my japan. [l].

[l] love hotel

i am totally fascinated with these places. love hotels. not that i have ever been in one. seriously. but part of me wants to go. and the other part of me screams. no. no. no. love hotels. there are a lot of them. and are quite easy to find. they usually have funny names. hotel jazz. hotel teddy bear. hotel autobahn. just crazy names. and there is quite a bit of secrecy involved. no windows. covered parking garages. there is an area near here. near a big highway interchange. that has about thirty love hotels. so much neon is there. i think it must be the capitol of love hotels. the main reason for love hotels is for those guys and gals who still live at home. and they need somewhere to. you know. have sex. it's not uncommon for kids to live at home well into their twenties. and sometimes their thirties. and they just don't have any privacy. so some smart guy came up with the whole love hotel concept. where you can rent a room by the hour. or the night. whatever you fancy. and some people are making a lot of money. a friend once told me that love hotels are the number 1 industry in japan. i don't believe that. but i do think they are a big industry. and am so curious about it. and thought it would be a great thing to study. for a thesis. seriously.

Comments

[Mom]

Another interesting thing about them is that if you have to park in their parking lot, they provide licence plate covers, so no one can identify your car!
One time a family with three kids (friends of mine) couldn't find a regular hotel, so booked into one of these, but covered the kids with blankets in the back seat so they wouldn't be discovered - no kids allowed!

[suzy]

You should totally try one before you leave Japan! When I was backpacking around Japan we stayed in one in Shibuya (Dogenzaka) as a cheap hotel alternative, and picked the most outrageous-looking one we could find. It was hilarious, especially the mysterious check in. And there was a vibrating bed. With karaoke.

[melinda]

yep i think its a must before you leave.

[Mariana]

Here in Barcelona we have this love hotels too, and I see for the comments that's the same everywhere. They also have their parking lot, but here they don't have neon lights, it's more discreet. In fact, the two I know are in a quite gloomy buildings.

[emily]

oh my goodness! yes. a thesis. for sure.

[CreatureofHabit]

I had no idea! That is too funny!

[Tanpopo]

Hi ! I just discovered your blog and I love it !! If I understand correctly, you're back in Canada after a four years' stay in Japan !! Getting back to "real life" can be tough : I wish you good luck.
About the love hotels : I've been back to France for a long time now but, when I was a teenager in Tokyo, I used to go to Shinjuku with my sweetheart to find some intimacy in those funy places !! I was under 18, but it has never been a problem !! I have nice memories of those moments ...