The Love Hotel

I’m mostly staying in hostels while I’m in Japan—cheap, cheerful, and full of fellow travelers. But for my first night in Tokyo, I wanted something… unforgettable. Something that screamed Tokyo. So I booked a love hotel. Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.

Tokyo love hotels are short-stay accommodations designed for privacy. They’re known for their discreet entrances, themed rooms, and amenities like mood lighting, jacuzzis, cosplay outfits, and adult toys. They can be rented by the hour or overnight and are a unique part of Japanese urban culture. And apparently, they’re quite popular. They’re all over Tokyo. I’ll bet you didn’t even know your phone has an emoji for a love hotel. See: 🏩.

While some love hotels are flashy and over-the-top, others are simple and clean. You can guess which kind I opted for.

I found the perfect one online before my trip. There’s a chain of Japanese love hotels called Hotel SARA. Their website shows the rooms available at each location—each one with its own unique theme. But you can’t book in advance. You just have to show up and see what’s available during that particular hour. And if you want to stay overnight, you can’t even get a room until 20:00 (8 p.m.).

So yeah—my plan for my first night in Tokyo, after an 11-hour flight that landed at 2:30 in the afternoon with a 16-hour time difference, was to figure out the complex Japanese subway system, get to a specific Hotel Sara in a specific Tokyo neighborhood, show up right at 8 p.m., and hope a room was available for the night.

And that ridiculous plan is stupid and so me.

The official checking me into the country at the airport wasn’t particularly thrilled about it. The blank spot on the entry form asking where I was staying must’ve stood out. She told me to go use my phone to book a place and come back. So I added the hostel I was staying at the next night, got back in line, and this time went to a different agent. Problem solved.

And my crazy plan worked—barely.

I arrived at Hotel SARA Kinshicho at five minutes to eight. It had taken me that long to get there after navigating the complex Tokyo subway system and doing some mini-exploring at a transfer station along the way.

The woman at the counter spoke very little English. When I told her I wanted a room for the night, she told me I’d have to come back tomorrow. Uh-oh.

But I didn’t give up. I hung around the lobby for a bit, then checked out one of the giant touchscreen displays—entirely in Japanese. Poking around, I found a screen that seemed to show all the rooms at the hotel. Most were marked as occupied, but a few might have been available.

I tapped room 201, and up came pictures of the room—a dimly lit, very themed space. There were several buttons labeled in Japanese, and I started poking around, hoping one would let me reserve the room. But the touchscreen wasn’t registering where I was pressing.

Then, from the small opening in the frosted glass, the woman called out: “You want?” She was pointing at the screen.

“Yes, please!”

After some back-and-forth in very broken English, I paid, and she wrote down 11:00 as the check-out time. Perfect.

So I got to stay in room 201 of Hotel SARA Kinshicho—the Rope and Candle Room Superior. Mission accomplished.

And I was not disappointed. It was everything I had dreamed of and more. It was incredible: the crazy, flashy décor, the programmed lighting scenes, the huge bubble and jet tub, the Japanese gizmo toilet, the leather sofa, the plush bed, and of course, all of the lights and doodads and crazy sex stuff that I had no use for. It was the perfect crazy and uniquely Japanese stay to welcome me to Tokyo.

And the adventure I had that night matched perfectly, but that, I’m not going to share here. 😉Read more