The Millennials Shibuya — Tokyo, Japan

Japan’s famous capsule hotel concept has just been raised a notch with the launch of The Millennials Shibuya, a new property with six floors of 120 high-tech multifunctional ‘smart pods’ designed by local creative outfit Tosaken.
That means each perfectly formed capsule comes with a reclining bed topped with dreamy Serta mattresses – that also lift to double as a storage compartment – while everything can be controlled using and integrated iPod system. Some pods even have pull-down screens onto which PCs can be projected for private film viewing.
A key attraction however, is the fifth floor, which is home to 20 Art Pods. Here, a different artist, designer or illustrator has been commissioned to transform the walls of the capsules, resulting in a series of colourful options. ‘We wanted to showcase the charm of Tokyo through the eyes of 20 very different creatives,’ explains Risa Nakazawa, curator of the art pods project and founder of The Bees Knees agency. ‘The brief was very free... Japan is known for its small houses, so I think we have a good understanding of how to use small spaces efficiently’.
And so, there are abstract monochrome loops and sunshine yellow splashes by artist Shinpei Onishi; bold, clean-lined drawings by British illustrator Andrew Joyce; and a snappy ‘Try counting sheep, have a tight sleep’ slogan by Yusuke Kaneko.
Following the opening of the group’s first Millennial property in Kyoto last year, the Tokyo iteration also has co-working spaces, a 24-hour lobby-lounge, shared bathrooms and a boutique selling artist-designed T-shirts and branded hot water bottles.
‘We really wanted to be right in the middle of the action here in Shibuya,’ explains Takeshi Yamasaki, CEO of Global Agents which owns the hotel. ‘The hotel is called the Millennials after its target market. We expect lots of internationally minded digital visitors in their twenties, thirties and forties to come and stay.’
Plans are also underway to open 10 new hotels across Japan within three years while the possibility of expanding abroad is also being explored.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
A key attraction is the fifth floor, which is home to 20 Art Pods, which are designed by different creatives. Pictured are the bold, clean-lined drawings by British illustrator Andrew Joyce
Artwork by Charlene Man
Artwork by Cookieboy
Artwork by Jun Oson
Artwork by Mariya Suzuki
Artwork by Nico Leon
Artwork by Niky Rohreke
Artwork by Shinpei Onishi
Artwork by Yusuke Hanai
ADDRESS
1-20-13 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku
Danielle Demetriou is a British writer and editor who moved from London to Japan in 2007. She writes about design, architecture and culture (for newspapers, magazines and books) and lives in an old machiya townhouse in Kyoto.
Instagram - @danielleinjapan
-
Beach chic: the all-new Citroën Ami gets an acid-tinged, open-air Buggy variant
Citroën have brought a dose of polychromatic playfulness to their new generation Ami microcar, the cult all-ages electric quadricycle that channels the spirit of the 2CV for the modern age
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rosewood Miyakojima: ‘Japan, but not as most people know it’
Rosewood Miyakojima offers a smooth balance of intuitive Japanese ‘omotenashi’ fused with Rosewood’s luxury edge
-
Thrilling, demanding, grotesque and theatrical: what to see at Berlin Gallery Weekend
Berlin Gallery Weekend is back for 2025, and with over 50 galleries taking part, there's lots to see
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rosewood Miyakojima: ‘Japan, but not as most people know it’
Rosewood Miyakojima offers a smooth balance of intuitive Japanese ‘omotenashi’ fused with Rosewood’s luxury edge
-
A new book captures the kitschy allure of Japanese ‘love hotels’
For his latest project, French photographer François Prost documents the whimsical façades that characterise these erotic roadside venues.
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeys
Stay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu: a soothing onsen hotel
In Japan’s bucolic northeast, Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu breathes new life into a sleepy hot spring village without betraying its ancient roots
-
Shake off the winter chill at these design-led onsen hotels in Japan
Whether you’re heading to the mountains of Hokkaido or the alleys of Kyoto’s Gion district, these immaculately designed onsen hotels will keep the shivers at bay
-
The new hotels you’ll want to stay at in 2025
Where to stay in 2025? Let six of the most-read-about hotel openings of the past 12 months inspire your escape – from a tiny Tokyo bolthole to a Tanzanian safari retreat
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this year
From the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
The most whimsical hotel Christmas trees around the world
We round up the best hotel Christmas tree collaborations of the year, from an abstract take in Madrid to a heritage-rooted installation in Amsterdam