Sunday morning has come around again, and Tom and I have been out for the third in our series of early morning running-explorations of our local area, which double-up as training for the Tokyo Marathon next year.
This morning's run took us past this Meguro landmark - the Disney-like love hotel that towers over the Meguro river just down from Naka Meguro, and quite appropriately only a few hundred metres from Disney's main office in Tokyo!
With paper-thin walls and the tendency for children to remain with their parents longer than in countries such as the UK and US, love hotels play an important part in maintaining relationships, and ensuring babies continue to be made in Japan (and affairs remain undiscovered).
It's easy to spot love hotels, as they tend to sport the most ridiculous architecture, and at night, neon signs. In Tokyo there a few areas where you'll find loads all clustered together - north west of Shibuya Station, and in Shinjuku's Kabukicho district for example. Outside of the cities you'll find them clustered around highway junctions, easily accessible by car.
As with regular hotels, the rooms in love hotels vary a lot. Some of the cheaper places can be a bit grim, with 1980s furniture, smoke- stained walls, and dirty carpets.
But go to a good one, and you can feel like you're in a 5 star hotel! Disneyland-like themed interiors, a luxurious jacuzzi (complete with underwater disco lights) with a TV embedded in the wall (and one-way window to the other room for your partner to keep an eye on you if bathing alone), play station, wii, karaoke, all sorts of tv channels (!), and a mini-fridge that contains more 'toys' than drinks!
There'll be a control panel on the head of the bed with 101 settings for the lights, music, and rotating mattress.
If you want to dress up just order a nurses uniform via the TV.
There are some for single men too, where you can also order a lifesize love doll!
Rates vary depending on the place, but there are two basic plans: pay by the hour ('rest' - in Tokyo prices are in the range of 2500~5000yen per hour) or for the night ('stay' 8000~13,000yen).
You don't need to be embarrased about going into these places as chances are you won't see anyone - in the newer ones you'll find a load of pictures of rooms on the wall. Find one that you like, press the button and get a ticket with the room number and directions to get to it. The elevator will be automatically summoned, and arrows will light up along the corridors showing you which way to go.
On entering the room you'll be greeted by a woman's voice telling you to take your shoes off and explaining how everything works.
When it's time to leave, just swipe your credit card in the control panel by the door. If you've had anything from the minibar or dressed up as a maid those charges will be automatically included.
I recommend anyone coming to japan try out a love hotel (tip: tends to be better if you go as a couple!). They're an important part of Japanese culture and it would just be wrong not to :-)
Anyway, our Sunday morning jog wasn't all about love hotels - there were temples and baseball too! You can check it out on a google map (or in 3D in Google Earth) at
j.mp/1R5MU
I'd better have breakfast now - off to Yoyogi park for the Indian Festival later - and my thumb needs a break from iPhone typing!
Joseph
p.s. I was wondering - is japan the only country with love hotels?
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