No Theme Too Weird for Japanese Love Hotels
Let’s face it, in a pinch any hotel can be a love hotel. All you have to do is walk in with your loved one, rent a room, and, well, let the love begin.
But then there’s the love hotel as official category. It’s the kind of place that calculates its rates by the hour rather than the night, the kind that lets you in without face-to-face contact with a clerk. It’s the kind of place whose decor, layout, and price—in fact, everything about it—are conducive to illicit romance.
The concept of the designated love hotel has found its way into many countries, from East Asia to South America, but its undisputed masters are the Japanese. No other culture works so hard to maximize the fantasy potential of the love hotel, not to mention its intimacy and discretion.
Patrons of love hotels in Japan have a stunning variety of themes to choose from, from high school classroom to Star Wars, Hello Kitty to handcuffs. Nearly every taste and desire, no matter how bizarre, is catered to. And if you don’t arrive with any specific ideas in mind, the hotel can probably suggest a few.
The first official love hotels appeared in Tokyo after World War II, in response to demand from Occupation soldiers. But the business really took off with the banning of legal prostitution in 1958. When car ownership became common in Japan in the 1960s, love hotels often became love motels. Some let guests drive discreetly into a garage in the back, whose door automatically shuts behind them.
Thanks to the unfading popularity of sex, love hotels are booming in Japan, in spite of any economic downturns. In fact, they’ve been called “recession-proof.” One estimate puts the industry-wide revenue at $40 billion!
By DanBing on 19-07-2009
Comment by pacat
July 19th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
WOW!!!! What can I say !!?! Dare I hope they catch on here in the US of A ?Sex will be popular no matter what what else is going on in the world.A little safe fun can go a long way when there are so many other things wrong in the world.
Comment by Trish
July 19th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
There are several themed places in the Wisconsin Dells area. They don't call them "Love Hotels" but they have themed rooms and offer some very fun amenities.
Comment by Trish
July 19th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Great article by the way !
Comment by vaughnjareya
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:09 am
well, that's interesting and all, but i'm totally against it. people want to wonder why marriage doesn't last…it's because sex isn't sacred anymore. i'd like to see some of those love hotels, but i'm flat against the whole sex thing, besides, there's no such thing as 'safe-sex'.
Comment by pacat
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:52 am
Vaghn,not only single people and adulters go there.When my husband was alive They made a great get away.I am much older now and still think they are a lot of fun and if you saw me own the street you couldn't tell me from any other business person or wife and mother.You don't have to get in the gutter to enjoy a little naughtiness.
Comment by pacat
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:53 am
PS I was married for 35 years befor my husband passed away
Comment by xiaoda
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:37 am
They are for married couples too, you know.
Comment by Keith
July 30th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Against it? You fail to understand Japanese culture. In a nation in which you can't even qualify for a loan to buy a home unless you have children (because your grandchildren will still be paying the loan off), people often live with their parents and grandparents even after they're married. These are very small homes with little privacy. Doesn't do much for marriage or "sacredness" of sex when you're on the other side of a paper thin door from your mom and dad and maybe grandma and grandpa. These places cater to quite a few married couples.
Only in the good ol' US of A (or lately, even other "civilized" modern western countries) would one assume it's for infidelity. If the lens you view the world through is dirty, it makes the world you view appear dirty. So look into yourself if infidelity and "un-sacred sex" is the first thing that came to your mind. Chances are you'll find something there you're not accepting or trying to suppress.
Comment by Shannon
October 20th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Awsome idea… couldn't catch on in America. Too many prudish bible thumpers afraid to have fun or enjoy themselves. God I remember when one sex shop opened up in So Cal… People protested for months ahead of the build and opening saying that the shop was going to bring in child molestors and prostitutes…LOL btw…it didn't.