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.
A little over a week ago i was sent a book from a guy that’s been keeping up to date with my travels around the 29 stops of the JR Yamanote Line. He asked whether i’d heard of the book “Footloose In Tokyo” a 1976 publication following the authors travels around the “Best Bargain In Japan” as the Yamanote Line is referred to.
I hadn’t heard of the book before but did think it would be useful and well worth a read. The guy that mentioned it was kind enough to send me a copy and i’ve started reading it. The best thing about the book so far is the authors opening remarks about not needing to read it in any particular order, so not unlike my travels where i move around the line in alphabetical order i can do so with the book too.
So far i’ve read the chapter on Komagome which i found quite interesting. I’ll use the book in the future to read up on each stop prior to my arrival, i’ll be keen to compare and see how much it has or hasn’t changed.
There’s a lot more to do and see on the JR Yamanote Line than just sleep.
When time permits i’ll go back and read the chapters on the stations i’ve visited so far, which have been Akihabara, Ebisu, Gotanda, Harajuku, Hamamatsucho, Ikebukuro and Kanda in that order … next stop is Meguro where i know they have a parasite museum as a point of interest.
Bicycles are a main means of personal transport in Japan, mainly because they’re cheap, they can be ridden easily in and around the streets of Japan and they’re extremely convenient for parking.
Whether it’s near the shops you’re visiting or the the station you want to leave from there’s plenty of parking available for the person that wants to be propelled by pedal power.
Despite having a perfectly good bike park down stairs from my apartment i am still without a push bike, i prefer to walk and having seen the skill of some of the motorists over the last few years it’s probably the safest option … but i digress.
Bikes come in all different shapes and sizes in Japan with the most common being the standard everyday rider, complete with basket on the front, seen here in their dozens.
The old fashioned variety.
The more modern “MG Branded” bike.
The latest and greatest that Glenn gets around on.
But the original no frills grey number is still my favourite, which seems to go against my earlier claim about Japanese Girls Underwear.
I can’t recall where i got the last picture from so image source is unknown, i know i didn’t take it that’s for sure.
