いやはやこの年齢になってのお恥ずかしい大失敗。仕事現役のころとそう変わりなく全国をあちこち出張して「深掘り型」住宅取材を行動していますが、そういうなかで予想もしていなかった大失敗。予約を入れていたと思っていたホテルについてきちんと確認することなく、夜になっていざ行ってみたら、宿泊予約の不通を知らされ、なお、当日の宿泊予約は満杯で、露頭に迷ったという恥ずかし体験。
つい先日、7/28夕刻に問題の事態は発生した。当日は東京都内でよく行く博物館施設を参観した後、有楽町でちょっと大きな講演会があってそちらに長時間参加。終わる時間が20時頃だったので、新橋でホテルを予約した（つもりだった）。前日までの千葉県内ホテルに戻るには1.5時間くらいの移動時間がかかるので、面倒なので新橋にしたのですが、数軒みていて「ここにしよ」と決めたつもりが、「じゃらん」での予約が「どうしようかな」と宙ぶらりんのままになっていたのです。
で、20時過ぎに「ようやく寝られる」と思って現地に行ったら、自分の勘違いを思いっきり知らされてしまった。こういう間違いはわたし人生初であります。自分でも心底驚いたのですが、しょがない。仕方なくそこから宿泊ホテル探しin現地対応。こういう体験もはじめて。いまいる新橋周辺で探そうと思った。その近くでそのホテルで１軒は聞いて向かったのですが、足下を見られてか、とんでもない高額を言われたので退却。カプセルでたしか20,000円近いふっかけぶり。値段以上に安心できる環境とはとても言えない。そこでスマホに探索をさせる手も考えたけれど条件設定が相当にメンドイ。
ということで、以前に１度宿泊のそこそこ便利で清潔感のあった上野のカプセルホテルに向かった。こういう時間に宿泊難民になった心境というのは、まことに心細く、東京サラリーマン暮らしをしていた酒飲み人生まっ盛りのときにも経験がなかった。一瞬は、宿泊場所がなくこのまま大都会で流浪しながら野宿して時間を潰さなければならないかもと覚悟した。
さすがにそういうのは若くない身にはちょっと堪える。けどまぁ、それもしょがないとまで思っていた。翌日には札幌までの帰還フライト予定だったので「早めに空港に向かって待合でゴロ寝しているか」と考えたりしていた。万が一を考えて札幌のわが家のカミさんに相談連絡。「もしなんかあったら、後、頼むな」。
新橋−上野はJRで６駅。そこから歩いて３分ほどの目的地。夜にも及んで総歩数は18,000歩超レベルに達していた。たしか時間は21:00過ぎ。そうしたところ、ラッキーにも下段の場所が空いていた。価格も5,500円ということで緊急避難にしては格安。
上の写真はすこし落ち着いてから撮影した「室内」写真。カプセルだけれど、この室内左手前側にキー付きの洋服・荷物の収納があって、無事一宿の場を確保できた。
現代版・高齢者放浪人。世間にご迷惑にならないように、慎重な計画性が不可欠だと思い知らされた次第です。深く反省。
English version⬇
[Tokyo Central Accommodation Reservation Fiasco - Savior Capsule H (Laughs)
No, it is not a laughing matter. A stable lodging environment for rest and relaxation is essential for the elderly. Confirmation of reservations, not just sitting around. ...
Well, this is an embarrassing fiasco at my age. I have been traveling around the country to conduct "in-depth" housing interviews, much as I did when I was still working, but in the midst of all this, I made a huge mistake that I did not anticipate. I had an embarrassing experience when I went to a hotel I thought I had made a reservation for without checking it properly, only to find out at night that the reservation was not available and that the hotel was fully booked on the day of my visit.
The problem occurred just the other day, on the evening of July 28. On that day, after visiting a museum facility that I often go to in Tokyo, I attended a rather large lecture in Yurakucho, which I attended for a long time. Since the lecture was to end around 20:00, I booked a hotel room in Shinbashi (or so I thought). It would take about 1.5 hours of travel time to return to the hotel in Chiba Prefecture where I had stayed the day before, so I decided to stay in Shimbashi because it was too much trouble.
When I arrived there after 8:00 p.m., thinking that I could finally sleep, I found out to my surprise that I had made a mistake. This was the first time in my life that I had made such a mistake. I was deeply surprised at myself, but I had no choice. I had no choice but to look for a hotel to stay in and deal with the situation locally. This was also the first time for me to have such an experience. I thought I would look for a hotel in the Shimbashi area where I am now. I heard about one hotel near there, but I was told that the price was outrageously expensive, so I retreated. I think it was close to 20,000 yen for a capsule. It was not a very secure environment for more than the price. I thought about having my phone search for me, but it would be too much trouble to set up the conditions.
So I headed for a capsule hotel in Ueno, where I had stayed once before and found it to be convenient and clean. I had never experienced the feeling of being a lodging refugee at this time of the day, not even when I was in the prime of my drinking life as a salaryman in Tokyo. For a moment, I thought I might have to pass the time wandering around the metropolis and staying in the open.
As one might expect, it was a bit hard on my young body. But I thought, well, that's just the way it is. I was scheduled to fly back to Sapporo the next day, so I thought, "I'll head to the airport early and sleep in the waiting area. I called my wife in Sapporo for advice, just in case. She said, "If something happens, don't forget to take care of it.
Shimbashi - Ueno is 6 stops by JR. From there, the destination is a three-minute walk away. The total number of steps had reached the level of over 18,000 steps over the course of the night. The time was after 21:00. Luckily, the lower level was available. The price was 5,500 yen, which was cheap for an emergency evacuation.
The photo above is an "indoor" photo taken after I had settled down a bit. Although it is a capsule, there is a storage space for clothes and luggage with a key on the left front side of the room, and I was able to secure a place to stay for the night.
A modern-day version of an elderly vagabond. I am reminded that careful planning is essential so as not to cause trouble in the world. Deeply regretful.