When choosing a place to stay in Japan, the first decision is between a ryokan (traditional inn) or modern hotel. If you opt for the latter, the next question is what kind of hotel you want to stay in. A full-service luxury hotel? A no-frills business hotel? A super-compact capsule hotel?
Or, the upcoming fourth option: an e-sports hotel?
e-ZONe Denno Kukan (denno kukan, literally “electric mind space,” being the Japanese term for “cyberspace”) is going to be an eight-story structure, but only floors 4 through 8 have guestrooms. The first three floors are instead a massive e-sports gaming area, with over 70 high-spec PCs and live-streaming equipment.
The hotel will be opening in the downtown Nipponbashi district of Osaka, the same city where Capcom and SNK, Japan’s premiere fighting game developers and thus the parents of the country’s competitive gaming community, are headquartered.
▼ Concept renders of the guestrooms show more PCs and futuristic decor.
The hotel’s owners say it’s the perfect accommodation for travelers who want to dip their toes in the e-sports world, hold in-person gatherings with online friends, or stay someplace that lets them continue practicing if they’re in Osaka to compete in a tournament.
Pricing is yet to be announced for the 94-bed hotel, but considering that the building’s basement is going to house shared shower facilities, and the young average age of e-sports enthusiasts, odds are e-ZONe Denno Kukan’s rates will be on the affordable side when it starts receiving guests in April of 2020.
Hotel information
e-ZONe Denno Kukan / e-sports hotel e-ZONe ～電脳空間～
Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Naniwa-ku, Nipponbashi 4-9
大阪府大阪市浪速区日本橋4丁目9街区
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