Japan certainly has some unique establishments. From host and hostess clubs to company dormitories, there is never a dull day for me. I am always discovering something else weird and wonderful about this country.

Jade’s Guide to Love Hotels

What the smeg are love hotels?

In a nutshell, they are hotels where Japanese couples elope to to get down and dirty with each other.

Can anyone go?

Foreigners can go too, but you must be able to speak Japanese in order to correctly understand how to check in. If you are going there with someone Japanese, it’s fine obviously.

If you are gay, you have to find specific love hotels that accept gay couples. Both my lesbian and gay friends have complained about this. So, try checking out Nichome (the gay-friendly area of Tokyo in Shinjuku) for possible hotels that you can visit.

Why not just go back to your own house?

There are a few different reasons.

Example 1

In Japan, when you are dating, you traditionally don’t introduce your partner to your parents unless you are planning on marrying them. So, bringing your boyfriend or girlfriend back to your parents’ house (if you still live with them) is generally off-bounds. Thus, love hotels (or manga cafes for the young and penniless) are the perfect place to take your loved one to try and “discover” them a bit more.

Example 2

In Japan, a lot of married men and women fool around. To understand more about why this happens, read this article here. Because of this, married Japanese people cannot return to their family homes for obvious reasons. So, they take their lovers and secret boyfriends and girlfriends to love hotels instead. I suspect that this might be the reason that love hotels were actually invented, but this is not a fact.

Example 3

In Tokyo, most people live in Japanese shoeboxes (the accommodation is generally tiny) or share houses. And the walls are paper thin. You can hear your neighbours, and they can hear you. So, unless you’re an exhibitionist, it’s better to go to a love hotel to really let loose.

Example 4

A love hotel might be a cheaper option than a normal hotel. Of course, there are business or capsule hotels to stay in as alternatives, but who knows what your situation is.

There will be a million other reasons why you might go to a love hotel in Japan. Perhaps you’re just bored and horny one day and happen to be passing one by with your partner…

How do they work?

You will know it’s a love hotel if it has a sign outside with various prices listed. The buildings are often uniquely shaped (for example, I have seen a couple shaped like a castle) and the lobbies are dimly lit.

You will usually see a screen showing the rooms that are still available and the prices for each of them. There will generally be a button to push to choose your room, and then you will approach the front counter to receive the keys. If there is no button, you just go directly to the counter and state which room you’d like.

In some cases, there is no one manning a counter at all, and it is all automatically done through machines instead (hence the need to speak Japanese). Sometimes you pay at the beginning, sometimes you pay at the end; it depends on the love hotel.

Top secret

The person at the front desk ‘s face is usually covered by a curtain or something so that you can neither see their identity nor can they see yours.

The buildings are usually quite large and cover several floors (like standard hotels). So, after retrieving the keys, you enter the lift to find your room. Depending on the hotel, you might also have the choice of taking scented bath salts and shampoo/conditioner/body wash back to your room too.

What’s included?

Every love hotel is unique and some of them are themed too. I have a few friends of mine who spend their free time visiting different themed love hotels just for the experience.

All love hotels come with at least one or two condoms and basic toiletries (toothbrush and paste, shampoo, body wash, a brush, hairdryer etc.).

Some have massage chairs, some have sex toys, some have sexy lingerie for the women to dress up in (e.g. a maid or bunny costume). Others have mirrored walls and ceilings, some have spectacular mood lighting, some have jacuzzis… the list just goes on.

How much do they cost?

There are usually two options for love hotels: short stays and long stays. A short stay is generally for three hours, and a long stay is an overnight stay – like a standard hotel. The price depends on the location, and central Tokyo is clearly the most expensive area. So, let’s use Tokyo as our base.

Short stays are obviously cheaper and cost anything from 3,000¥ (approx. £20/$28 – expect pretty much a mattress on the floor) to 30,000¥ (approx. £215/$275) and up. The longer stays are usually priced at 6,000¥ (approx. £40/$55) for a scabby room up to perhaps 50,000¥ (£360/$460) and over for the most extravagant rooms available.

For a decent room, expect to pay between 10,000 and 15,000¥ (approx. £70-£110).

Where to find love hotels

There is usually an entire street or two dedicated to only love hotels in the major areas of Tokyo. For example, Kabukicho in Shinjuku has several streets for host and hostess clubs, strip clubs and love hotels.

Other main love hotel areas include Roppongi, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Ginza and Tokyo.

So there you have it! Japanese love hotels! If you have any experiences of your own that you would like to share, comment below, and if you have any questions, please ask away.

Ciao for now,

Jade xxx