Book lovers rejoice! A self-proclaimed “accommodation bookshop,” Book and Bed Tokyo is essentially a library that guests can snooze in.
This affordable hostel has room for 30 guests and a selection of 1,700 books in both Japanese and English.
Those looking for Japanese literature will find English translations of works such as Essays in Idleness, the collected works of the 14th-century Buddhist monk Yoshida Kenko, and a rich selection of international fiction and nonfiction.
“When I go to five-star hotels, the bed is lovely, but I find myself wanting to sleep in the bar,” says So Rikimaru of R-Store, the company that runs the space.
“Even if there is a comfortable bed, sometimes you still want to be in a more interesting place. We wanted to make a place where people can have a good time and sleep.”
The hotel is reached by elevator that brings guests up to the seventh floor into a wood-paneled lobby.
Book and Bed hide their beds behind bookshelves, with some guests only able to access theirs by climbing ladders.
Books even hang from the ceiling, and visitors are welcome to read whatever they want, whenever they want.
Each small room comes with a book light so you can spend time reading at all hours.
Some of the capsules are hidden behind layers of books. So you sleep encircled by books.
The hotel’s website explains, “there are no comfortable mattresses, fluffy pillows nor lightweight and warm down duvets.” Instead, guests are invited to read until the words blur into dreams.
The shared bathroom has an industrial Tokyo-styling. It's simple, but it's clean and functional.
1-17-7, Lumiere buillding 7th floor, Nishi Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku Tokyo, Japan 171-0021
