'Cuz Hotels Are For the Weak (Internet Café Tutorial)

I joke, I joke! Please don't kill me! XD

As some of you might know, I have been traveling across Japan quite a bit since I came here in August last year. Truth be told, I am not one to travel light. I'd rather lug around a bunch of bags all day than to do without my favorite clothes or skin products. It's ridiculous. Well, that might be the only way in which I am not made for back-packing. And although I may be an impulsive buyer when it comes to souvenirs, as for the rest, I usually settle for the cheap options. Transportation is strictly limited to local trains (8-to-10-hour-long train rides with 6+ transfers don't scare me). As for accommodation, I have never booked a hostel, much less a hotel room. In almost all cases, I have stayed at net cafes, a unique and developed alternative that has been gaining popularity these days in Japan. That being said, many of my friends don't share my enthusiasm towards manga kissas. While they might not be suited for everyone, they certainly more than suffice for me. Whenever I'm off traveling again (especially if I happen to lose my way), even if I reach my destination unscathed, albeit tired and dirty, nothing makes me happier than to find a net cafe to crash in (except maybe the familiar sight of a conbini).

For the purpose of this article, I will use pictures taken at a cafe that I recently stayed at, located in Nagoya, called ROUNGE (yes lol) and which is to date probably the best one I have found.

In essence, Internet cafes are a place where patrons can rent a seat and usually a computer desktop or TV screen to use. One may also bring their own computer, but regardless, they have to pay an hourly fare to stay there. The period of rent can be anywhere between 30 minutes and 10-12 hours or more. There are often thousands of manga to choose from, all free to pick up and read at your convenience and leisure. There are open seats (basically, tables lined with chairs and computers) and private booths (a closed cubicle with a door to have some peace and quiet). Of course, private booths are more expensive than open seats. On top of that, with booths, you must choose the type of seat you want: reclining chair, relax chair, massage chair, business chair, flat (floor-mat usually made of padded leather), etc. It's possible to sleep on a reclining or relax chair as they also provide something to put your feet on. Massage chairs are fun until you try to sleep on them... Flats are ideal in my opinion, as it is easy to lie down on them to sleep. Most cafes provide blankets and slippers for free, so you can get a little bit more comfortable, and of course, there is air conditioning year-long, and heating during the winter.

Open seats vs. private booths

Most net cafes that I've been to have smoking and non-smoking areas, but in small shops, it might not make much of a difference as the smell tends to spread and linger. Some net cafes will also have women-only areas that are closed off to unwanted guests with drapes or curtains. But I don't usually look for that in particular. You can get all the privacy you want by choosing a booth.

Prices vary according to each shop, and may also change on given days like weekends and holidays, or a specific day of the week for the ladies. It can get expensive during the day, but there are usually "night packs" with interesting prices. The standard price is 1800-2000 yen for 8 hours. After visiting a cafe once, you might also be given "waribiki" (discount) coupons that will make that price go down the next time you go. What changes the most is probably the variety of services that are offered. For one, not all net cafes have showers, but many of them do. Some may also accept credit cards, allow clients to bring in their own foods and drinks from the conbini, have laundry rooms (quite rare!), karaoke rooms for one, darts and other types of games and services.

Showers are often available, but are not a given, so I always try to look up cafes on the net before I visit them. (Showering usually comes before sleeping in my list of priorities.) Sometimes, their use will be free to all customers, and other times you will have to pay to use them. (In general, between 100 and 300 yen for 20 to 30 minutes. Trust me, it's worth it.) Necessities like a hair drier, and body soap and shampoo are provided. You may need to rent a towel if you don't have one. In cases where you have to pay for the towel, the shower itself might be free to use. If you're lucky, body lotion and other types of skin care products may also be available. Some shower rooms are basic, but I have seen pretty fancy and clean ones. I have never come across anything horribly unsanitary.

If there is anything you are missing or if you are in the mood for a snack, the cafe you're staying at might have what you need. In almost every cases, you can buy cup noodles, potato chips, chocolate, etc. but I have also seen cafes that carried towels, underwear, clothes, toothbrushes, razors... Anything you're bound to need on your trip. Sometimes, they give them to you for free.

It seems to me like free-drink bars are to be expected when it comes to net cafes. I don't think I have ever come across one that didn't have any or that you had to pay for, but the choices are sometimes limited. However, in many cases, there are at least a few options to choose from, both warm and cold, and some places have up to two or three large machines with dozens of different choices each: soft drinks, juices and tea, but also coffee, mochas, espressos, lattes, strawberry or matcha au lait, onion or corn soup, etc. Not so common are food vending machines, but they do exist and usually carry dishes such as takoyaki, potato fries, chicken nuggets, rice balls, etc. For a few hundred yens, you can get a pretty decent, warm snack. You may also order proper meals from the net cafe's menu (like ramen or curry, fried chicken, pasta or pizza) or even a restaurant in some cases (ex: Domino's).

Don't need to sleep? Why go, you ask? The high concentration of electric outlets may be reason enough for you, especially if you have traveled enough to see just how scarce they can be in Japan. If you rely on a smart phone extensively like I do, you will cry tears of happiness when you can finally plug in your deceased cellphone. That or you can flit from Starbucks to Tully's and whatnot in hopes to find one that will satisfy your energy crave. But keep in mind that even if you do find one, it will probably be crowded (like most shops in Japan). In those times, remember my words and locate a net cafe as soon as you can. So exactly how do you do that?

Net cafes can usually be found near train stations, along with pachinko (slot machine) houses and bars. Venturing into that kind of district might seem a bit daunting for some, but in general, it's pretty safe. I've never had any problems, but there have been a few times when I got a little scared because it was getting late and dark and my phone's GPS was going haywire. (It never fails to abandon me when I need it most. That's one thing I can can rely on it for...)

Here are a few net cafes that I recommend:

In Gunma:

1. side Ebot (Takasaki)
Takasaki, Gunma Egi-cho 333-1
http://sideebot.com/

Located at about a 10-minutes' walk from Takasaki station's East (?) exit (the one with the 109 Cinemas). You need a membership card which costs 300 yen. You can get 9 hours for 1600 yen with the night pack deal. As a resident of Gunma, I've been saved many times by this place whenever I went somewhere (usually Tokyo) and couldn't make it back on time for my last train. The only problem is that they don't have showers. Otherwise, they have soup, a slushie machine and drinks. It's a bit bright and the music can get annoying if you're trying to catch some Z's but it's not so bad. Really clean. Definitely beats spending the night walking around in the cold while looking for a place to kill a few hours while having nothing better to do and having in your possession a scumbag phone that decided to leave you (AGAIN!) to bask in your misery without a single clue as to where to go.

Of course, that never happened to me.

In the Tokyo area:

1. Lark Space (Asakusabashi, Tokyo):
〒111-0053 Tokyo, Taito, Asakusabashi, 1 Chome−9−13, 第111東京ビル2F
http://lark-space.com/

Located in front of Asakusabashi metro station and about 2 minutes' walk from the JR train station bearing the same name. Costs about 1500 yen for a 8-hour pack in the private booths and 1700 yen for 10 hours. Shower costs 300 yen to use but the towel (which has a lovely smell) is free. Pretty clean despite the subtle smell of cigarette. Has an ice cream machine. Will give you between 100 and 200 yen discounts every time you go back. Usually quiet. Amazing classical background music soundtrack. (I'm serious. It's really good. Also, the detergent they wash the blankets and towels with smells amazing. Next time I go, I'm gonna muster all my courage and best Japanese and ask them about it.)

In general, all of the CAFE BAGUSes that I've been to were great. There are quite a few of those in Tokyo (like Shinjuku and Shibuya) so look for them!

In the Osaka area:

1. Bbc@fe (Shin-Osaka, Osaka):
〒532-0011 Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Yodogawa Ward, Nishinakajima, 3−23−9, 4F
http://www.blat-st.com/Bb-cafe_s/

Located at about a 10-minutes' walk from Shin-Osaka station's West exit. For 9 hours of well-deserved rest, it costs 1900 yen, but the shower is free and they don't really bother you about the time unless you stay in there for an eternity or two. You need to bring your own towel, otherwise you have to pay to rent one. (Don't worry, though. If you hang it up on your cubicle door, it should be dry by the time you leave.) Just be careful not to be placed near the smoking area if you choose a flat. Once, I had a booth with an open window that kept me up shivering all night. The relax chairs are very comfortable and it's warm and nice in that area. You can borrow clean blankies and there are tons of free drinks to choose from. It has a very modern and sharp décor.

In Nagoya:

1. ROUNGE (Sakae, Nagoya):
名古屋市中区錦三丁目17-15 栄ナナイロ9F
http://www.rounge.co.jp/sakae.html

Located right next to the Sakae metro station. Whenever I visited, I was able to get eight hours of bliss at 1800 yen (with the night pack) and take a nice long shower (it's 200 yen for 20 minutes or 300 yen for 30). This place is amazing. It looks so posh and classy despite being so cheap, the open seats area is quite a sight (see the neat space-ship lights at the top of the page), there are tons of magazines and manga to choose from, the shower rooms are huge and you can use quality body products for free. Bring a towel if you can so you don't have to pay for one. The cafe is pretty big and has a separate smoking area (YES!). Other than that, it's the usual deal. Oh, but they do have an interesting personnel. Most of them are men, handsome and friendly. :B

Hey, it's as good a reason as any!

Note: Check back again later, I'll try to update this post as I discover new treasures!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!