Cheap motel

Budget-conscious tourists in Japan now have an alternative to expensive hotel accommodations. They take overnight buses where they can sleep while traveling to their next destination.

The demand for express buses in Japan is growing, with a high occupancy rate of 86 percent in 2024, Nikkei Asia (NA) reports.

Local bus operator Kochi Ekimae Kanko (KEK) wants to capitalize on the business opportunity by offering sleeper buses with specially fitted seats that recline completely to turn into flat bunk beds, according to NA.

One advantage of the “mobile capsule hotel” is allowing “tourists to arrive fully rested, attend their event, and return home,” according to the South China Morning Post.

KEK will roll out its double-decker “Sommeil Profond” (French for “deep sleep”) starting 4 March, plying weekly between Tokyo and southern Japan’s Kochi prefecture, the Independent reports.

The bus has 12 bunk beds good for couples. It is priced at 7,300 yen or 37 pounds during the trial run, and double that afterwards.

Meanwhile, a motel in Denver, Colorado, USA welcomes even homeless people.

Dozens of homeless people shelter in shed-like structures in the parking lot of the vacant Stay Inn.

The owner of the four-story, 96-room building, the Mile High City of Denver, is selling the entire property for only $10.

There is a catch though.

“The buyer must agree to renovate the entire building and convert it into supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness,” Fox 31 Denver reports.

Moreover, the new owner should provide such support for 99 years or until 2125.