Balloons, coffee cups, and… A peach-colored space swollen with the scent of love! The Lost World of Showa-era Love Hotels
There were also difficulties in photographing the rooms.
For example, the rotating beds not only rotate, but the ceiling and walls are basically all mirrored. The fun part was to see ourselves dressed in our most outrageous outfits as we rotated around. In other words, the bed was made in such a way that we are always reflected in it.
So it was very difficult to make sure we didn’t get caught in the shot. We used a large-format camera, so we had to make a black cloth that was more than two meters square and stand it up on a stand, then drill a hole in the middle so that only the lens was showing.
The rooms in this book are filled with extravagant and mysterious attractions, ranging from a room with a balloon as a bed, a bed that resembles a houseboat (which used to float on water), coffee cups, and a rock bath that can hold seven to eight people. These attractions, which can no longer be seen today, are truly a legacy of the Showa period. Perhaps it is “COOL JAPAN” in the way it transforms sex into an attraction, such as a hidden treasure museum or a Showa-era love hotel. However, Mr. Tsuzuki says that it is a waste to simply love these things as “retro.
Nowadays they are ‘retro,’ but people who were 20 years old at the time were amazed at and enjoyed rotating beds, for example, as something cutting-edge. So I think it would be even more interesting if people could have a similar experience in Reiwa at a place that is on the cutting edge today.
Then, they might have a sense of familiarity with the kind of places their parents used to enjoy back then. So, not all is lost. The spirit remains even if the place is not there. I think it’s fun for us to find those kinds of pleasures for ourselves.”
The addition of the new section at the end of the book in this updated edition is said to reflect Mr. Tsuzuki’s wish. We hope you will enjoy this small part of the nostalgic yet new world of Showa-era eroticism.
