love hotels in japan

During his third Japan trip, he repeatedly visited Shinjuku love hotels with a woman met online, perhaps four-to-five times weekly. Rooms cost roughly £80–£120 nightly and offered lavish beds, marble bathrooms, steam showers, karaoke, mood lighting, and rental costumes. He speculates concealed reception protects people having affairs, though he did not know whether his companion had a partner.

He balances fascination with Japanese luxury and novelty against secrecy, expense, and lingering social discomfort.