Sometimes, after a long, stressful day, there’s nothing more comforting than crawling into bed with your significant other and falling asleep in their arms.

But what if you don’t have anyone to cuddle with in the first place? If you’re in Japan, you might think to go to a soapland or some other kind of brothel, but then you’d have to deal with all that sex when you really just want to close your eyes and rest in the warmth of another’s body.

But wait! Before you resign yourself to another lonely night of shedding tears on your Rei Ayanami dakimakura, why not stop by Soineya, Japan’s first “co-sleeping specialty shop,” where customers can pay to sleep in the arms of a beautiful girl—with no strings attached!

Soineya (literally, “sleep together shop”) opened its doors on September 25 in none other than Akihabara, Tokyo’s electronics district, hub of otaku culture and birthplace of other eccentric establishments like maid cafés. Soineya defines itself as a “co-sleeping specialty shop,” which we’re going to denominate “cuddle cafe” because it has a better ring to it.

According to the homepage, Soineya hopes to offer patrons “the simple and ultimate comfort of sleeping together with someone.”

Of course, ultimate comfort comes at a price. Let’s take a look at the Soineya “service menu”:

Admission fee: 3000 yen (US $40)

Standard Course

  • 20 min – 3000 yen ($40)
  • 40 min – 5000 yen ($65, only 3000 yen for first time visitors)
  • 60 min – 6000 yen ($77)
  • 2 hrs – 11000 yen ($142)
  • 3 hrs – 16000 yen ($206)
  • 4 hrs – 20000 yen ($258)
  • 5 hrs – 25000 yen ($322)
  • 6 hrs – 30000 yen ($387)
  • 10 hrs – 50000 yen ($645)

“Shimei-ryo“ (fee to pick the girl you want to sleep with) – 1000 yen ($13) + 500 yen ($6.50) per hour

Optional Course

  • Customer sleeps in girl’s arm (3 min) – 1000 yen ($13)
  • Girl pats customer on the back (3 min) – 1000 yen  ($13)
  • Customer pets girl on the head (3 min) – 1000 yen  ($13)
  • Customer and girl stare at each other (1 min) – 1000 yen  ($13)
  • Girl changes clothes (1 time) – 1000 yen  ($13)
  • Girl gives customer foot massage (3 min) – 1000 yen  ($13)
  • Customer gives girl foot massage (3 min) – 2000 yen  ($26)
  • Customer sleeps with head on girl’s lap (3 min) – 1000 yen  ($13)
  • Girl sleeps with head on customer’s lap (3 min) – 2000 yen  ($26)

So basically, you’re paying about 6000 yen ($77) an hour to lie in bed with a complete stranger. The website doesn’t specify what customers are and are not permitted to do during the standard course, but it’s probably safe to assume your options are limited to “close your eyes and be quiet.”

Furthermore, Soineya is currently recruiting girls for part-time in-store and “delivery” work. Here’s the job description.

■ Job: Sleeping
■ Location: Akihabara (3 min walk from station)
■ Qualifications: High school age to 30′s
■ Compensation: 3500 yen ($45)/hour
■ Hours: Weekdays 15:00-22:00, Weekend/holidays 12:00-22:00
Anyone interested in applying can do so here.

$45/hr to sleep doesn’t sound like too bad a deal, but those 10-hour day shifts must be rough.

Source: Soineya via Jinsoku

■ Map of Soineya, in case you’re feeling a bit sleepy on your next Akihabara outing


View Larger Map