It took about an hour to travel from Osaka to Kyoto but there was so much to see, we decided to spend the night in Kyoto. 

Depending on what you want to do, it might be a good idea to get the one-day bus pass to see the city. My favorite places to go were the Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine (伏見稲荷大社), Kinkaku-ji (金閣),  Cafe la siesta 8bit bar, and Okariba (お狩り場).

What really made the stay special was spending the night in a capsule at Nine Hours. A capsule hotel is special to Japan and features a large number of extremely small “rooms” which are known as capsules. It’s known as cheap, basic overnight accommodation, but this hotel will run you around ¥4,900 a person. I paid half the price by booking through Expedia.

The showers and sleeping areas are separated by gender. To some it might feel coffin-esque, but I felt like I was sleeping in a futuristic chamber on a space station. Rather than describe it as sterile, I found it efficient. I don’t feel the need to stay in one again, but I enjoyed the one-time experience.