July 03, 2003

Searching in Shinjuku


After walking through rain, trying to find a theme place - and I was imagining a funky cute place but all we saw were modern sleek "fashion hotels" that were like normal hotels (each lobby has room pics to see what the interior is like) - we found what looked like an old love hotel. And I mean old as in run down old. But we thought maybe they would have some theme rooms from like the 1970s, and eyeing the cheesy plastic flower display, we thought this place would have character. Sure enough, we walked into a room with a rumpled bed and used robes on the table. We thought that might be the theme...dirty used rooms! We just got another room that is clean and we'll romp around. But we might just warm up to a round 2. - Mie

Posted by Dav at July 3, 2003 10:58 PM
Comments

I enjoyed the blogs concentrating on Love hotels but yearn for the "good old days" (1947 - 1953) when there were no "Love Hotels" - you just went to a regular standard hotel. (Usually just off the Ginza.) It usually cost about ¥100 for the whole night (except you had to be in the barracks by 10:00 PM for bed check) but then didn't have any luxury items (such as a bed - you had a futon and the associated tatami burns on the knees - [If you don't know what tatami burn are, don't ask]).

A companion (whom you may have just met 15 minutes earlier) would cost you ¥100 and a couple of packs of cigarettes. (In those days the exchange rate was ¥365 to the dollar [plus or minus depending whether you were changing military script or greenback dollars], a whole carton of cigarettes in the PX cost $1.00 and could be exchanged for a weeks worth of laundry.)

Alternatively, if you convinced your companion that you would see them again "tomorrow" the companionship was often on the house. That is, if you didn't get BBQed in the charcoal-burning taxi (the back seat of which would often substitute for a "poor man's" love hotel in times of expediency) going back to the barracks. After all, who could turn down a "rich American" who might be appreciative enough to get married? (Beside, they had PX privileges!)

However, at my age I guess it's only academic. But I still miss Japan, its culture and philosophy, its art, even its smell.

Anyway. I did enjoy your review.

Posted by: Don Marshall at July 7, 2003 01:32 AM