The term ‘24 hour city’ is used far too loosely if you ask us. The flashy descriptor is mostly a myth, even in a place like Japan where, if it was to fit anywhere, this would be the place. OK, so the usage is not entirely misplaced, it’s just that it’s taken too holistically, the largest missing piece of the 24-hr puzzle being arguably the most important, transport. 

The last train home - 終電 / shuuden

This expat is based in Tokyo, where the last train home from central areas of the city is usually around midnight.  

Perhaps this sounds early to you. It does to me, and practically, it is. In a country where the work culture can keep people at their desks past 10 pm before dragging them out for compulsory (in a veiled way) company drinks, a midnight last train leaves little room for breathing space. In a kind of sods law predicament, it also does a poor job at balancing urges to stay out late but not wanting to stay out all night.  

What to do when you miss the last train home in Japan?

Luckily, with many cities in Japan, this is where the 24-hr label can be applied. There are numerous options for staying safe in the city while you wait for the first trains back home (usually around 5 am).  The costs, where they are listed, for each option are based around one person missing the 終電 / shuuden.  They are listed from the, roughly, five hours between midnight and the first train home.  A lot of these costs are based on Tokyo prices, as they will likely set the bar the most expensive, and thus worst-case scenario.

Family restaurants

The Japanese equivalent of the American diner? Maybe, but that’s not the point. Many (if not all) of Japan’s family restaurants are open 24 hours. Of course, one could opt for a fast food joint as a legitimate choice, but we’re going with family restaurants as they are a more comfortable, and sustainable, option, in large part because of their drink bars. The family restaurant drink bar is something of a cheapo institution here in Japan; all you can drink teas, coffees, and soft drinks for around 200 yen. The debate is whether or not it’s cool to have ‘drink bar’ as a solitary order. For me, I haven’t got the front, and certainly if you’re in for a four or five hour slog, then this isn’t going to cut it.

Costs: Minimum: drink bar ~ 200 yen / simple meal  600 - 1000 yen

Manga kissa

If you’re new to Japan’s manga kissa, you can read up on them in an earlier post from a blogger on City-Cost: Japan’s Internet Cafes and Manga Kissa: A Private Space For Work, Rest, and Play.

In brief summary; manga kissa are essentially internet cafes / manga libraries, open 24 hours and with private desks / booths that come with their own door and a variety of seat options (office chair, lounge chair, two-seater sofa). If you think overnighting it in an internet cafe is weird, consider then that some locals actually live in these places for a few weeks. The come with showers, basic food service, vending machines, and even sell toiletries. However, they can be very smoky, and lot of people come to these places to watch porn. Still, all in, they are a legitimate way to kill time / sleep until the first train home. Oh, and sometimes the vending machine drinks are complimentary.

The hurdle with using manga kissa when you’ve missed the last train (or at any time) is communication. You have to register with these place first. You’ll need to show your ‘gaijin card’ or passport. Some places are free to ‘join’, others command a small fee (no more than a few hundred yen). Once you’re in, at the cheaper end of things a 5-hour stay (sometimes referred to as a 時間パック / jikan pack) might cost around 1,500 yen. You would pay for this upfront. For shorter stays, consider paying as you go, in which case you might pay 300 - 500 yen upfront for the first 30 minutes and then around 100 yen every 15 mins afterwards.

Costs:  ~ 1,500 - 2,000 yen

Karaoke

For Japanese people, renting a karaoke box is probably the default option when forced to stay out all night, especially when they are in a group. You’re never far from a karaoke joint in urban Japan. At the top-end they can be like a scale version of a garish Las Vegas hotel. At the bottom end, they can be a mere step up from a grotty public toilet. Either way, they are warm, safe, have toilets, food and drink, and you can just go to sleep in them if that’s all you want to do. Oh, and there’s no shame in going into a karaoke joint in Japan on your own. And some of them have free soft drinks and ice cream.

Costs　　

There are a lot of variables here but in the nicer chains based on going it alone ...

30 mins (with one drink order) ~ 800 yen  

5 hours = ~ 8,000 yen

Much better to take the フリータイム (free time) options (often after midnight) which allow you to stay until closing (whenever that is) for a fixed fee … 

フリータイム (per person) - ~ 3,000 yen

Capsule hotel

Tread with a little caution at a capsule hotel in Japan. They are often the realm of the boozed up salaryman, and might not be the most welcoming, or comforting, of missed-the-last-train options for women. Still, they’ve been picking up their game recently to appear cleaner, safer, and more accessible for foreigners. If you can find the right one, a capsule hotel is probably the most comfortable of options in which to pass a few hours between trains.

Costs:  3,000 - 5,000 yen

The love hotel

For places specifically designed to facilitate the bumping of uglies, we’re not sure what the deal is on entering a love hotel on your own. Given that they are geared up for ultimate privacy though, a solo visit will more than likely go unnoticed. However, the love hotel remains a bold option for those who are on their own, as well as an expensive one. Still, if you’re desperate, or just curious, you could give them a go.

The love hotel in Japan typically presents two price plans; ‘rest’ - 2 - 3 hours / ‘stay’ - overnight usually after 10 or 11 pm.  

Costs:  Can vary greatly, as can standards

Lower end hotels:  Rest: 3,000 yen /  Stay: 7,000 yen

Convenience stores

Increasingly, Japan’s convenience stores are coming furnished with counter seating at which customers can sup on fairly recently acquired fresh coffees. Now, it’s always been OK to loiter in a Japanese convenience store for while, perusing the manga and magazines, and of course, kicking back with your coffee at the counters. Locals kill lots of time here. However, that’s as a collective. Spending a block of five hours in a convenience store after missing the last train home isn’t going to be possible, so these are to be used as a kind of wander around and pop in type of option. There are exceptions. A Japanese acquaintance once told of how, on a winter’s night, they had lost their wallet and were stranded after the last train home. Taking respite in a convenience store and eventually telling staff of their predicament, they were allowed to stay until daybreak … under the proviso that they stock some shelves! Sounds highly illegal, but good to know all the same.

Nightclub

When all you want to do is chill out and go home, a nightclub is really a technicolor nightmare and should probably be avoided. That being said, you might be able to find yourself something ‘chill’, with comfy seating to relax in.

Costs

A cheap club could have you in with a drink in hand for 1,000 yen. Whether or not that one drink is going to be enough to see you through to the first train however … 

Do some overtime

Depending on the size of your place of work, the nature of it, and how long you’ve been there, in some cases the office might be open 24 hours, as well as having rooms for sleeping in and showers. Maybe worth checking on. Or not!

Costs

Free! Hell! They should be paying you!

Despite the tone, all of the above are serious and legitimate options for overnighting it in an emergency when you’ve missed your last train home in Japan’s cities, or at least for killing a bit of time (in the case of convenience stores). Yes, Japan has a reputation for being safe (a reputation which must be based on some kind of fact) and whilst we can’t quantify that with stats, it would be reasonable to postulate that there are far worse places in this world to miss the last train home. However, this is no excuse for complacency. Japan has its nefarious characters just like anywhere else. If you’re at all uncomfortable, bugger the bank balance and take a taxi home. (Taxis and their drivers are abundant in the city and are considered a safe option in Japan).  

If all else fails, make for the larger train stations which are usually a hive of activity even in the small hours. They have maps of local area where you should be able to pick out the nearest koban (police post) if it isn’t immediately visible. Koban are staffed 24 hours, and the police on duty there are used to dealing with all manner of bonkers inquiries (from even more bonkers people) so you shouldn’t feel shy about approaching them if you feel the need (they even be able to direct you to somewhere where you might spend some time in comfort and safety). If you’re especially desperate and find yourself with no money to take the train when it does get going again, they might even give you a few hundred yen to get back home (although we can’t guarantee that). 

If you’ve got any suggestions as to what might be done when you’ve missed the last train home, drop us a line in the comments.

For more details on the costs of Japan's love hotels ...

How Much Does it Cost to Stay in a Love Hotel in Japan?

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Images (from top):

Top: felixalonsouk Flickr License

Manga kissa: Banalities Flickr License

Family restaurant: OiMax Flickr License

Karaoke: George Alexander Ishida Newman Flickr License

Capsule hotel: Simon Helle Nielsen Flickr License

Love hotel: Antonio Tajuelo Flickr License

Convenience store: OiMax Flickr License

Overtime: Wilhelm Joys Andersen Flickr License