9. Stay the Night in a Love Hotel
Maybe you’re asking “is a love hotel what I think it is?” And the answer is yes. They are rooms with varying degrees of naughtiness for couples to spend a short time together in privacy. The TVs usually include karaoke (to serenade your lover) and erotic programs (to heat things up). Some hotels have themes with costumes are available. Hello Kitty!
You can usually pick out a love hotel by the way it looks outside. It may be a strange shape or have a seductive mural painted the length of the building. When you walk in, don’t worry about an embarrassing encounter with the receptionist. It is very anonymous. Usually you meet a vending-style machine and choose a room by pushing a button near the picture you like. It’s a great time to practice your Japanese reading skills. Payment may be through the machine or at a window where you and the worker can’t see each other.
For a quick tryst, you will want to ‘rest’ at love hotel. Your lover’s city may determine just how much ‘resting’ you’ll do together. In Osaka, a ‘rest’ is usually one hour, but it’s usually two or three hours in Tokyo. Fifty bucks is a ballpark price for a ‘rest.’ Weekends are more, but if you want to ‘rest’ during office hours you’ll pay less. It beats the copy room.
If you’re staying the night, plan for a late-night check in and choose the heftier price for a ‘stay.’ It could be double the price of a ‘rest,’ or more. Some love hotels are surprisingly classy inside–think king-sized Western-style beds with plush linens, great, big, marble bathtubs and an assortment of chic toiletries for guests.
Love hotels are all over the country, but it might be easier to find them on “Love Hotel Hill” in Shibuya (Tokyo) or in Umeda, Namba, Sakuranomiya, and Ikutamateramachi (Osaka). The latter, most difficult to voice neighbourhood of Osaka, is your wildest option. But take a wrong turn in this neighbourhood and you may get more than you bargained for: homeless men throwing empty sake jars, or the ‘pink lantern’ district with lovers for sale.
8. Eat Raw Horse»
7. Rent a Dog
6. Karaoke with Locals
5. Watch Sumo Wrestling
4. Stalk Geishas and Maiko in Kyoto
3. See Snow Monkeys Bathe in Hot Springs
2. Get Naked with Strangers
1. Attend a Penis Festival
