Japan’s Love Hotels: 10 In Tokyo To Suit Every Taste

These 10 love hotels are perfect whether you’re a first-timer or a veteran ‘rabuho’ guest.

What do you do if you’ve found somebody special but aren’t really digging the thought of bringing them back to your tiny apartment? Are you in need of a spicy adventure in your love life or on the lookout for a really special Staycation? Go to one of Japan’s many love hotels (ラブホテル) in Tokyo, of course!

What’s A Love Hotel Again?

© Photo by iStock: DragonImages

A love hotel is basically a facility that offers short stays—by the hour or for one night only. A rest or short stay can range from two to four hours and cost between ¥2,900-¥7,000 depending on the date, hotel and room type. On the other hand, a stay or overnight can cost anywhere from ¥3,900 to well over ¥20,000. These prices are, of course, all before tax and don’t include any room service, extra amenities or costume rentals.

To learn more about the history and services offered by Love Hotels, check out my guide, Japan’s Love Hotels: What You Need To Know Before You Go.

What Should I Be Looking For?

Cost performance and availability are the three most important factors to keep in mind when choosing a love hotel.

Cost performance is obviously key—you want to get the most bang for your buck, (pun fully intended). Cheaper isn’t always better, just as the most expensive love hotels aren’t always the most enjoyable either. Look for a hotel that offers the right kind of amenities for your needs and you’ll find ones with your perfect cost performance in no time.

Availability is also very important—the most popular hotels book up fast on Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and White Day, and long weekends.

To find love hotels around you in English, check out the listings on Booking.com under the category Love Hotels—they are usually indicated by the mention of Adult Only. Be aware, though, that there is a limited selection, and it might not be possible to book the room you want at the time.

If you’d rather search in Japanese, two of the best and least biased sites are Couples and Happy Hotel. You can also search for love hotels across Japan, which is very helpful if you’re traveling and suddenly need a place to spend the night.

Here are 10 of Japan’s best love hotels in the Tokyo area. I’ve divided them into two groups:

• Vanilla Love Hotels which are safe, straightforward hotels for beginners.
• Adventurous Love Hotels for those looking for a more exotic, more fashionable, or downright kinky experience.

Vanilla Love Hotels

1. All-Inn G

© Photo by All-Inn G

Located just a three-minute walk from Otsuka Station, All-Inn G is a very reasonable, stylish and easily affordable love hotel. Because of its understated nature, it’s often mistaken for a business hotel at first, but the rooms are comfortable and come with just the right amount of amenities for a first-time love hotel guest.

• Price: Short stays cost as little as ¥3,300, and all nights go for about ¥6,500.
• Address: 2-43-4 Minami Otsuka, Toshima, Tokyo

2. Meguro Emperor

© Photo by iStock: Meguro Emperor

Built in 1973, Meguro Emperor is one of Japan’s few remaining original love hotels. When it first opened, it was famed for its wild room themes and revolving beds, but now it has a more luxurious yet comfortable feel. Plus, some of the rooms come equipped with open-air baths, which gives the Meguro Emperor a very vacation air, too.

• Price: Room rates range from ¥6,500 for super short stays and up to ¥26,500 for all night, depending on the room.
• Address: 2-1-6 Shimo Meguro, Meguro, Tokyo

3. Hotel Mju

© Photo by Hotel Mju

While Hotel Mju (Hotel μ) is rather retro-chic and the rooms aren’t as spacious as those in other hotels, this Asakusa love hotel offers one thing no one else can.

All rooms ending with either a two or a four offer stunning views of Tokyo Sky Tree across the Sumida River. Those on the sixth floor are especially highly recommended for their views.

• Price: Short stays start from ¥3,900, while overnight rates range from ¥7,400-¥10,800.
• Address: 2-14-2 Hanakawado, Taito, Tokyo

4. Hotel Colore

© Photo by Hotel Colore

Although slightly off the beaten path in Kinshicho, Hotel Colore is a very modern, very colorful love hotel that is highly ranked among fans. Each room has its own color palette, free drinks and a snack corner. Upon booking your room, you’ll be offered a complimentary carafe of wine and snacks to take up to your room.

• Price: Short rests cost only ¥4,500, while, depending on the room, stays range from ¥7,800-¥9,800.
• Address: 4-8-6 Kotobashi, Sumida, Tokyo

5. Hotel Kahni

© Photo by Hotel Kahni

Located right by Uguisudani Station, Hotel Kahni is a very convenient love hotel for sightseers. The exterior design is quite old school (retro-chic to some). Every room is different, and all feature black/rainbow lighting under the bed or table. Some of the pricier suites have a gothic edge that fans of that genre are sure to enjoy.

• Price: Short rests cost only ¥3,500, while, depending on the room, stays range from ¥4,400-¥6,700.
• Address: 2-14-7 Negishi, Taito, Tokyo

Adventurous Love Hotel

1. Hotel Zebra

© Photo by Hotel Zebra

Though the name suggests it is monochromatic, Hotel Zebra is anything but. Lisa Frank lovers will adore the exterior of this colorful love hotel. Each room is somewhat less brilliantly colored but comes complete with a karaoke machine, a jet bath with adjustable rainbow lights and a complimentary bottle of champagne.

Rental options include love hotel standards plus board games, so this hotel is also a popular after-party spot. You can also book rooms in advance for joshikai (女子会 ladies’ nights) if you’re looking for that instead.

• Price: Room rates range from short stays from ¥4,800 and overnights ranging from ¥7,800 to ¥14,500, depending on the suite and amenities chosen.
• Address: 1-37-1 Higashi Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo

2. Beat Wave

© Photo by Beat Wave

Beat Wave is located on Shibuya’s famous “Love Hotel Hill” in Dogenzaka. Originally a music-themed hotel, their rooms are now based on ultra-modern interiors with luxurious designs—the majority of the rooms come with massive screen TVs and are fully decorated. They also have an amenities bar with brand-name shampoos and other products, plus a free non-alcoholic drink and snack bar in the lobby as well.

What makes this hotel especially popular is its appeal to the influencer crowd—each suite looks like the kind of home you would want to show off on your social media, and the hotel prides itself on being a stylish but homey experience.

• Price: Short stays start from ¥5,800, while overnights range from ¥9,680-¥15,500. 
• Address: 2-9 Maruyamacho, Shibuya, Tokyo

3. Hotel Balian Resort Shinjuku Island & Higashi Shinjuku

© Photo by Balian Hotel & Resort

Slightly cheating here, as these are two separate hotels run by the same chain, but in a nutshell, any time you see “Hotel Bali An Resort” you are in for an amazing hotel experience.

The Hotel Bali An Resort Shinjuku Island and Hotel Bali An Resort Higashi Shinjuku have consistently been ranked within the top three love hotels not only in Tokyo but in Kanto for the last five or so years. With good reason—they put more effort into the guest experience than some luxury hotels do. The rooms are spacious, beautifully decorated with a Bali resort theme, come with plenty of amenities and excellent room service—and are very well priced for all that they offer.

• Price: Shinjuku Island runs from ¥7,300-¥32,800, while Higashi Shinjuku goes for ¥7,300-¥34,800, depending on the length of stay, room type and day of the week.
• Address: Hotel Bali An Resort Shinjuku Island: 2-22-10 Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Hotel Bali An Resort Higashi Shinjuku: 2-19-17 Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo.

4. Hotel Papion

© Photo by Hotel Papion

Though the styles are different, Hotel Papion pays as much attention to its decor as the Balian hotels mentioned above. Located in Nishi Nippori, this hotel is very spacious and relatively well-known for being different.

Each room is unique—false windows with images of famous night views adorn many of them. Other special features of certain rooms are grand pianos (playable, of course), a classic car queen-sized bed, roulette and slot machines, a fountain and even a candy-themed room.

• Price: Short stays range from ¥4,180 to ¥11,000, and overnights run ¥8,580 to ¥26,400, depending on the room and day of the week.
• Address: 5-15-5 Nishi Nippori, Arakawa, Tokyo

5. Hotel Alpha-In

© Photo by Hotel Alpha-In

This hotel is not for the faint of heart or those without a healthy interest in BDSM. If you need to google what BDSM means, this is not the love hotel you’re looking for.

Hotel Alpha-In is a hotel exclusively designed for S&M purposes. Each room comes equipped with free-to-use whips, collars, ball gags, clothespins, feather dusters and blindfolds, while others include suspension setups, X or T-shaped bondage frames, S&M chairs, and other such themed items. You can also purchase other items (candles, rope, etc.) or rent costumes from their in-house store as well.

Because of the nature of the activities taking place in their rooms, they are far more fastidious about clean-up than usual at this time. Hence, the turnaround and availability of the spaces differ significantly. The rates are also more expensive than the others on this list.

• Price: Depending on the room, short stays range from ¥9,820 to ¥18,950, while overnight stays range from ¥16,670 to ¥36,480.
• Address: 2-8-3 Higashi Azabu, Minato, Tokyo

There you have it—10 of Japan’s best vanilla and adventurous love hotels in Tokyo. Just remember to be safe and have fun!

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