A hotel in Fukuoka, Japan, is letting people stay for only $1 per night. But there is a big catch. Guests have to let the hotel film them and put the video on YouTube for anyone to watch.
According to CNN, Tetsuya Inoue is 27 years old and runs the Asahi Ryokan hotel. His grandmother owns it. He got this idea after someone from Britain stayed at the hotel and filmed their visit. Inoue thought he could do the same thing to bring in more customers. Now people can stay in room number 8 for just 100 yen, which is about $1, if they let the hotel film everything.
This means thousands of strangers will watch you sleep while you are there. But Inoue thinks young people today do not mind this. “Young people nowadays don’t care much about the privacy,” he said. “Some of them say it’s OK to be watched for just one day.”
He might be onto something here
The hotel loses money when people pay just $1. But Inoue has a plan to make money later. He started a YouTube channel called One Dollar Hotel where he puts these videos. When enough people watch the videos, he can start showing ads and make money from that. More than 1,000 people have already signed up to watch the channel.
Guests do get some privacy. The camera does not record sound, so no one can hear what they say on the phone or to other people. Guests can turn off the lights when they want to sleep. The bathroom is not in the same room, so the camera cannot see in there. There is also a spot where guests can change their clothes away from the camera.
This Japanese hotel room costs $1 a night at a cost of live-streaming your stay! pic.twitter.com/cMRhj39i8s
— Pubity (@pubity) December 18, 2023
Inoue said he needed to try something new. “This is a very old ryokan and I was looking into a new business model,” he told reporters. “Our hotel is on the cheaper side, so we need some added value, something special that everyone will talk about.”
Four people have tried this deal so far. When no one is staying in the room, Inoue turns the camera on himself while he works at the front desk. He puts up signs to tell viewers when he leaves the room. Some people online are talking about how much privacy young people will give up to save money.
— World of Statistics (@stats_feed) January 17, 2025
You can stay in a hotel in Japan for $1 a night if you agree your entire stay to be livestreamed 24/7.
The hotel has 10 rooms total. Normal rooms cost about $27 per night. Only one room has this special $1 deal. Fukuoka is a nice city to visit. It sits by the ocean and has great food. People can eat fresh fish and try the famous Ichiran ramen that started there. The city also has an art museum that opened again in 2019 after being closed for repairs. Some viewers thought the whole thing was strange and made them uncomfortable. Others said it was a smart way for small businesses to get attention online.
