After I stayed at Popeye Media Cafe in Fukuoka , I was charged to keep going. Like my explorations

After I stayed at Popeye Media Cafe in Fukuoka , I was charged to keep going.  Like my explorations of Korean love motels and bathhouses , I was ready to take the tour of manga cafes (aka manga kissas ).  Afterall, what I experienced for a $12 overnight stay was pretty darned exciting and if done right, it could be a ghetto palace.
My first night in Tokyo, I stayed at a hostel in the popular Akihabara district . It cost around $22/night  for a dorm bed at an old, run-down building with fickle hot water and the reek of cigarette smoke coming from a downstairs bar. The showers and bathrooms on each floor were hodge-podge work-around creations ( a shower in a sink? And a sink built over a toilet?). The mattresses were so used, they were practically futons. One night was enough.
Next, I stayed with a girlfriend in the Chiba prefecture, halfway between the airport and Tokyo. Staying in a Japanese home with local hosts is a wonderful opportunity to experience an authentic Japanese lifestyle and cuisine. Unfortunately, budget-wise, car rental and australia free doesn t mean cheap. The ride to her prefecture alone, was the cost of my hostel, not to mention, customary Thank you gifts ( pre and post visit), hiked up the cost. It s definitely a stay I enjoyed and was grateful for.  But it s certainly, not cheap to stay with friends. car rental and australia Unless you re fine with mooching.
My last night in Tokyo, I wanted to try the capsule car rental and australia hotel in Akihabara . But standing before the night manager inquiring about a night s stay,  the fees began piling up with services I didn t expected. I had to rent a storage locker for my bag? There was a charge car rental and australia for using my credit card? Furthermore,
All this nothing and No costed around $40. I stood outside car rental and australia for a while, contemplating the choice, while illegally smoking a cigarette in a non-smoking zone. It was 10pm. The choice was stressful (hence, the cigarette). Do I or don t I?  Go with the capsule or run across town to a manga cafe listing in Shinjuku? Essentially, I d be paying for the glory of saying I tried a capsule hotel (And let s face-it car rental and australia every traveler who goes to Japan tries a capsule hotel anyways. It wasn t new or different). Meanwhile, I really needed to charge car rental and australia my camera and iPod batteries for the next day. My clock was ticking. I had an hour to decide. The train stopped running at midnight.
When I got out of Shinjuku subway, many businesses car rental and australia were already closed. Most building lights were off around Shinjuku station and only a couple of shops were still open, with owners getting ready to leave. No more train service for the evening. Good or bad, this cafe needed to be it for the night, but the building wasn t looking to be an easy find. I asked a passing pedestrian for directions
When the elevator doors opened, there was already car rental and australia a queue of Japanese waiting to check in. Some were already holding overnight bags. The layout car rental and australia of @Gran Bagus Cafe was black, sleek and glossy. The lounge/lobby area had a wall of soft drink and food vending machines.Two front desk attendants dressed in white long-sleeved shirts were servicing customers. I was in a good place. I looked at the price list on the wall. Feeling fatigue,  I decided to splurge. No reclining car rental and australia chair, car rental and australia this time . I d go for the 9 hour package at a flat cubicle compartment and sleep in.  I needed the rest. What did I get?
Clean. Whenever someone left their cubicle space or I exited the bathroom, a cleaner went in and rigorously cleaned and wiped everything down. For instance, when I walked into the (shared) shower, it felt like having a private hotel bathroom. Everything was clean, sparkly, white and not a drop of water was left as evidence that someone was there before me. I got 20 minutes of shower time. Unlike Popeye Media Cafe , I had to pay a small shower fee, which was almost equivalent to the cost of Popeye s towel rental (so it actually balances out). For that fee, I got a clean, white towel, car rental and australia free toothbrush and razor .
@Gran Bagus Cafe and Popeye Media Cafe are well-known chain cafes in Japan. They re boutique cafes and although they ll cost a bit more than smaller cafes, they carry the amenities for a comfortable overnight stay.  Not to mention, car rental and australia they have the capacity to bed as many people as a small hotel (Bagus ranged around 200 cubicle spaces). So if you re looking for a last minute place to crash during the week, your odds aren t bad. However, for weekends, you might want to get there early to secure a spot. While I can t vouch for every chain or location. If you know nothing about Japan or were short on time, I d suggest checking out these larger chains first. They re more likely to maintain similar standards.
At night, some manga kissas offer luggage storage or you can keep it in your unit. Storing your luggage in the daytime after you ve checked out of the cafe, is the real trick I stored mine train lockers.
Every metro station in Tokyo has locker areas and many of them will fit a standard-sized roll-on suitcase (the size that would fit a plane s overhead compartment).  It s 400 yen for a locker for large bags. This is why you may want to consider packing light and taking a roll-on suitcase or small backpack or sports duffle.  If I traveled with my ordinary backpackers backpack, I might have a harder car rental and australia time fitting it into the train lockers.
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@Agness: To stay within the $25/day limit certainly can be a challenge but not impossible. Y all seem to do well with Couchsurfing an option I ve not been successful at. The lowest cost hostel in Tokyo started car rental and australia at around $19/night. This manga cafe, I upgraded my stay. I didn t take the cheapest, because I wanted greater comfort and to see what other possibilities there were. Most of my days I hit around $30/day, but I ll bet you both could find a way to slim that down.
I looked into a couple capsule hotels online before I went to Tokyo but they were all male only and still pretty pricey so I gave up and went to AirBnB. If I was only going for a few days and could travel lightly these cafes sound like a great option.
@Melissa: Yeah, most of them are male only. The only one I know of is in Asakusa. Think I found it on Hostelbookers or Hostelworld. Thought about AirBnB for a more local perspective. How did that turn out for you?