Hotel Forum in Tokyo’s Shin-Okubo is an old-school Japanese love hotel. And when I say old, I do mean old.
Forum is somewhat known in Tokyo as a BDSM hotel. (It’s not the BDSM hotel, though. For the curious, that would be Alpha In, a den of depravity hidden away in the otherwise buttoned-up Azabu-Juban neighborhood.) But some of its pared-down rooms do come with the odd piece of bondage furniture, like room 401 below.
I’d never been to Forum before, though I’d been curious to check it out. So I was happy to find myself visiting on Tuesday night on a unique adventure. However, as soon as we got there, I realized something was different.
We never got a room key.
“Pay at the machine when you’re done,” the manager told us in Japanese. I didn’t realize what he meant until we went to the room.
The door was wide open. We went in and shut it behind us.
And that’s when we realized we’d be stuck there for the next two to three hours.
Many foreign travelers want to try love hotels when they come to Japan. Not many, however, are aware of the different types of love hotels. Here’s my own experience with a “captive” love hotel, how to recognize one, and how to prepare to enter one. I’ll also cover how to avoid entering one in the first place – and where you should go instead.
Why love hotels don’t like you leaving
Not every love hotel in Japan operates this way these days. Few in Tokyo do, in fact. (A friend tells me that you’ll find more of these types of setups in other prefectures, like Gunma.)
However, as a rule, many hotels don’t like you going in and out. There’s a reason for that.
Many love hotels operate on a “pay later” system (後払い; ato-barai). Even at love hotels that pay up front, however, you might accrue additional charges in a variety of ways:
- Staying past your allotted time
- Buying beverages or sexual aids from in-room vending machines
- Ordering food at love hotels with a kitchen and menu
Love hotels don’t demand you provide a credit card to enter. A key selling point of these establishments is that they go out of their way to enable customers to retain their anonymity. In some modern love hotels, you can even go to a room, do your business, and pay afterwards without ever talking to a single human being.
All this means that people skipping out on their hotels without paying is a common problem. That’s one reason many love hotels prefer that customers stay in their rooms for the allotted time. As a result, many forbid going in and out (出入り; deiri or 外出; gaishutsu).
Additionally, as I discussed in my last missive on love hotels, there’s a safety issue with early departures. The 80s and 90s in Japan saw a string of high-profile murders committed in love hotels. A couple would enter. Only one would leave – leaving staff or police to find the body of their victim later.
Sadly, such incidents still happen today. Cf. the case of Tamura Runa in Sapporo.
Different hotels have responded to this problem in different ways. Hotel Forum uses the “classic” method: literally locking guests in their rooms. To leave, you have to pay at a payment machine inside the room to unlock the door. This ensures the hotel gets its money and also that everyone leaves at the same time and in the same numbers in which they arrived.
These days, most hotels use security cameras and an attentive staff to keep people safe. If one of you dips out to the combini, staff will call up to the room to ensure your companions are still alive.
How to handle a captive love hotel
In my opinion, in general, you should avoid captive love hotels. They’re more trouble than they’re worth! You can’t pop out to the combini to get snacks, or even to the lobby to get ice for your drinks. And you can’t check in ahead of time and wait for your companion to arrive, either (most love hotels these days have no problem with this).
The situation is even worse if you stay the night. Love hotels generally have two modes: rest, a short 2-3 hour stay (i.e., to fuck); and stay, an overnight (to sleep). Check into a captive love hotel for an overnight, and you’re there until the morning.
How do you tell if you’re going into one? Simple: you won’t be given a key. Some hotels will have lighted displays indicating which rooms are available and instructing you to go directly to the room.
If you do end up in a captive love hotel, go in with everything you need ahead of time, and with all members of your party. Bring plenty of cash, just in case there’s an issue with your card. Also, be prepared that the payment machine will likely be completely in Japanese.
Fortunately, few love hotels in Tokyo work like this. My recommendation is to stick to the larger, newer hotels that offer more flexible stays. Bali An in Kabukicho is my overall favorite. They have rooms that can accommodate up to 10 guests, offer overnight plans, and allow you to go in and out. Plus, the hotel is stocked with amenities like a snack bar, room service, and even a karaoke room.
Other recommendations:
- Alpha In (Azabu-Juban) for a one-of-a-kind kink hotel experience
- Sara Grande (Gotanda, Kinshicho)
- Hotel Sense (Kabukicho)
- Hotel Lapia (Kabukicho)
- Hotel Sulata (LGBTQ-friendly love hotel in Shibuya)
