel. But I can’t help but have a negative perception of capsule hotels, even though I’ve stayed in other capsule hotels where it was really quiet.

There aren’t many capsule hotels with such spacious rooms. So I think it’s a great option if you’re looking to travel solo on a budget.