I'd like to say that Amy Chavez's July 14 article, "Bathhouse dress codes, or tell Yo! mama, no army boots!," offended me. Chavez mentions the "capsule hotel" in Japan. The article states: "Now imagine putting a Japanese-size person inside a space like that, just long and wide enough for him to lie down in, with an opening just wide enough for him to squeeze in and out of. You could sell them as souvenirs in America."
That's the only description given of capsule hotels!? Chavez managed to make good fun of them but didn't actually tell people what exactly they are for. Why are they small? Why are there many capsule hotels in Japan? Whom are they for?
As I am Japanese, people do ask me about our small, strange hotels sometimes. The only thing they know is that they are small, so Japanese must be a bit strange, too. I try to tell them the truth, their purpose and the background story. I found Chavez's article very uninformative. Even the use of the term "Japanese-size" almost sounds bigoted.