Sapporo Hostels

The location is super convenient, with a 7-Eleven right downstairs. The elevators are separated for men and women, and you need a key card to go up. The second floor has a restaurant and a lounge area, and the third floor has very clean bathrooms. My floor, the sixth, also had a restroom. The bed was quite large, but there was a hair on the sheets – not sure if they weren't changed or if there was another reason. I was too tired from my business trip to bother asking about it, so I just slept. Overall, it was still good, not noisy, and I was able to get some sleep.

I initially thought that staying in a hostel/capsule hotel like this would be a terrible experience, but it turned out to be surprisingly good. Of course, I booked it because it was cheap. During the peak season of the Snow Festival, it was significantly cheaper, even half the price of other regular hotels. So, even if the experience was bad, I could tolerate it, but it actually wasn't. Plus, I got to experience the local (northern) sauna culture, which was quite new for me, a southerner. First, let's talk about the location. It's a straight five-minute walk from Susukino Station, and there's also a city tram stop right outside, so transportation is very convenient. Personally, I recommend taking the airport bus because you don't have to drag your luggage so far. In Susukino, it's naturally convenient for dining and shopping. There's a convenience store just across the street downstairs, basically solving most of your needs. There are 4.5 floors of hotel accommodation, with over a hundred beds on each floor. When I went, it was the peak season of the Snow Festival, but the occupancy rate seemed to be only about half, so there weren't that many people near your bed. There might be occasional noise, but guests from all over the world are generally well-behaved and consciously control their volume during quiet hours. So, staying here is pretty much like a school dorm. If you can accept a school dorm, then this place should be fine too. After staying, I realized that this place is essentially a three-in-one: accommodation is capsule (hostel) + internet cafe. You buy a bed, and the public area provides basic entertainment like comics. Showering is in a Japanese public bathhouse, which also has hot spring pools and a sauna area. I recommend that those who haven't been before should learn about the customs and etiquette in advance. The dining area is similar to an izakaya, operating from evening until 1 AM, offering basic staple foods and some drinks. The overall facilities and services are quite comprehensive, and I didn't feel any inconvenience during my four or five-day stay. If you think the bed is expensive, there's a sneaky trick (prerequisite: you need to understand Japanese and the billing rules). You can use it like a Japanese public bathhouse, just like the locals do. Go in and select the 'day trip' (日帰り) option on the machine. Sometimes, the final bill will be cheaper than booking a bed. However, the downside is that you won't have a bed, and you'll have to find a place to spend the night in the dining area or public lounge on the 7th floor. If there are too many people, you might not find a place to rest. So, judge for yourselves. This trick is recommended for those who are more familiar with Japan. Before staying, I saw some reviews mentioning two concerns, and now I'll address them based on my actual experience: First, female staff passing through the changing area outside the bathhouse. I did encounter this two or three times. I guess the front desk and dining staff took the stairs to the dining area to save elevator waiting time. They also tried to keep their heads down and avoid looking, so I personally don't mind. If you do, then I suggest you consider not staying here. Second, the air conditioning is kept at 18-20 degrees Celsius (64-68°F), which was perfect for me. After all, it's below zero outdoors, and too large a temperature difference can be uncomfortable.

You can find this hostel by typing ”theatel” into Google Maps, and the navigation is pretty accurate. It's located on the third floor of a building with two entrances. One entrance has ”F-45” written on it, and there's a floor directory next to it (with the hostel's name listed on the 3rd-floor section). The other entrance has a huge 'egg' shaped sculpture in front of it. Near this egg sculpture, you can see the famous landmark beer billboard (featuring an old foreign man's face). You can also see the hostel's name when you enter the building from behind the egg sculpture. Take the elevator to the third floor, and after exiting, turn right to find the front desk. Sometimes the front desk is unattended, but there's a tablet nearby with a QR code. Just scan it with your phone's camera to self-check-in (you'll need to enter a four-digit reservation code). The female-only section has a code-locked door (I received the code on my phone during self-check-in, and also in the email I provided when I made the reservation). After entering the code, there are two more doors: one leads to the accommodation area (my capsule bed was very clean and soft, came with two hangers, a bath towel, a blackout curtain at the entrance, a power outlet by the headboard, an overhead storage cabinet, a box of tissues, and a pair of indoor slippers at the foot of the bed). The other door leads to the washroom area (which I thought was cleverly designed). The innermost part has several shower stalls + changing areas, all equipped with shower gel and shampoo. Outside of that, there are a few coin-operated washing machines, and further out, two rows of sinks. There are stools under the sinks, and hand towels and hairdryers on top. Next to the sinks, in a separate area, are several toilets. The entire washroom area was very clean, and I actually found the toilet paper quality to be quite good. Perhaps influenced by the widely held belief about 'quiet Japanese society,' the entire hostel was very quiet. I booked and paid in advance through an online platform, so I didn't have to pay anything extra from check-in to check-out. On the wall above the foot of my capsule bed, there was a 'check-in guide' (with the Wi-Fi name and password, and a check-out QR code). You need to check out before 10 AM by scanning the code and confirming. I was very satisfied with my stay.

I chose this hotel because it didn't require a minor consent form, and it was good. The front desk staff were friendly, and everything from cleanliness to facilities was excellent. However, you cannot enter your room from 10 AM to 4 PM. This was the biggest drawback, so I had to set my alarm for 9:30 AM to go about my day, which was very difficult. I would recommend this place if that doesn't bother you, but I wouldn't recommend it to those who want to enter the hotel whenever they please.

We booked a twin room, which was clean and not cold in winter. The hotel's location is great, very close to the subway station, just a short walk away. If you don't want to take the subway, you can take a taxi. There's also a 7-Eleven nearby! The hotel provides umbrellas at the entrance, has a lounge, and a kitchen with facilities. The room is actually quite large, not as small as I imagined. We had four suitcases and other bags, which was enough for us. The only drawback is that there's no private bathroom (and it seems you have to pay two yuan to buy a toothbrush). But overall, it exceeded my expectations!