快活CLUB (or “kaikatsu club” in english) is an internet cafe service in Japan. It’s kind of a misleading to call it an internet cafe if you’ve never seen a Japanese internet cafe before. While they do certainly have access to computers (pretty average ones, and some gaming ones), the primary reason why I think it’s worth mentioning is because they’re actually very optimal ways of traveling economically in Japan, especially if you’re on your own and traveling solo¹⁾.

Particularly for things like anime tourism and for arcade/game center pilgrimages, or unplanned stays in new cities, it can be an easy, affordable way of staying the night.

You might think that that “sleeping in an internet cafe” is unsupported. But the practical reality is that this is expected and supported. Most clubs have private locking rooms, shared bathrooms (though some have VIP rooms with built-in bathrooms), showers, unlimited Japanese language manga, an unlimited soft drink bar, ice cream, access to broadcast satellite and terrestrial broadcast TV, and other miscellaneous amenities.

The biggest things you should be aware of if you stay in one of these are the following key points:

• Availability of showers does not mean that towels will be provided. However, some shops have different requirements and rules for shower use and will have different amenities available. Some showers are fully self-service, i.e., you just walk-in and use them, but others may require you to check in with the front desk and reserve a shower time. In Akihabara, for instance, showers are fully self-service but there are no towels. In Ikebukuro, there is a store with one towel included with your shower, but it requires a reservation. Akihabara limits shower time to 15 minutes. Ikebukuro limits shower time to 20 minutes.
• Various small differences exist, like Ikebukuro offering free razors and toothbrushes. Some do not have this, and some do.
• The temperature in your room is generally not climate controlled. You have the ability to control the airflow of incoming air, but this is not a temperature control – it’s a proxy. Sometimes the air temperature will be closer to 25-26C, and sometimes it’s as low as 18C. It truly just depends.
• You are allocated exactly one blanket per store, and the blanket will not be large. You can expect that this blanket is not enough to cover an average European body type or male body type fully. There is some expectation built into these clubs that you’ll sleep on your back on a pillow on a mat, and that’s it. Do not expect to cozy up to a warm set of sheets, etc.

All stores provide high-speed internet, some of them with Ethernet and all with wi-fi and charging. Some stores include charging cables in your room, others have them for purchase.

The most notable thing is that many stores outside of Tokyo offer food ordering systems. You can order food to-be delivered for you. You can eat this in your room. From the point of view of convenience, if you’re outside of Tokyo on a pilgrimage of some kind, this can be used as convenient food of-last-resort if you don’t want to go to a convenience store.

In-addition to “private room with a mat” service, you can also use other less private options. Many stores have a diverse selection of options, including a non-locking room with a mat, a non-locking desk, etc.

Use cases I would strongly suggest for this service:

• You arrived in a city spontaneously and missed the last train, and you have no other options.
• There are no Toyoko inn midnight deals, or you want to save money.
• You don’t want to be “out of your room” by 10am, because you expect to sleep longer.
• You're doing a maimai pilgrimage across Japan!
• You're doing an anime pilgrimage across Japan!
• You spontaneously decided to go to Reitaisai but your hotel is in Osaka, and you need to get to Tokyo and stay the night.

If you're not a resident, you should expect to bring your passport everywhere. You need to create a membership with the club to use the club. It would be better to do this in-advance rather than on-site. Many on-site places only have a machine you can do this on.

You must use your passport or equivalent identity document in Tokyo and other places. Tokyo has more strict identity requirements. Generally speaking you should bring this document with you and use the new member registration system. There are a variety of documents you need, but usually this is satisfied with documents that you, dear reader should have:

• A passport (if you are a resident this is not sufficient)
  • You need your current address (!) on an official document and obviously you don't meet this requirement if you live here
• A 個人番号カード
• A 在留カード

New member registration and check-in services are available in English and Japanese.

Yes! Surprisingly, the answer is yes! It's not at all a bad place to stay for one person. I think it's an exceptionally good value and a good comfort to know that these stores are widely available. If you're a solo-traveler in a new city, it's exceptionally good.

Reservations are not required. However, you need to reserve 3 days in-advance if you want to use the club with a reservation.

Most clubs require you to pay every 24 hours. If you want to pay and continue using the same room, you need to talk to staff. You shouldn't expect to be able to stay longer than 24 hours in the same room at the same time. For this to make the most economic sense, stay from about 9-10pm to about 9-10am the next day. The hourly price changes and there is basically a surcharge for night use.