Youtubers and laughing and talking about it all the time lately “Omg you guys – wait until my friend realises where we are staying tonight – A Japanese love hotel!”
I get it – sounds so random and quirky, right?
But in actuality, staying at a Love Hotel in Japan as a tourist might be funny for a second but it will become a pain in the bum really really quickly (whether you are travelling with or without kids.).
I get it – most Love Hotels are themed so they look like they are made for kids, right? Some of them look like Candyland or have a dinosaur on the roof – there is even one out near Narita that is themed to Christmas all year round!
But they aren’t designed for kids at all and definitely aren’t designed with travellers in mind.
What is a Love Hotel?
My short and blunt personal description: It’s a room for “sexy time.”
The hotel is designed to keep guests anonymous and you actually rarely “book in advance.”
Guests turn up with their new “friend” and there is a vending machine style check in. Guests press a button under a room they like and then usually pay cash to a person behind a window with a little gap. Payment is almost always made in cash only. The person behind the desk is anonymous and the guests are also anonymous.
How can you tell which hotels are Love Hotels?
You can, of course, tell by the hotels that are brightly coloured or themed but other giveaways are that they are almost always in backstreets often with other love hotels near by, often near lots of girlie bars or massage places. The names of the hotels are almost always in English and give off porny vibes ” Hotel Aroma” “Hotel Rose Lips” “Hotel Goody Goody” “Hotel Dulce” “Hotel Bianca” etc.
The most clear sign that a hotel is a Love Hotel? If the main sign our front mainly advertises “Day Use” or “Short Stay” prices.
Why is a Love Hotel with kids not a good idea ?
As I mentioned it’s not a good idea for tourists full-stop and here is why :
*If you – an adult- want to try it with your partner or a “new friend” – go for it – but leave your luggage at a real hotel and make it just one night funny experience.
1) Most Love Hotels have an over 18 age restriction
And if they don’t or don’t seem to enforce this – it’s a big red flag to the establishment as a whole anyway and I definitely would avoid at all costs.
2) Love Hotels do not have a reception desk
So that means no support of any kind and that includes leaving your luggage there before or after checking out too
3) Most Love Hotels you can’t physically leave during your stay
Almost every Love Hotel in Japan is to be used from check-in to check-out only. That means you are usually not allowed to leave and come back. Once the door shuts behind you you’re checked out. It’s not the kind of place that you go to get ready for dinner and then come back afterwards. The main idea is you stumble in together and either choose to pay for one night or a few hours and then leave.
4) Zero English support
I think it goes without saying but these hotels aren’t build with international guests in mind. The staff will most likely not speak a single word of English. This also means they will not be able to assist much in an emergency or if anything minor goes wrong such as a lost property concern etc.
I speak about the importance of having a reception desk in your accommodation when travelling with kids (especially if it’s your first time in Japan or if you don’t speak Japanese well) in my “Before you stay in an Airbnb in Japan” article here.
5) Other guests won’t be errrr happy to see you and have you there
I think it’s pretty obvious why … you’re ruining their hook up vibes and also their ability to be anonymous. Places like this it’s even considered awful to hop in an elevator with someone else as you’re supposed to wait until the cost is clear.
And if your kids make any noise at all? Noone is going to be happy (staff and other clientele.)
Some people worry about the cleanliness of a Love Hotel in Japan – since it’s Japan it doesn’t really cross my mind that much – but I must admit that I don’t think I’d feel very cool with putting my kids in the bath knowing what kinds of things have been going on in that bath for other hotel guests (“if these wall could talk they’d tell dirty dirty dirty tales, I tell ya!”)
Is it dangerous to go to a Love Hotel?
Like most things in Japan, “dangerous” isn’t really a thing compared to many other countries. If I ask a Japanese friend who hasn’t travelled much about where is dangerous in Japan they might list some places or areas BUT – well, they would be horrified if they visited most other places.
However, I actually don’t want to see (and especially don’t want my kids to see) really drunk people being seedy and yuk. I also, especially don’t want to see young girls or boys disappearing into rooms with much older people… I’d just prefer not to.
