The Love Hotel Experience
Matthew Baxter
Love hotels are a great way to stay the night in any large city in Japan, whether you are with that special someone or not. The rooms are actually pretty fancy, just like a modern hotel. But the prices are cheap, very cheap! Expect to only pay between 6000 to 10000 yen a night, depending on how interesting the room is. Each hotel usually has its own theme, so the best advice is to go to one of the areas listed below, have a walk around, then settle on the hotel that looks best for you.
How to use
1) Love hotels usually have the rather Japanglish ‘Rest’ and ‘Stay’ written outside:
Rest (レスト/休憩): This means a stay for only a few hours or more.
Stay (宿泊): This means to stay the night.
2) Once you are inside, there is usually an easy to understand picture display of rooms available. Select your room, then go and get your key. Here is some Japanese to help (but English is often written as well):
空室: Vacant room
完全/満室: Not available
3) You usually pay when you leave, but occasionally when you collect your key.
Where to go
It’s great fun just to walk around the love hotel areas, even if you don’t want to enter. Check out our Super Cheap Japan, available as an ebook or in paperback, for info on how to discover them and the love hotel areas on the cheap.
Where to book hotels in Tokyo
Most people don’t book love hotels, but some are available to reserve. We recommend trying Booking.com.
Where to book hotels in Osaka
We recommend trying Booking.com.
