We were walking the busy, neon streets of Tokyo – an impromptu vacation after we saw some ridiculously cheap airplane tickets.
It was a late afternoon on a drizzly day, and my man asks me, “We have a few hours before we have to meet my friend. What do you want to do?”
I pull out my list and browse the ideas I had scribbled done before we left. The Tsukiji fish market, hot springs, proper sushi, the anime district, a maid cafe etc. There were so many things we wanted to try…
But there was one odd (yet alluring) aspect of city culture I was dying to know more about.
“How about a love hotel?”
He flashes a wicked grin. “God, I love you.”
The next steps weren’t nearly as romantic or exhilarating.
Running from Wi-Fi spot to Wi-Fi spot (there aren’t as many tourist-friendly ones as you would think), we managed to find a reasonably priced option. It just took tilting to the rising winds and rain, walking along streets that only went uphill for some reason, and my man using his beginner Japanese to find our way to the spot.
The outside of the first one made me wonder what disease I would catch.
However…
After stepping in, I was pleasantly surprised – it was very clean and rather posh. It was like stepping into an alternate dimension.
It was also VERY discreet.
There was no receptionist – just a wall you stepped behind and a giant wall where tiny computer screens displayed each room and the details (the ones that were taken were blacked out).
All you had to do was press the button under the one you wanted, choose how many hours (or days), and then slip in your money or swipe your credit card. A door card would appear and off you would go …
… if all the good rooms weren’t taken.
Damn it.
We nipped out into the rain again and saw a cluster of three more down the street.
Screw it.
Let’s go for the bright neon-pink one. I’ll pay just to get out of this weather.
This next one was a completely different world.
Not as posh, but you could tell they did their best to keep things as clean as possible. There was no computer screen, but a reception hole.
Yep. Hole.
Somewhere behind this little rectangular opening and low hanging curtain was a person. At least the stomach portion of one. If it wasn’t for my man’s basic language skills, it would have been off to the next one. But, we managed to buy two hours and get a door key.
Next, it was up the elevator doused in bling, then down a surprisingly quiet hallway. No screams of passion or cries of pain. No, “God, yes there!”
“Jesus, how much soundproofing do these rooms have?” I thought. “Well, I guess we’ll find out.”
Inside was better than most motels and some hotels…
- The linens were white (I’m assuming so they can bleach the hell out of them like any other hotel).
- The decorative pillows and bed runner were fake leather(ish) material (I’m assuming for easy wipe down).
- The sofa was the same, which sat right in front of a large television with free streaming porn on most channels and regular stuff on the others.
Not bad for the price. Not bad at all.
We had been walking around all day, and outside was stupidly cold, so a hot shower was a must.
Just outside the bathroom door was a large basket of towels – more than we would ever need… unless we were making a fort or something. Inside was stone-tiled and BIG, especially for a country that celebrates compact and efficient spaces.
Off to the side was a deep bathtub, which I didn’t use (I would have just spent the next few hours soaking). They also didn’t bother with those tiny bottles of bath products. Full-sized bottles of shampoo, body wash, and conditioner – use as much as you please. Then, there was the amazing water pressure that could go from “nice trickle” to “jet engine”.
After a sexy shower, our sultry moment was suspended yet again when we discovered the powder closet and stared at it like gawking kids who had found buried treasure.
This cubby has more than my own bathroom stash!
We poked through the products (still wrapped in our skimpy towels) – more shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
- Talc powder
- baby powder
- body lotion
- face cream
- combs
- brushes
- hairdryer
- earbuds
- cotton puffs
- Band-Aids
- make-up remover
- free bottles of water and much much more!
Next was the mini vending machine that sold condoms, nail clippers, a disposable camera, cologne, perfume, and I can’t remember what else (there was a lot). Simple room service options included a stereo system with radio option and cables to hook up your phones or whatever devices you want to use.
Then we saw the Hitachi Magic Wand next to the bed – complete with silicone attachment for hygiene.
That’s it, I’m living here.
The rest of the stay? Just use your imagination.
All this coming from one of the “okay/boring” ones. There are other crazier ones out there.
The sad part is, “kinky” or “themed” rooms (things like dungeon or jungle rooms) are slowly dying out in Japan and being replaced with “nice” and “normal” décor.
The reasons why are not simple to explain in a short article. You could do a university paper on it.
But, in general, younger generations are taking a more relaxed approach to sex (rather than “it’s just for marriage and procreation”) and/or can’t do anything under their parent’s roof.
Also, Japanese women have far more independence, opportunities, and earning power than ever before.
Put these two things together, and you have the girlfriend wanting a nice place to play (or just hang out), not the “sports star” room her boyfriend is drooling over.
Customer wants. Business delivers.
Currently, some of the nicer love hotels are offering more services and products than their stingy normal-hotel counterparts – things like gourmet food, private karaoke, champagne, Jacuzzis, and beauty treatments.
Some people are even having business meetings or “girl’s day out” in them.
They are slowly morphing into mega-service hotels – where sexy additions are just one thing on the menu.
My recommendation?
Ours was WAY too hard to find unless you can speak the language, but if you are interested in trying one on your vacation, do some researched, have an option A/B/C, and leave plenty of time to enjoy the experience.
If you liked this article about crazy Japanese experiences or sexy hotels, you might want to read these:
- Burlesque, Blacklights, and Boob Cake – A Tokyo Night Club
- Tokyo’s Department H Fetish Party – Nothing Could Prepare Me
- Kinky Hotels – One Key for the Door. One for the Handcuffs
Have any cool Japan experiences? Share in the comments!
