Forget bed and breakfast, Japan has invented a new style of B’n’B (‘Book and Bed’) and it’s every bibliophile’s dream come true. The hostel calls itself an ‘accommodation bookshop’, and they cheekily claim that the quality of the books on offer means they cannot guarantee a good night’s sleep, as you may be up all night reading.
Aside from having access to shelves and shelves of books all free to borrow for the duration of your stay, Book and Bed patrons can pick between three accommodation options – Compact, Standard and Double – while toilets and showers are shared facilities. There’s also a bar on site, and w-fi is free – not that you’d dream of putting down your book to pick up a laptop.
Their first outlet in Ikebukuro has become so wildly popular that they have branched out to Asakusa in Tokyo, as well as Fukuoka and Kyoto. A night’s stay starts from ¥3,800, but if all you want is to relax with a good read, come during the day and use the facility for ¥500 per hour. Better yet, you can stay from 1pm to 5pm for a flat rate of only ¥1,500.