Japan has some amazing libraries and bookstores, perfect for those who prefer to spend time glued to the printed page rather than their smartphones. If you’re looking to take it a step further, Japan has some beautifully designed library hotels, too, where you can spend the night surrounded by books. There’s the quirky Book and Bed hostels, the Manga Art Hotel that has over 5,000 titles of Japanese comics, as well as the upscale Hakone Honbako resort featuring floor-to-ceiling shelves of books.
Now here’s a newcomer to the scene. Lamp Light Books Hotel first opened in Nagoya back in February 2018. It’s now expanded up north to Sapporo, with a new property located just a nine-minute walk from Odori or Susukino stations.
The first floor of Lamp Light Books Hotel Sapporo features a café that’s open to the public, where people can read without any distractions. The space is stocked with around 4,000 mystery and travel books, along with novels by Hokkaido authors. You can pick up any book that takes your fancy and read it at the café. Food and drinks are only served from 7am to 10pm, but the space is open 24 hours a day. Hotel guests can even borrow a book through the hotel’s Books To Go service and bring it back to their room for free.
The remaining floors in this nine-storey building are occupied by guest rooms, which are minimalist in design. Most of them come with a small bedside shelf made especially for books.
A night at the hotel costs as little as ¥9,000 per room. There’s even a spacious barrier-free room to accommodate wheelchair users.
The Sapporo location just opened, but Lamp Light Books Hotel is already set on opening its next property in Fukuoka later this year.
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