Christmas in Japan

Christmas in Japan is for lovers. In Canada, people enjoy special time with their families, going to church and such. Here in Osaka, the streets are lined with couples going to movies, shopping for couture, and lined up to eat fried chicken. Yeah, apparently KFC has done such a good job at marketing in Japan that most Japanese people think it’s what North Americans do. Another point for capitalism (although it’s not like it’s difficult, here in Japan).

This holiday season, I decided to go in search of the famed Santa-themed Love Hotel, Hotel Chapel Christmas. Again I enlisted the help of a research partner to join me. First, we did one of my top 10 favorite things to do in Japan: Kaiten Sushi bar hopping (the restaurants where you pick your sushi from a revolving conveyor belt; each plate costs about a dollar). This is basically going a sushi place, eating two or three plates of their best/freshest sushi, then picking up and doing the same at the next three or four sushi restaurants.

I love this country.

Hotel Chapel Christmas

I’m lazy and although I have some vague, delusional aspirations of become a low-paid slave laborer (read: a writer), it’s late and I’d much rather tell the story in pictures:

Not too much out of the ordinary, except for the gaudy exterior design and hallways. The room was very average (clean; not unlike a regular hotel room), aside from the strobe/mood lighting and fake chandelier.

Oh, and they have thoughtfully provided a chart depicting “The 48 Techniques of Winning in Sumo” (see pics below; semi-NSFW)

I’m enjoying exploring kinky Japan much more than doing actual work/research. Now, if only I could get paid to hang out in seedy underground Osaka…

More information on love hotels: http://www.quirkyjapan.or.tv/hotels.html