Seeing as it’s Valentine’s Day, the nation’s love hotels will probably have a busier than usual Monday. So in honour of the occasion, here are a few statistics I came across recently.
There are 37,000 such hotels in Japan, and nearly 500 million couples visit them each year. Which apparently works out at 1,370,000 couples using a love hotel everyday. A figure that is more than double the number of people who visit the disturbingly popular Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea combined.
And as far as expenditure goes, the average couple is said to spend about 8,000 yen (40 pound) a visit. Adding up to a phenomenal 4 trillion yen in yearly sales. Which works out at about 1 trillion yen more than the annual takings of the Japan Racing Association.
Make of those figures what you will.
If anything.
Roy says
Kinda makes you wanna go and invest in that Love Hotel Fund doesn’t it?
http://www.ehc.co.jp/fund/
Brett says
Wow. That’s a lot of sticky sheets.
melina says
“love” hotel? as in specifically for “gettin’ it on!”? in the u.s., that’s called a “motel 6” i think…
Toni says
Ah, I still wish my bf and tried out a love hotel when we were living there…but we figured, why spend money to go somewhere when we can do the same thing in our apartment for free? 😉
nyanko says
Actually given the cramped space of a japanese apartment many groups are opting for love hotels for a quiet place to sing karaoke drink and be merry (and no sex). Love hotels rock I wish we had some in Canada but I don’t think it would work given the views on sex in NA. You can rent costumes have theme rooms with all matter of lovemaking contraptions, you can get food and drink, sing karaoke, the list goes on. Most married couples lived with thier parents until recently so getting some privacy in a love hotel is a nice option (especially with japanese walls being so darn thin).