Undisclosed lakeside site in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan
About this story
NOT A HOTEL collaborated with the Pokémon Sleep app on a one-room spherical accommodation commemorating Pokémon's 30th anniversary and Pokémon Sleep's third anniversary. Designed by the in-house NOT A HOTEL ARCHITECTS unit, the three-metre-diameter Poké Ball contains a circular sleeping area, air conditioning and integrated lighting. A large curved acrylic window faces the surrounding lake and woodland; a curved sliding door follows the sphere's geometry. The approximately 240-centimetre-wide circular bed uses a custom NELL mattress containing 2,350 pocket coils. An in-room iPad lets guests select a Pokémon, triggering a coordinated lighting sequence at bedtime, while a circular monitor displays Pokémon imagery. Bathing, meals and washroom functions are provided in adjacent facilities, where tiles reference Snorlax's colors. The entrance has an approximately 44-centimetre step and an opening approximately 70 centimetres wide by 120 centimetres high; the accommodation and approach are not barrier-free. Access is restricted to ten winning groups, totaling 20 people, selected through a Pokémon Sleep campaign on X. Applicants must reside in Japan, maintain a public X account, download Pokémon Sleep and be at least 18 for the lodging prize. The stay, dinner, breakfast and specified drinks are free, but transportation and personal expenses are excluded.
Status and timeline
The collaboration was announced on September 1, 2026 and the completed design was fully revealed on September 15, 2026. Official materials state that the structure has been built, correcting the selected lead's future-tense description. Free one-night stays for lottery winners are scheduled between October 8 and October 18, 2026. The installation is not open for general bookings, visits or photography, and its future after the campaign has not been announced.
Design highlights
An entertainment object enlarged into architecture; a compact sphere treated simultaneously as a building and an oversized product; molded acrylic hemispheres and a panoramic curved window; circular bed and custom high-density pocket-coil mattress; sliding-door detailing fitted to the curved shell; integrated environmental controls; interactive smart-home lighting personalized to a selected Pokémon; landscape immersion through a deliberately isolated lakeside setting; subtle character references in adjacent service spaces rather than conventional themed-room decoration.
Important dates
· Lottery application deadline for October 8–10 stay period · Details
· Lottery application deadline for October 10–14 stay period · Details
· Final lottery application deadline for October 14–18 stay period · Details
