If you live or travel on a budget and are looking for the cheapest digs in Tokyo, why not try staying in the closet?

Cheaper than a regular gaijin house and more comfortable than the couch at an Internet cafe, oshiire (closet) houses provide 1 1/2-tatami-mat-size (2.5-sq. meter), often windowless "rooms" — picture a capsule hotel pod as your home.

Take Yotsugi Crib in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, for example, which boasts "the cheapest rent in town." Access to your crib, on the top or bottom bunk, is via a sliding door shared with your bunk-mate. A pillow and futon are provided in the compartment, with a shared bathroom and kitchen outside. Available for ¥1,500 a night, the ¥18,000 monthly payment option offers a hefty discount, slashing the daily rent to a mere ¥600.