A new book captures the kitschy allure of Japanese ‘love hotels’

During a road trip between Tokyo and Shikoku Island in 2023, Parisian photographer François Prost became fascinated with the gaudy ubiquity of Japan’s love hotels. Dotted across the outskirts of sprawling megacities and the orderly agricultural countryside, these ‘roadside’ venues, which give couples the intimacy their compact family homes cannot provide, offer a window into the country’s absorbing popular culture and its many quirks.

Prost, who was in Japan to showcase his Gentlemen’s Club series, an exploration of American strip club façades, was encouraged by the gallery hosting his exhibition to develop a new project during his stay. With their flashy architecture and kitschy allure, love hotels became the clear choice.

Prost's previous works, including After Party (2011/23), Discoteca (2020), and Club Ivoire (2023), had focused on nightlife in France, Spain and Ivory Coast, making this new project, Love Hotel, a natural continuation of his documentarian style.

‘These venues have a very “talkative” quality visually – they’re expressive in their design, reflecting aspects of local culture, values, and even fantasies,’ explains Prost.

Love hotels, estimated to number between 10,000 and 40,000 across Japan, are characterised by a sparky, somewhat louche, aesthetic that is welcoming and playful. Although traditionally and still majorly used for amorous activities, a growing number of young Japanese people now utilise them as entertainment venues to gather, play karaoke and party.

François Prost introduces ‘Love Hotels’

Love Hotel spans 224 pages and spotlights Prost’s distinct style, which involves consistent framing to uncover the various nuances of Japan’s vernacular architecture and popular culture.

‘I’m drawn to the aesthetic of these places and how their façades reveal something about the people who inhabit or frequent them,’ he explains.

While their Disney-like appearance might seem trivial, love hotels unassumingly disclose deeper Japanese cultural fascinations and historical influences. Recurring nautical themes, such as boat replicas docked in front of the hotel and names like ‘Water Gate’, subtly reference the country’s maritime history. Meanwhile, castle-inspired façades, reminiscent of fairytales, nod to the 1960s and 70s, when the hotels were first built.

Prost highlights the widespread use of ‘franponais’: ‘French-inspired names that don’t always have a real meaning but are used for their romantic or sophisticated sound.’ In recent years, however, love hotels have embraced a shift toward Balinese aesthetics, incorporating bamboo, natural materials, and tropical motifs to appeal to younger generations.

You can find ‘Love Hotel’ by François Prost on Amazon.

An exhibition showcasing the book will be on view from March 20 to May 18, 2025, at The agnès b. Galerie du Jour, Pl. Jean-Michel Basquiat, 75013 Paris, France.