Tokyo's Best Hostel Lets You Have A Sleepover In A Bookstore

When you're backpacking, there's nothing quite as nice as tucking in early and curling up with a book in your hostel. And that's doubly true at Tokyo's Book and Bed hostel, a place designed to look and feel like sleeping over in an old bookstore for the night.

Hostels tend to be one of a couple things. Either they're antiseptic dorm rooms lined with tile, fluorescent overheads, and crisp bleached sheets or "rustic" fleabags. So you've got to give props to Book and Bed, the self-described "accommodation bookshop," for finding a different aesthetic. It's full of lined shelves, cozy nooks, and comfortable reading lights, not to mention thousands of books that guests can peruse.

Located in the commercial/entertainment hub of Northwest Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, Book and Bed was designed by Makoto Tanijiri and Ai Yoshida. Not only is it filled with more than 1,700 Japanese and English books, curated by Shibuya Publishing & Booksellers, the hostel bunks themselves are built right into the bookshelves, with each separate nook outfitted with a separate mattress, light, and power strip.

You can't buy the books, sadly, but you can read them to your heart's content, as long as you're willing to rent a bunk for the night. Prices ranged for around $29 for a "compact" bookshelf to around $37 for a "standard," which is actually pretty good for a hostel located in one of the most expensive cities on Earth.

If you're a librophile looking to go to Tokyo, you can book a room at the Book and Bed website here.

'); window.ga('send', 'event', 'User' , 'Interaction' , this.key + ':ArticleView:newsletter:fail'); window.ga('rollup.send', 'event', 'User' , 'Interaction' , this.key + ':ArticleView:newsletter:fail'); if (index === data.response.errors.length - 1 ) { var successfulSubscribes = newsletters.diff(failedSubscribes); $(successfulSubscribes).each(function(index) { $form.parent('div').prepend(''); window.ga('send', 'event', 'User' , 'Interaction' , this + ':ArticleView:newsletter:success'); window.ga('rollup.send', 'event', 'User' , 'Interaction' , this +':ArticleView:newsletter:success'); }); } }); } else { $form.parent('div').html(''); $form.parent('div').removeClass('error'); window.ga('send', 'event', 'User' , 'Interaction' , 'fastcompany:ArticleView:newsletter:success'); window.ga('rollup.send', 'event', 'User' , 'Interaction' , 'fastcompany:ArticleView:newsletter:success'); window.ga('send', 'event', 'User' , 'Interaction' , 'events:ArticleView:newsletter:success'); window.ga('rollup.send', 'event', 'User' , 'Interaction' , 'events:ArticleView:newsletter:success'); } }; function _formFail ($form, error) { if (!$form) { return; } console.warn('error: ', error); // Use message from server response var message = JSON.parse(error.responseText); if (message.response && message.response.message) { message = message.response.message; // Error message not provided } else { message = 'Please enter a valid email address.'; } var $parent = $form.parent('div'); // Remove other errors first var $errors = $parent.find('.alert-box'); if ($errors) { $errors.fadeOut(300, function() { $(this).remove(); }); } if (message && (message.code === -100)||(message.code === 220)) { message = 'Please enter a valid email address.'; } // Append new errors $form.parent('div').prepend(''); $form.find('input').prop('disabled', false); }; }); })