About the soundproof stuff. In my apartment in Japan, my neighbors would hear when I watched RU-vid on my computer. They asked me a few times who in America I was calling, thinking the English coming from my computer was me talking to someone back home. I felt so bad! I can definitely see why people would love the soundproof-ness of these hotels.
For a week travel in Kyoto i would suggest to get a reservation for a hotel for check in monday check out Tuesday leave your luggage at a metro with key and lock tuesday night life in kyoto and then Wednesday to Thursday you get a stay in a love hotel prepaid and Friday to Sunday a reservation back to your hotel. Minimizing cost. Also. Reserve in a hotel where there's dry cleaners so that the clothes you wore on Wednesday Thursday won't be a worry.(suggestible hotel with dry cleaners: Mitsui Garden Hotel) Airbnb house in kyoto might come into 60$/night while stay love hotels at 70$/night + hotel at 50$/night but the amenities and the free to worry mindset is worth the case and it balances out. It will also allow you to feel the lifestyle of a modern japanese couple in its oldest cities.
Considering that such hotels are soundproof and have cheap rates, wouldn't these attributes be great for bands to utilize then? The distance from transportation might be a hindrance that could completely outweigh those benefits but I can easily imagine demos being recorded or band practice being conducted in such places.
From what I’ve seen on RU-vid, they’re not that soundproof. It seems some utilise fans and stuff to hide the sound of next door rooms. Maybe luxury love hotels would be more sound proof.
@@rachelcookie321 - Depends on which ones you're staying in, yeah. Like... mostly based on area, really. Don't expect any silence anywhere in the Kabuki district but in higher-end places, you're usually going to be fine.
I love how "it's more than 10 minutes from a station" is somehow a quality/convenience sign here, meanwhile me, the provincial german, is happy if the place has a bus line that frequents the village more than once an hour.
Meanwhile, in America… It’s 15 minutes by car to any local town for groceries for me as-is. Walking would take probably closer to an hour, with no sidewalks and twisty roads with terrible drivers.
I'm also a "provincial German" and this was my thought as well haha. Seriously, the bus comes just a very few times a day and walking would take way too long.
Very interesting reasoning behind the concept of a Japanese "love hotel" as a place where married couples can get away to themselves. In the US, the closest thing would be what were nick-named "no-tell motels" which were seedier, out-of-the-way, low-class rooms which were most often used by people having illicit affairs. Fees could be negotiated hourly, and the owner was expected to be discreet and respect the anonymity of the guests; but there wasn't much in the wat of amenities, and there could be criminal elements present as well. Married couples on vacation would go to more reputable, high-end hotels where they could get pampered with amenities.
Love hotels were not made specifically for married couples, just couples. Which is a much broader term (thus different demographics, including in economical sense). And they were, and still are frequently used for affairs.
The other US option is the “fantasy suites” hotels, which are packaged as more romantic and less seedy than the pay-by-the-hour no-tell. The rooms are usually themed (heart-shaped in-room jacuzzis for instance) and tend to be near popular tourist areas to cater to vacationing couples having a romantic getaway. The one in our area advertises jungle, medieval, and pirate themes. Never tried it but everyone jokes about it.
Motels on the west coast primarily house people in difficult living situations. I remember being a security guard for a motel 6 at the start of the pandemic and most of the problematic homeless people often had a room there.
The US has one hotel chain that only allows married couples to stay in the rooms, the rooms each have their own pool, and amenities, like private 2 car garage.
I stayed in a "love-hotel" at my visit in Japan 2019, but it was more of an accident, I didn't plan to stay at one, since it feel it's somewhat weird to stay at a "love-hotel" on your own. I booked trough booking as I always do (for my own convenience when travelling), and in this perticular scenario, the"love-hotel" was the cheapest option. And as you said, it's quite comfortable and luxurious considering how much you are paying, but as you also mentioned, this hotel was located quite a bit outside the citycenter, and there was some inconvenience to get to the city. However, I as lucky to find some nice Japanese youth that drove me to the citycenter while I was asking for the direction to the station to take the public transportation, while I was at a convenientstore.
Interesting you were able to book a love hotel online. It seems typically you can’t book love hotels ahead of time and you just have to show and see what they’ve got.
In Thailand there're ม่านรูด (Marn-rud: which directly translate to "draw curtains"). You can say that its a kind of "Love Hotel" . The room is typical of a 0-1Star hotel, but what's special is each room has a dedicated parking space in front of each room. Couple would just drive their car in to this parking space and the staff would close the curtains behind to prevent others to see the vihicle, license plate or who're in side. Pricese are base on staying time, "temporary" (2-3Hrs) or "All night" (check out by 9am the next day). However, often enough these hotels weren't just used by couples but all sort of people, ranging from businessman looking for a cheap place just to spend the night, low cost traveler, to mob or gangster use it as a meeting place to conduct illegal business.
In Brazil, there are "ordinary" hotels and also those called motel, witch indeed are just for hookups. Also, these motel are a greater idea than an hotel in a quick travel or one night only. They're cheaper, safe and privacy is mandatory.
One of my dreams is to visit a few love hotels in Japan. However, I'm sad to hear they're getting rid of the flamboyant styles. The extreme ones actually got my attention cuz there are those of us who like to turn our bedroom experience into a theme park. I sure hope I'll still be able to enjoy the crazy ones someday.
A fourth caution that you should note Shogo, is that some hotels may be homophobic. An all girls night at a love hotel isn't unusual but some of them will reject an all guys group, even if they are clearly tourists.
I learned from a different RU-vidr recently (who did a single video trying out a bunch of love hotels) that this has been illegal for several years, but despite this 2 of the 6 they tried did refuse service because it was 2 guys filming (them being foreign might have played a factor in ignoring this law). And this seemed to be more common for love hotels that seemed to be better quality; the one they went to that had terrible reviews and was filled with bedbugs let them in just fine.
My spouse and I stayed in a love hotel in the Philippines. It was cheap and clean, but the most amusing “amenity” was a one way mirror between the shower and bedroom 😂
Did you mean a two way mirror? A one way mirror is just a regular mirror. A two way mirror is when a person standing on the one side of the mirror can see the other person on the other but they can’t see them back, just a reflection like a regular mirror. It’s used for spying and for observations like interrogation rooms etc. normally.
That reminds me of the time my wife and I visited Munich, Germany. The shower and bedroom shared a wall but the wall was transparent glass! My wife fell asleep after a busy day. I flipped on the TV and watched a quiz show whose hostess was provocatively dressed in leather. She would invite men to call in and answer a question to win a prize. I understood quite a lot of the German language so I knew exactly what was said. One of the questions was "Name a German city with 5 letters in its name." A very shy fellow called in. He replied "B - E - R - L - I - N". It was so funny! She ripped him so badly.
I stayed in a love hotel the last time I went to Japan and it was great. The room was amazing and really comfortable. We nearly missed out on sightseeing just because we were enjoying recuperating in the hotel so much.
In Brasil we have love hotels too, they are called "motel". The same spelling as motel in the USA, HOWEVER BE AWARE. The meaning is different, and the suits are desing whit the purpose of love. They have options for short periods, like 2, 3, 4 ou 6 hours. And option for the nightstay. But u need to pay attention to the checkout time because it changes from motel to motel.
@@AmFFFers Oh in Brazil motels are not cheap hotels. Here, motels are these love hotels. They can be cheap and pretty shitty, but can also be super fancy and expensive.
My wife and I stayed at a love hotel in Osaka during our honeymoon. Shee booked it for the price and for the supposed size of the room. We got there, and though it was a bit far from the city center it was the best hotel we had during our entire stay. Large room, large bed, breakfast included (delivered into a little slot), and the best bathtub/shower I've seen in my life! Oh! It also had a slot machine and massage chair! Much better than the 10x10ft Tokyo hotel
I’ll never be speeding up your videos to 1.25 or more. Youre so calming, the way you talk, your patience. Your videos settle me down every evening. I appreciate your work, keep that up!
When I was stationed in Korea I stayed at several overnight. I even used one for an eight day vacation, I found a lot of them to be very comfortable and affordable. I did not go for any of the “special designs” of the room other than the jacuzzi tubs.
I mean... if my wife and I ever could go to Japan... we'd be... uh, resting. So... yeah, it would kind of behoove us to stay at a love hotel. Great video.
Makes me think of the hotels in Final Fantasy when the party stays over. Love hotels: perfect for couples, friends, and people trying to save the world
I definitely learned something today, and Shogo, this is why I love and respect your channel. Honestly, I thought Love Hotels were filthy cesspool of bodily fluids and are for unsavory people who wanted to get a little freaky deaky with their Sneaky Linky and then go on about their business. As always, Shogo, thanks to you, I have a better understanding of the Japanese Love Hotel Culture! ✌🏾😉✌🏾
This was super interesting! When I visited Tokyo we stayed at what was advertised as a Ryokan / business hotel. My friend was slightly concerned that we might have accidentally booked a love hotel, but based on this video... no, it was not a love hotel but I surely will consider them when I visit Japan next time!!
Hey Shogo, just wanted to say I plan on coming to Japan some time in the near future and gotta say as a country bumpkin from the states; your videos really help me understand what I want to do. Especially on the sword shop video! Really makes me appreciate the beauty of your culture. Keep it up and hope I could run into you someday.
I went to a love hotel in Japan with my fiancé a few times during a 3 week trip. We were sharing an airBNB room with two friends and unfortunately the particular airBNB we were staying at had roaches and rats. So for a couple nights to be alone my fiancé paid for an overnight stay so we could get some sleep and take showers without other people in the hall needing it. The bed was super comfy, they had all kinds of phone chargers, the bathroom was super nice, you could control the lights and heat however you wanted, the bathtub had jets, and there were amenities galore. Make sure you get energy drinks beforehand though, my poor fiancé missed a couple days of the trip after the first stay we had because he was so tired. But I still give that love hotel 11/10!
The first "short stay" hotels I saw were on highways in America so people could sleep for a short time on a long drive. I've seen hotels in Australia which have short stays so people who arrive late on an international flight can have a cheaper rate for a short sleep before a morning domestic flight. But Japan is the only place I've seen love hotels.
There are also themed love hotels in the Philippines, and they usually charge rates for 2-4 hours. Some of the bigger chains have recently been rebranding into more family friendly accommodations.
One common thing in U.S. hotels is that items in the mini bar are overpriced and are a way for the hotels to make additional profit. Of course towels, shampoo and soap are provided (minimally). But looking at the images of the display of amenities, they remind me more of a U.S. mini bar arrangement, and thus I am curious if there additional fees for using any of the in room amenities.
I believe there are vending machines in the love hotel rooms with soft drinks and beer, and even love accessories. But those come at a price that are conveniently charged to your room and the prices are much less than US hotel mini bar prices. The goal of the love hotel is to have you stay longer, so the ameneties and food and drinks and all are all there to make you want to stay longer. Some love hotels even have complimentary food and drink for you to take to your room. Almost like a US hotel sundries shop. But in the love hotel's case, they're free
With the cheap rates, soundproof rooms, and many amenities, I was wondering why people don't just stay at them instead of the traditional hotel. Then you mentioned the "once you leave the room, you can't really go back in" and the way you post-pay instead of pre-pay, now it makes sense.
I was stationed in Yokosuka back in the early 90s. There was a love hotel near the base I was stationed at. Very impressive room. Huge bathroom with a glass wall so you could watch your gf/bf take a shower (very kinky)
I think Love Hotels are there to resolve an issue caused by the architecture. Even apartments tend to have thin walls (not just traditional houses) where you might be able to hear your neighbours talk or have s*x (the older the building is, the more prevalent the issue seems to be..) So if you live in an apartment building and don't want to let your neighbours hear you "enjoying your wife" you are pretty much forced to go to the love hotel. Sure, there are houses with better insulation and that might have thicker walls, but you will pretty much need to make sure of it before moving in and you will need to check with the real estate agent..
And, as we know from "The Wolverine", they have really cool themes, like "the nurse's station", "the dungeon", and "mission to Mars". Try to find that in a regular hotel anywhere.
Great job dancing around the topic of the original purpose of such places. I have seen that variety is another reason to stay at such places. Many will have special themes to their rooms, and I've seen a video by another presenter of one that had its own water slide.
This sounds like the best option for my SO and I if we ever make it to Japan. I've been wanting to visit Kyoto for sooo long so keeping my fingers crossed that dream will become a reality someday. 🤞🤞🤞
I had to push my Japan trip from March of this year to March of next so hopefully I'll be able to make it then! I'm definitely planning on staying a night at a love hotel and I'm so excited! Much love from Arizona ❤️❤️
In the US, there are two kinds of love hotels. One kind just motels that charge a lower rate by the hour, and are generally found in poorer neighborhoods. They are often nasty places most wouldn't sleep in. The other kind (I'm thinking of Sybaris) are marketed as "romantic weekend getaways" for couples. They often have themed rooms (although Sybaris kind of doesn't, unless you view the theme as being "pools"). The other thing that serves a similar purpose in the state of Nevada are brothels, but in a brothel, the room is essentially a prostitute's office, and you won't be doing any sleeping there.
14:25 That's me! Been watching the news on this like a hawk. It seems like a visit to Japan is a pipe dream at this point. It's unfortunate - but I really hope they allow for tourism soon. Great and informative video as always :)
I would love to check out a love hotel for "research" purposes, but I would be nervous to enter a love hotel by myself or if I'm traveling with family members.
In California, we have a few novelty hotels for couples, but not for short stays and not cheap. The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo has theme rooms, many with boulder walls and/or water features, and is popular for romantic getaways. My husband and I also love one Bed and Breakfast where there are theme rooms like a 1950's drive-in movie or pirate ship. This last is discrete in that anything that comes to your room (breakfast, etc) goes into a box you can access from inside without opening the door.
This was a funny but yet intriguing video of a thing, I didn't expect to see on your channel, Shogo. 😁 I have no partner, but why not visit by myself, if I get to visit Japan in my lifetime.. 💜
You should have added the caution, two or more Men will be turned away from staying at several love hotels despite them technically not being able to do that.
My biggest concern about these particular "hotels" are sanitation/health procedures because of certain human fluids and items like beds coverings, towels washcloths etc. Just knowing what the "hotels" primary use is makes me think I'd have to carry a blacklight to run a sanitation check before I could determine if I would use a room. Or it could just be me I would feel very uncomfortable using any of these hotels because of the reasons mentioned.🤨🤔🧐
I am from Croatia, and here we don't have "Love Hotels"; but when I first read the Title and heard you speak for the first few Seconds until I realised what you are saying, I thought that you are talking about Hotels that are Brothels! Anyone in Croatia would think about a Brothel if you say to them "Love Hotel"!
In Germany love hotels are called Stundenhotel ( hour hotel ) because you can rent a room by the hour. I have never been to one but they have a bad reputation for being unsanitary. As brothels are illegal but prostitution is not, they are (as far as i know) mostly used fro that purpose.
Now I realize the hotel I stayed in when I was in Japan was a love hotel. Very luxurious and nice. Though it’s a bit far from transportation. I’ll come back again when traveling is free of restraint.
Adjusting playback speed of Shogo's videos is like "Dude, drink up faster and let's go!" on tea ceremony. Probably it's ok for tiktok generation, but not for me ;) I watching this channel to feel absolutely unique source of different culture and want to thank Shogo and his team for that. Btw, can you make video with a history of Hattori Hanzo? Of course we can watch Kill Bill... I mean check Wiki ;), but your style is adding so many shades to the picture 🥷
An hotel where I'm able to give myself some love with a gigantic tv filled with videogames and food that comes to my bedroom. That sounds really nice. All out night of gaming with some lovely japanese food
Such a great video, you had me laughing a lot! In the U.S we have something kinda similar, though not nearly as luxurious or as accommodating. They pretty much exclusively have the easy check in/check out policies and low prices.
I'm going to be moving to Japan for work soon, on short notice. I may be there for a very long time. Thanks for making such great cultural guides, they are really helpful. I'm learning as much and as quickly as I can before I move in May. Hopefully I can learn enough of the language and culture to fit in.
Here in Brazil, we have them too, but they are called "Motel". Aside from price they are VERY similar to your description, some Motels are very expensive here.
It’s really interesting that it’s called a motel in Brazil, because in the US a motel is a cheaper hotel where you park your car and there aren’t any indoor hallways or amenities. Though the cultural connotation is probably the same, as motels have a seedy association and many people have hook ups there.
@@marl3ymarl3y86 I also find it interesting and a little confusing. Here in like 90% of the motels you get in by car, select your room and give your ID without even getting out of it, then you can enter and park inside a numbered garage that has access to your room.
@@MrElenilsonx I’ve personally never booked a motel, but it sounds like the same way people do it in the US, except usually the cars are in a outdoor parking situation and the rooms all look into the parking lot (like a courtyard, and sometimes there’s a pool in the motel). Cultural differences are fascinating
Since I saw these come up on RU-vid channels, (Popular subject to cover) ..I've always thought they'd be really useful places to hole up in the event I had a migraine or exhaustion (Or I suppose anxiety attacks like I used to get very often) otherwise ruining my day: dark curtains, simple food easily available, drinks, pretty ideal place to wait for dusk, I think. :)
There are Japanese-style love hotels in Taiwan. The concept exists because Taiwan has for decades been an important commercial/business/tourism hub for Japanese.
Here in Israel, we have something very similar. They call it a "tsimmer" (pronounced tsee-mer). Some are fairly cheap and some expensive, but they are designed for couples' special time. It started because like in Japan, people tend to live with multiple generations in the same household. A reason most people don't discuss is that there used to be very little divorce here, and many people here marry for social reasons rather than love. So "cheating" (quite often open marriage) is extremely common here. The unspoken norm is that once you are married and make babies, you've done your job and you're free to dally as long as you're discreet about it. Tsimmers provide this discreet way of having a comfortable place. Like in Japan, you'd rarely see the staff if ever. You just swipe your card.
@Rainbow Rose Princess Mishti It’s different if the marriage is arranged or you married because of family pressure and don’t love the person especially if you are both going about doing the same thing although it’s probably societally ok for men and not for women..... but I don’t know or not just a guess as it’s like that in a lot of cultures unfortunately.
@Rainbow Rose Princess Mishti you mean they never cheated that you know of. That's what being discrete is about. One does what they do, and the family doesn't know.
@@KraftyKreator here, it is considered somewhat more acceptable for men than for women, but Israel is fairly modern except for religious people. So people of all genders and orientations do what they do, with levels of "downlow" dependent on family and drama potential. Modern as it is though, an Israeli woman's public image is supposed to be a kind of frigid harpy who rules her household with an iron fist. The person who lures her out of her shell is supposed to feel like the lone dragon slayer or something.
Here in Mexico we have motel, and each room has its own garage and prices varies depending of how much exclusivity you want, the only bad thing is the hygiene because the location, and there are a few motels in my town that improved a lot because these are located near the historical old town
Shogo I love your voice after a long hectic day...you have such a lovely family. Thank you for educating us who find your culture fascinating...its deep roots in history and your respect for each individual sure could teach us westerners a thing or 2. Have a spectacular weekend friend
In the Philippines, the word “Motel” are type of hotels for short term stay, but became an equivalent for types of hotels to make love, hence it became a shorthand term for love hotels.
I remember booking 2 rooms back in 2018 at a love hotel for me and 3 of my friends for a two week vacation it was a great experience and all 4 of us loved it. P.s. we were in Tokyo on the north western side cant remember the name of the area sadly but my wife(one of the friends) and I plan on going back in 4 years for our 5th anniversary
I like you a lot. Besides my love for Asain Cultures, you are a very sweet, pleasant person. So I subscribed because I bet you have a lot of knowledge to pass on.
I like the discretion of your descriptions. Though the purpose of such facilities is clear in your words, still you are able to draw a courtesy curtain. Arigato gozai mashita, Shogo San!
I used to live in the middle of Love hotels in Uguisudani. The center of love hotels in Tokyo. 7 years I lived there and met very nice girls. Expensive but worth it!!
considering i live in america and the nearest store to me is a 2 hour walk then a 10 minute walk to a station truly is great, especially because i skate so i could just skate to the station
This was very informative. Now I feel I should visit Japan just so that I can stay at a love hotel, without leaving the hotel at any point until I have to return home.
Hello Shogo! This video is very interesting and now i am considering to try staying at a love hotel when i visit Japan one day 😁. One quick question, is it safe to stay at the love hotel? I don't know the exact situation in Japan, but i read that there are many hidden camera placed in love hotel room for example in South Korea (and possibly other countries too). Thank you 😀
Just discovered your channel. I'm glad you've managed to get to 1 Million subs 🤘🏻👏 Really enjoying these videos. Also, I watched that video where you talked about the condition you've been struggling with. I sincerely hope you can recover and remain strong.
There's hotels like this in Utah. The ones I know of are called Anniversary Inn. They have themes rooms that are sound proof, has crazy tubs, nice beds and tvs... They're super nice. However, they don't have the "rest" option
