They are hotels solely, completely, and entirely for having sex. It’s the whole point. Sexsexsex. And it is all perfectly legal. If you are in Japan.
The Land of the Rising Sun could also be called the Land of the Rising Real Estate Market. Property is so expensive in Japan that it is not unusual for three generations — kids, parents, and grandparents — to all live in the same house. Throw on top of that the very Japanese tradition of having walls and doors made of paper, and let’s just say it is really easy to cramp a person’s style. Particularly if genitalia are involved.
And thus was born the “rabuhoteru.” A rather mangled English loanword (love hotel), the description is fairly dead-on: if you want to set the sheets on fire but are painfully aware you could have other people, including your family, listening in, why not create an establishment where couples or thruples can go without creating a very loooong conversation the following day? The Japanese, who, despite the buttoned-up stereotype are very frank about sex and getting horny, are so blasé to rabuhoteru than they tune them out entirely unless they need one. This is ironic since rabuhoteru are the most garish buildings in Japan. You know one when you see one.
But do not think that these are slimy no-tell motels; far from it. Rabuhoteru are big business in Japan, and because they serve a perfectly natural need, are perfectly respectable. You will find at least one in every town, and some of them are spectacular. The higher-end ones can have theme rooms, and not just BDSM or a New Orleans whorehouse. Say you have a fetish for Batman. Or Hello Kitty. Or Star Wars. You name it, there is a rabuhoteru with a room decorated with it. Sometimes you get mash-ups; who knew Hello Kitty could be such a convincing dominatrix? Not kidding.
And for the intrepid traveler, rabuhoteu have another plus: they are CHEAP. Compared to actual hotels, whose rooms can run several hundreds of dollars a night, a love hotel costs around $50. The downside is that you cannot stay at a rabuhoteru for more than one night; you have to skedaddle come morning. But if you are a backpacker, you can dart from one rabuhoteru to another at night and store your stuff in a public locker in the day (you can find those at train stations). The savings alone are worth it, never mind the décor.
Even better, the staff has no problem with same-sex sex. Just show up, pick a room, pay, and get busy. Just be out by 9 AM. And that’s fair.