You may think I’m joking about sleeping at McDonald’s in Japan, but, sadly, I’m not.
One day, soaking wet from the rain, running on two hours of sleep, and miserable because my hotel reservation had been mixed up, I needed to sleep. Since the hotel I had found didn’t allow check-in until much later in the day, I wandered, dead-eyed, around the city. Luckily, I stumbled upon a five story McDonald’s. I looked up absently at the higher floors and that’s when I saw it: dozens of people asleep in their chairs in the McDonald’s upper floors. I couldn’t believe it. Needless to say, I rushed inside and ordered a shaka-shaka chicken, then made a beeline for the third floor, where I had seen the most people asleep. It turns out that many of the people there were students who had fallen asleep on their books. So, I got too it. After eating my shaka-shaka chicken, I took out a book and promptly fell asleep. I got a good three or so hours of sleep there. I’m not proud of this fact, but I can honestly say McDonald’s saved my life — or at least my sanity. Seriously, thank you, McDonald’s.
Granted, fast food restaurants aren’t exactly the most recommended place to sleep, and it certainly could get you kicked out (actually, it is common practice in Japan to ask someone to leave a restaurant if they’ve been there for a long time and if there are people waiting, even at fast food places). So, while I can’t say that I advocate sleeping there, I will say that it is at least a good place to have a shaka-shaka chicken.
For one more extra suggestion, consider: