Sex creates odd cultural conventions everywhere, but nowhere has an institution quite like the Japanese love hotel. To be rented by the hour for amorous liaisons, the theme rooms revealed in this provocative collection of photographs are steeped in fantasy, their elaborate dcor ranging from simulated subway cars to religious bondage with much kink in between. These brash rooms are fascinating in themselves, but also present a window into a very classified aspect of this society. The foreword by best-selling author Natsuo Kirino and passages from hotel guest books lend humor and context to these 80 haunting room portraits, creating an astonishing document of sex and romance, public and private space in Japan.
| ||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Misty Keasler regularly contributes to Texas Monthly and Dwell magazine. She lives in Dallas.
Natsuo Kirino is the author of Out, which was a recipient of the Grand Prix for Crime Fiction in Japan and one of its major literary awards, the Naoki Prize. She lives in Tokyo.
Rod Slemmons is director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College Chicago.
Natsuo Kirino is the author of Out, which was a recipient of the Grand Prix for Crime Fiction in Japan and one of its major literary awards, the Naoki Prize. She lives in Tokyo.
Rod Slemmons is director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College Chicago.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
67 of 71 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am of two minds on this book. On one hand, it is full of great fantasy-land photos representing a slice of Japan that I love; the bizarre, the outrageous, the unashamed blending of cute/sexy/violent and anything else that can be thrown into the mix. On the other hand, this book completely misrepresents what love hotels are, the purpose they serve in Japanese society, and pretty much every other aspect of this unique aspect of Japanese life. Anyone reading this book, then going to a love hotel in Japan, would be sorely disappointed.
I lived in Japan for many years, and during that time I went to many, many love hotels. The vast majority are nothing like these photographs, and the themed rooms are actually quite rare. If you notice, most of these photographs are from the same couple of establishments, Hotel Adonis, Hotel Loire and Hotel Snowman (not the actual name of the hotel, which is really Gang Snowman), because they are the few out of the thousands of hotels that offer these kinds of rooms. Most love hotels are...somewhat boring in décor. They are nice rooms, with lots of services such as free movies, karaoke and a big bathtub, which are usually cheaper to stay in than regular hotels. Yes, there are some outrageous love hotels, like the ones in this book, and those are the kind worth seeking out because they are so much fun, but they are hardly the norm.
The introduction to this book, by Natsuo Kirino, author of the book Out, is depressing and also misrepresentative of love hotels in Japan. She would have you believe that they are some sort of seedy place where men live out their dark fantasies while cheating on their wives and abusing women in general. In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth. Oh yes, there are those who use them as "cheating hotels", but all of my Japanese friends and co-workers, teachers and chefs, young and old, used love hotels without embarrassment. Why? Well, for one thing because Japanese houses are small, with thin walls and families often sleeping in the same room together. Privacy is a valuable commodity. For another reason, they are just fun. It is nice to get out of the house, out of the routine, and go with your partner and indulge in a love hotel for the night. People would chat at work at which hotels they liked, in the same way people swapped good restaurants. My wife and I stayed at a great love hotel for our anniversary, complete with private roof-top pool, huge bed and massive bath. It was fantastic.
On another note, in the introduction Kirino calls Japan "a land without religion" and blames that for the moral failing of the country. Japan is indeed a "land without Christianity", but that is not the same thing as being "without religion". I was quite shocked at how poorly she represented her native country, and with such spite and venom she discussed the Japanese people. I dearly hope no one takes her opinion as indicative of the country and its populace.
So, in other words, great photos and a nice look at the more bizarre and fringe love hotels, but no one should take this as representative of the industry or the country as a whole. Without Kirino's introduction, this would have been a much better book, buts its inclusion drags it down to a sad and misinformed level.
I lived in Japan for many years, and during that time I went to many, many love hotels. The vast majority are nothing like these photographs, and the themed rooms are actually quite rare. If you notice, most of these photographs are from the same couple of establishments, Hotel Adonis, Hotel Loire and Hotel Snowman (not the actual name of the hotel, which is really Gang Snowman), because they are the few out of the thousands of hotels that offer these kinds of rooms. Most love hotels are...somewhat boring in décor. They are nice rooms, with lots of services such as free movies, karaoke and a big bathtub, which are usually cheaper to stay in than regular hotels. Yes, there are some outrageous love hotels, like the ones in this book, and those are the kind worth seeking out because they are so much fun, but they are hardly the norm.
The introduction to this book, by Natsuo Kirino, author of the book Out, is depressing and also misrepresentative of love hotels in Japan. She would have you believe that they are some sort of seedy place where men live out their dark fantasies while cheating on their wives and abusing women in general. In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth. Oh yes, there are those who use them as "cheating hotels", but all of my Japanese friends and co-workers, teachers and chefs, young and old, used love hotels without embarrassment. Why? Well, for one thing because Japanese houses are small, with thin walls and families often sleeping in the same room together. Privacy is a valuable commodity. For another reason, they are just fun. It is nice to get out of the house, out of the routine, and go with your partner and indulge in a love hotel for the night. People would chat at work at which hotels they liked, in the same way people swapped good restaurants. My wife and I stayed at a great love hotel for our anniversary, complete with private roof-top pool, huge bed and massive bath. It was fantastic.
On another note, in the introduction Kirino calls Japan "a land without religion" and blames that for the moral failing of the country. Japan is indeed a "land without Christianity", but that is not the same thing as being "without religion". I was quite shocked at how poorly she represented her native country, and with such spite and venom she discussed the Japanese people. I dearly hope no one takes her opinion as indicative of the country and its populace.
So, in other words, great photos and a nice look at the more bizarre and fringe love hotels, but no one should take this as representative of the industry or the country as a whole. Without Kirino's introduction, this would have been a much better book, buts its inclusion drags it down to a sad and misinformed level.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By D. Anderson
Format:Hardcover
I had only seen a few of these images when I bought "Love Hotels" and was thrilled with how many thrills and surprises the book itself offers. This is a tremendous body of work and a wonderful introduction to the photography of Misty Keasler, who has established herself as an artist of real humanity and complexity. "Love Hotels" is a gorgeously-designed book that is ostensibly about the loaded subject of Japanese hotel rooms used only for sex. In these delicious photos, Keasler goes much deeper than the simple eye-candy of these odd spots, and leads us on an exploration of this strange expression of a society known to be fairly sexually repressed. She communications a number of emotions -- some humorous, some sad, some disturbing -- that all reflect her longtime interest in how a particular public or private space illustrates the lives that occupy it. Much of Keasler's other work concerns children living in orphanages or garbage dumps, but no matter what the project, it always returns to place, and here she has found one of the world's most fascinating places. It's a great ride. Highly recommended.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The pictures are fantastic, and the "notes" written by the various couples range from pathetically sad to highly entertaining. Be sure to read the forward or you won't understand the significance of Love Hotels in general. Makes an interesting conversation starter if left lying around on the coffee table!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice, if incomplete, reference
I took a look at this book while getting inspiration for Wait For It. While highlighting some of the more "extreme" rooms, it nevertheless gives readers a look into a world most... Read more
Published 11 months ago by wMw
1.0 out of 5 stars
Misrepresented
Quite honestly in a frantic book buying binge I ordered this book thinking it was a Lonely Planet guide to Love Hotels. Its definitely NOT. Read more
Published on August 20, 2010 by K
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Photos by Local Photographer / Friend
Behind the scenes tour of Japanese culture. Large book with fine detail photos. Misti lives in Dallas and exhibits in local galleries, like Photos Do Not Bend (PDNB). Read more
Published on May 10, 2010 by Al Currie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just the tip of the iceberg
The photographs in this book are wonderful and provocative. However, it should be made clear to readers that the rooms in the book are not rooms most Japanese people will ever... Read more
Published on October 22, 2008 by Hilarony
3.0 out of 5 stars
More writing and more photos
I kind of feel bad giving this book 3 stars, but i think there could definitely be improvement. The variety of photographs seems huge at first, but after flipping through the book... Read more
Published on August 6, 2008 by C. Barnard
4.0 out of 5 stars
Commenting on the introduction
I haven't actually read this book, although the concept is certainly intriguing and the photos look excellent, however I did get to read the introduction here at Amazon and was... Read more
Published on December 3, 2007 by Read Sonja
5.0 out of 5 stars
Japanese Adult Theme Parks
Japan's infamous love hotels are a cultural art form. This is not a guidebook to the erotic world of Japan. Read more
Published on September 6, 2007 by James R. Holland
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amusing
A fun collection of photos from love hotels throughout Japan. There is such a variety of different themes for love hotel rooms that this book, of necessity, can only contain a... Read more
Published on July 12, 2007 by Bug
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE EMPTINESS OF LOVE IN A HOTEL
What separates LOVE HOTELS from other works of its genre is that Misty Keasler has taken 80 or so giant photos of rooms from various Love Hotels in Japan, and none of the photos... Read more
Published on March 5, 2007 by D. M. Sammons
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
|
|
