Hotel Carna A

I got a lovely sunrise view from my bed, and the capsule itself was comfortable, with a wooden platform beside it that added some room. I booked at 10 pm and accidentally chose a male-only room, but after calling I was able to switch capsules. The common eating area has no posted closing time, just a request to keep the noise down. Some guests were upset because people were making noise while others were trying to sleep. A door or a set closing time might help avoid that friction. The 8th-floor shower rooms look nice at first, but the floor mats were moldy and the water pressure was weak. I also used the face wash/makeup remover and my eyes started burning. The motion sensors at the sinks weren't sensitive enough when I tried to rinse them.

The bed is comfortable and clean, and they provide the basics, but the whole setup feels clunky. Wi-Fi barely works. You have to check out at 10 and check back in at 3, whether you're staying one night or more. Staying until noon costs extra. Cleaners also come into the room and start at 9, so sleeping in is hard and it doesn't feel very welcoming. The locker is on the first floor, separate from the room, so getting something from your bag means going between floors. You also have to hand in your key every time you leave. With just one receptionist, I ended up waiting in line both to hand it over and to get it back.

It's a hostel with a shared spa bath where everyone walks in naked and soaks together in the hot pool. There aren't private shower rooms. The staff were polite, and they provide a robe, soap, towel, and toothbrush, though the place isn't designed very well in a few ways. There's only one charging socket in each cube, and just two in the third-floor common area. The lockers are away from the cabins, so retrieving things from a large bag means going up and down. The locker room smells awful. They provide one small towel per night, so if you shower twice a day, you'll need to dry it yourself.

A clean, comfortable place to stay in Kumamoto, and I really liked the onsen. It's also well located and made a good spot to rest while visiting the city.