Video: Kyoto’s 9h, a capsule hotel

Kyoto’s nine-hour hotel isn’t a new concept, but rather, a new take on a popular Japanese business. The 9h hotel is, at its heart, exactly what its name sounds like. The planned stay includes one hour to shower, seven hours to sleep and one hour to rest. The minimum stay is four hours, and the maximum is 17 at a rate of 300 to 400 yen per hour. Check-in is available at any hour of the day, 365 days per year.

Designed in an an impeccably clean, minimalist layout (the entire hotel has only four colors) the 9h has separate floors for sleeping, showering and changing, each designated by gender. Men and women even ride separate elevators. All amenities are provided, right down to alarm clocks.

Sleeping takes place in a small pod, stacked two high, which includes a light-based alarm clock system engineered by Panasonic that wakes the traveler at their pre-set time by raising the level of light within the pod. From the outside, the most someone can see is a faint orange glow.

The hotel has not yet made inroads into other cities – the brand’s owner says he first wants to perfect the model in Japan. What do you think? Would you visit a capsule hotel?