Love Hotels are plentiful in Japan and when i say plentiful i’m not joking. I can’t speak for areas outside of Tokyo but considering their popularity here i’m thinking other major cities would be just the same.
Within a few minutes of most major stations in Tokyo there’s a bevy of Love Hotels for the couples wanting to spend a bit of quality time together. Living arrangements in Japan are very different to that from back home, with many adults staying in the family home up until marriage and even after depending on your locale.
So what do couples do when they want to get a little jiggy? … They go to a Love Hotel.
“Apparently” the prices vary depending on where you are, i.e Kabukicho where there’s lots of nefarious activity, and night life in general, it will be much dearer than say Hon-Atsugi, where i work, where there’s less flow through traffic (girls) and more than likely less spare $$ floating around. As to be expected, the quality of the room is going to vary with the price tag.
It’s pretty easy to spot a Love Hotel and many have really classy names in English so just look for a tacky sign with rooms by the hour and you’ll be on the right track. If you’re Japanese is good enough and you’re prepared to do some planning then why not use the “LoveHoMap” site, catering to several of the bigger stations on the JR Yamanote Line.
Pick the station you want and get a neat graphical representation of all the discrete getways in close proximity, you can even use it to grab a cheese burger from Maccas on your way home.
By clicking on the hotel it takes you straight to the “more info” on each boudoir, like “Best 1″ in Shibuya
Or if you’re a little randy and close by in Ikebukuro you might prefer “Hotel Excellent” it really looks like it will live up to it’s name, i hope you can too.
I Spotted the LoveHoMap site while reading from Hector on Twitter.
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I’ve not been to a love motel in Japan, but my wife and I stayed in a couple in Korea which are very similar. Memories of “The one with the oval bed, a painting of a naked lady on the wall, porn videos to borrow in the hallway, and not very clean sheets” will stay with us for a very long time.
Still, it was cheap!
“Love Ho”! Aaaahaha! Gotta love Engrish.
Liked the quotes around “apparently” too. Nudge nudge, wink wink.
Once again, outstanding journalism and I am nominating you for this vital piece of hard hitting investigative reporting. Congrats Mr. Neil Duckett!
you know, i’ve read an article about love hotels. it was a while ago, but from what i remember, it reported that the culture of love hotels is changing and they’re not just places for couples to get jiggy anymore. the really high class ones come with a jacuzzi, huge tv, ps3 etc. a good getaway for the weekend. esp if you’re comparing price points with staying in a hotel.
Most certainly Ken, there’s all manner of things in the rooms to keep you occupied from Play Station to Karaoke and many with massive spas and all round lush surroundings to relax in.
“I know a guy” who went to one on Kabulicho that had an outdoor garden complete with bridge heading over a fair sized river running into a spa big enough for 8 in amongst a tropical garden, very nice indeed.
I go about 3x per week. Their are good ones and crap ones. Luckily I have found a great one. It even has a bingo sheet and they give you a stamp for every room you use. Tomorrow if I can get rm 209 I’ll get BINGO!!!
3x per week? Holy sheezy…if that’s with a different girl each time, bravo!
Nice work indeed, i think Chris should set up another blog just to document this side of his life ….i know i’m keen to hear more.
The ones outside the west exit of Ikebukuro Station…
Looking at the last picture, I’m surprised that Japan is still using hanging cable installation. I thought the electricity instalation has been changed to underground system.
Yet one more reason why I should go to Japan…