Inside Japan's fantasy-fuelled love hotels

India Today

04-06-2025

Love hotels in Japan are often theme based (Photo: Hotel Chronos via Booking.com) India Today Lifestyle Desk Love hotels in Japan are beyond intimacy and kinks.
Its history is centuries old but today offers a unique experience for travellers.
These love hotels are often based on larger-than-life themes.
When someone says Japan, you probably think of cherry blossoms, matcha tea, kimonos, ikigai (okay, Takeshi's Castle too). But of course, the country is much more than just that. One minute you're sipping that viral matcha latte, and the next, you might find yourself wandering through ancient temples and shrines. If food is your real escape, you could be gorging on fresh sushi or slurping a bowl of soul-soothing ramen.
But visiting Japan for its 'love hotels', does that pique your interest?
It might sound a bit risque for our Indian sensibilities, but in Japan, love hotels are a cultural curiosity tucked behind discreet facades in Tokyo's Shibuya or hidden in the neon-lit backstreets of Osaka. And no, these aren't your run-of-the-mill hotel rooms. Designed for privacy and short-term stays, they're often used for romantic escapades, and trust us, the interiors are worth writing home about. Not your average hotel
What is a love hotel? Honestly, the word is self-explanatory in essence. This is Japan's most private public secret. Love hotels work as short-stay hotels that allow guests privacy for lovemaking, intimacy and more, but judgment-free. People can rent or 'rest' (as it is called) a room by the hour. Overnight stays are welcome too. No shame, no judgement, just vibe. Don't be embarrassed - that's the idea.
And yes, these hotels are what you want them to be. Imagine: a castle, Hello Kitty bondage rooms, sci-fi pods, prison cells, hospitals, underwater aquarium, you name it. Love hotels in Japan often offer costumes on rent. (Photo: Getty Image) Back in the day
The concept of a love hotel dates back centuries, almost to the 16th century. PDA (public display of affection) was not always cute. It is still often hushed up in several societies. In Japan, secret quarters emerged during the Edo period, where entry and exits were discreet. Hence, people came up with a workaround.
Teahouses popped up where people met 'discreetly,' away from society's prying gaze. Eventually, as society progressed and the lifestyle evolved, these teahouses got a neon glow-up! It turned into love hotels or rabu hoteru in Japanese, with dramatic concepts fuelling the fantasy in the 21st century. When you check into a love hotel
Today, one can find love hotels as dramatic as possible. The rooms often boast neon lights, interactive beds, luxury couple bathrooms, TVs with adult content, karaoke rooms, etc. It is designed to pique as well as satisfy your kinks. It's a playground for adults to go wild and how! A UFO-themed love hotel in Japan (Photo credits: Getty Images)
One USP of love hotels in Japan is how they keep identity discreet. It's giving incognito but make it kinky. Bookings are mostly done online or via vending machines that offer an array of options to pick your vibe. Interaction with staff is limited. At some counters or receptions, it is obstructed by opaque glass windows to avoid any awkward eye contact.
Now, what if you bump into someone while entering or exiting a love hotel? French photographer Franois Prost, speaking to The Guardian , said, 'The hotels are often designed so you don't have to cross paths with anyone else. You can go straight from your car into a lift going up, and there is always a separate lift to go back down, to avoid bumping into people. A lot of the hotels don't even have receptionists any more – you book online, or choose your room from an automatic vending machine.'
According to The Guardian , the country probably has around 37,000 love hotels - but the numbers may vary. Sometimes, these places even crop up in rural areas, secluded junctions, and miss the census. Lovers' escape to tourists' delight
What started as a place where people expressed and explored sexual liberation has today found a place in a traveller's bucket list. It is no longer merely a concept, but an experience. It is not limited to dates, flings, or cosplay kinks. Solo travellers, tourists often rent it by the hour and save on shelling for the entire day, and some only do it for the gram.
Today, the concept has travelled across borders, but it still exists more as a global whisper than a mainstream trend. In India, the closest equivalent to Japan's love hotels might be budget chains like OYO, which became popular for offering rooms on an hourly basis and not requiring proof of marital status.
This made them a discreet option for unmarried couples seeking privacy, something that's still hard to come by in a country where public displays of affection are often frowned upon. However, this progressive policy met resistance from conservative sections of society, where such bookings were viewed as morally questionable.
Other countries like France, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore, amongst other countries have also caught up with the concept of love hotels or love motels, as they are also called.
When someone says Japan, you probably think of cherry blossoms, matcha tea, kimonos, ikigai (okay, Takeshi's Castle too). But of course, the country is much more than just that. One minute you're sipping that viral matcha latte, and the next, you might find yourself wandering through ancient temples and shrines. If food is your real escape, you could be gorging on fresh sushi or slurping a bowl of soul-soothing ramen.
But visiting Japan for its 'love hotels', does that pique your interest?
It might sound a bit risque for our Indian sensibilities, but in Japan, love hotels are a cultural curiosity tucked behind discreet facades in Tokyo's Shibuya or hidden in the neon-lit backstreets of Osaka. And no, these aren't your run-of-the-mill hotel rooms. Designed for privacy and short-term stays, they're often used for romantic escapades, and trust us, the interiors are worth writing home about. Not your average hotel
What is a love hotel? Honestly, the word is self-explanatory in essence. This is Japan's most private public secret. Love hotels work as short-stay hotels that allow guests privacy for lovemaking, intimacy and more, but judgment-free. People can rent or 'rest' (as it is called) a room by the hour. Overnight stays are welcome too. No shame, no judgement, just vibe. Don't be embarrassed - that's the idea.
And yes, these hotels are what you want them to be. Imagine: a castle, Hello Kitty bondage rooms, sci-fi pods, prison cells, hospitals, underwater aquarium, you name it. Love hotels in Japan often offer costumes on rent. (Photo: Getty Image) Back in the day
The concept of a love hotel dates back centuries, almost to the 16th century. PDA (public display of affection) was not always cute. It is still often hushed up in several societies. In Japan, secret quarters emerged during the Edo period, where entry and exits were discreet. Hence, people came up with a workaround.
Teahouses popped up where people met 'discreetly,' away from society's prying gaze. Eventually, as society progressed and the lifestyle evolved, these teahouses got a neon glow-up! It turned into love hotels or rabu hoteru in Japanese, with dramatic concepts fuelling the fantasy in the 21st century. When you check into a love hotel
Today, one can find love hotels as dramatic as possible. The rooms often boast neon lights, interactive beds, luxury couple bathrooms, TVs with adult content, karaoke rooms, etc. It is designed to pique as well as satisfy your kinks. It's a playground for adults to go wild and how! A UFO-themed love hotel in Japan (Photo credits: Getty Images)
One USP of love hotels in Japan is how they keep identity discreet. It's giving incognito but make it kinky. Bookings are mostly done online or via vending machines that offer an array of options to pick your vibe. Interaction with staff is limited. At some counters or receptions, it is obstructed by opaque glass windows to avoid any awkward eye contact.
Now, what if you bump into someone while entering or exiting a love hotel? French photographer Franois Prost, speaking to The Guardian , said, 'The hotels are often designed so you don't have to cross paths with anyone else. You can go straight from your car into a lift going up, and there is always a separate lift to go back down, to avoid bumping into people. A lot of the hotels don't even have receptionists any more – you book online, or choose your room from an automatic vending machine.'
According to The Guardian , the country probably has around 37,000 love hotels - but the numbers may vary. Sometimes, these places even crop up in rural areas, secluded junctions, and miss the census. Lovers' escape to tourists' delight
What started as a place where people expressed and explored sexual liberation has today found a place in a traveller's bucket list. It is no longer merely a concept, but an experience. It is not limited to dates, flings, or cosplay kinks. Solo travellers, tourists often rent it by the hour and save on shelling for the entire day, and some only do it for the gram.
Today, the concept has travelled across borders, but it still exists more as a global whisper than a mainstream trend. In India, the closest equivalent to Japan's love hotels might be budget chains like OYO, which became popular for offering rooms on an hourly basis and not requiring proof of marital status.
This made them a discreet option for unmarried couples seeking privacy, something that's still hard to come by in a country where public displays of affection are often frowned upon. However, this progressive policy met resistance from conservative sections of society, where such bookings were viewed as morally questionable.
Other countries like France, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore, amongst other countries have also caught up with the concept of love hotels or love motels, as they are also called. Join our WhatsApp Channel