Mellow Monk's Green Tea Blog: Japan's capsule hotels

At some point, any blog having to do with Japan is required to mention that country's capsule hotels. I have now fulfilled that requirement.

Yet despite being the butt of many jokes and the subject of much derision, capsules, by all accounts, are a convenient and inexpensive alternative to much pricier (and still by no means cavernous) hotels. A capsule can be the perfect thing when, say, you've missed the last train home after an evening of after-work revelry—which seems to be a common scenario among guests at capsule hotels.

Japan also has incredibly strict drunk-driving laws, so capsules are also convenient for drivers who've exceeded their limit.