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JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

I don't suppose that any Japanese experience would be quite complete without a stay in a love hotel... My wife and I are planning a several-day trip to Tokyo this month, and we were toying with the idea of staying in a love hotel overnight...

I'm wondering if anyone can share their experiences, and specifically where to go. We don't want to be chasing gokiburi across {ahem} pre-stained sheets, but likewise I dont have more than ichi-man yen to spend per night either.... Also, funky or alternative places are good.... Themes are good too.. Wink

Suggestions, anyone? Smile

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

Been to two but in Shikoku and near Nagoya. One was fairly low key and the other a towering mass of gleaming steel and lights. Both rooms were immaculate and [ahem] well-equipped.

I'll briefly condense stories from both hotels with the caveat: learn from our mistakes Rolling Eyes

Hotel 1:
New Year's week - much more expensive. Parked below room and opened boot to get stuff out. Decided to check out room and see what we needed to bring in from the car. Mistake 1: let the door shut. It locked on us. Panic. Hardly any Japanese. Phoned "reception". Begged to be let out. Unintelligible gabbling on other end. Wait for someone to release us. No go. Phone again and again. On third try a group of inquisitive cleaning ladies releases us. We decide this hotel is not for us. They say 10,000 yen. We balk. They say - well you used the room. We balk II. Decide to stay anyway. Great room with several shades of lighting mirrors everywhere and gaudy is not the word. Fruit machine in corner. Had to unplug sex aid vending machine as there was no other way to stop it glowing in the darkness. Huge bathroom with bath big enough to live in. In morning we put our 10,000 in the machine by the door which then released us once more. Back on the road.

Hotel 2:
Ran in and saw that the world and his wife was selecting the last of the remaining rooms for the night. Obviously everyone has the same idea as us - a cheap place to stay. Families, some with three or four kids and all sorts of people there. Grabbed the key tags to two rooms - one for us and one for my wife's parents travelling with us. Mistake 1: from nowhere a worker appears and yells at me (in front of everyone) "You're only supposed to take one yo!" I explain. He backs off. Get everything out of the car and get the lift up to our floor which has our room. Mistake 2: decide to take her parents to see room so they know how to get out in the morning. Mistake 3: prop door open so we aren't caught out by Mistake 1 in Hotel 1. Room immense and gaudy is not the word. Video game machine in corner. While parents are casing the joint, irate owner phones room demanding to know why door is still not locked yet. I explain (Japanese by force of survival, is much better now). He comes and angrily explains that there is no way for them to get from our floor to theirs as the up elevator only opens from the inside and the fire stairs are hidden. The only other elevator has no buttons and simply heads down for payment. In a mood, he agrees to take her parents to their room two floors up. We all have a laugh about it in the morning.

So, my advice - go for it. You will have a great story to tell the kids or the folks here!

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Been to only one, on the outskirts of Tokyo on the Sobu Line. Got half price because it was my birthday! I had to show the clerk my gaijin card, and if you can believe this, they offered me and my man a point card! Hilarious!

Beautiful, clean, well-appointed room, complete with little lounge, karaoke, big bed (haven't seen a bed in 8 months, whoopee!), a piano, Playboy channel, huge bathroom that could house four people, big whirlpool tub complete with lights and tv and massage oil and big bath towels you could wrap two people in...

And it was about 4000 yen for two hours, plus some....

The doors didn't auto lock like the place Shmooj was in. No toys, either, though. The big mirror above the bed was cool, though....

Lots of love hotels are listed on the internet. You gotta know some Japanese, though, to find them.

cangel · Joined: 12 May 2003 Posts: 74 Location: Jeonju, South Korea

My first experience was at a lovely little place in Omuta (Kyushu), Japan. There were only two rooms available so we took what we could get. I think we paid 4300 for 3 hours. The place was quite large with a huge bathroom with tub but no jacuzzi. They had a fridge but everything was sooo expensive that we didn't undulge. The tv was ok with a lot of AV. The bed was big and appeared to be freshly made. We decided to leave a message in the room's guest book in both English and Japanese and it was quite fun to read what was written, including a few English passages from other gaijin. The one freaky thing, other than the lovin', was when we turned off the lights and a black light came on which exposed the huge Disney murals on the wall - Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, the gang was all there... Weird and kind of disturbing...

Wolf · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 1245 Location: Middle Earth

Little cared about fact: The Japanese word for love hotel, "Rabu hoteru" can be Romanized into either "love" or "rub" due the the l/r and v/b thing. Even less cared about fact: at least one psychotic gaijin who goes by the name of an animal totem/spirit guide online insists on calling them "Rub hotels" in English as the name seems more appropriate. Very Happy

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Do you think any of them come with playpens for our daughter? Wink

I know she'd love the Disney pictures. Laughing

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

Gordon - you've obviously never been to a love hotel. Little children should be kept well away IMO Wink

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

It was a joke, hence the wink Wink

I haven't been to one in Japan, but I have lived in a love hotel for 6 months in Seoul. Sad to say it didn't have all the bells and whistles like you've described.

bshabu · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 200 Location: Kumagaya

There was one in Shiga that had what looked like a little radio with two settings. One-pachinko music, the other traffic noises. I guess to call the Mrs and tell her where you are and that you will be home 'shortly'.

kovac · Joined: 12 Apr 2003 Posts: 78

Once while abandoned in Tokyo late at night I asked around in Japanese where I could find a capsule hotel or Love hotel as a cheap resort for a nights sleep...only to be ushered by a bunch of hookers into a place that smelt so strongly of Jizzum my nose practically left my body and went on strike...How does one tell the difference between a standard love hotel and a pinsaro !?!?!

I hurridly left aforementioned place after having a "papa-san" demand 20,000 yen for entry....But my bumkin senses cant seem to differentiate between knocking shop or love hotel....very dangerous when one needs a 3500 yen place to sleep after missing a train home ! Both places are gaudily decked out in pink love hearts, etc outside...

Any tips !?