Created to meet the need for hotel rooms in the crowded urban centers around Japan, they provide the most basic of accommodations when visiting a city. A bed, and not much more, is fit into the science fiction-esque sleeping quarters. Some technology is mounted on the walls, but not much more, as it's aimed at visitors who have better things to do in Osaka than spend hours sitting around in a rented room.
There is more to do at the hotel than to just enjoy your personal pod, as it is equipped with a variety of communal rooms, such as saunas and a comic book room, though many of the extras cost a little to use.
First opened in 1979, the trend has spread to other locations and cities, but doesn't seem to have left this corner of the globe.
