"The period from the end of March until April is the busiest time of the year
for love hotel employees. I suppose the warmer weather makes everybody hornier.
And there're lots of different events going on. Students have their graduation
ceremonies, companies have parties to welcome new staff and see off leaving
employees, so many people come into the love hotels once all that stuff is
over. The atmosphere is totally different to normal," Saori Mizutani, a
34-year-old receptionist at a love hotel in Tokyo's Ikebukuro, tells Shukan
Jitsuwa. "I suppose people are feeling liberated. For some reason, there are
loads of couples who tend to cause trouble at this time. Take the stark naked
woman who suddenly appeared in front of a security camera just the other day. I
went to tell her off and discovered she'd been bound with her hands behind her
back. Apparently, she'd been doing a bit of exhibitionism with her boyfriend."
Spring is also graduation season and holidaying college students use the time
to sow their wild oats.
"After some university students have left a room it takes us twice us long to
clean up as it normally does. I don't know whether they drink in bed or what,
but the sheets are dripping wet, and for some reason the toilets are always
blocked," the cleaner at a love hotel in Tokyo's Ueno district says, adding
that she regularly deals with the mess caused by all sorts of bodily fluids as
well as foul-smelling substances and spew. "I have no idea what they must be
doing in here to leave the rooms in such a filthy state."
Some love hotel employees have to deal with somewhat more bizarre requests,
like those made when a young man in his 20s brought in a woman who appeared to
be his boss and was probably twice his age.
"It kinda looked like the young guy was being dragged in, but he wasn't doing
anything to stop it. That piqued my interest and I kept my eye on them. After
they'd been in the room for an hour, we got a call from the woman saying that
she'd run out of condoms and wanted more. I got another girl to take a couple
of condoms up to her. Then, about an hour later, we got another call from the
same woman with the same request," Mizutani says, adding that when the second
order came through, she decided to deliver the prophylactics herself. "The
older woman answered the door with a huge grin on her face. I suppose it must
be because I'm the same generation as the woman, but she turned to me and said,
'The young one are the best, eh?' While I gave a polite chuckle, I peeped into
the room behind her and saw the handsome young buck spread-eagled on the bed
with his wrists and ankles tied to the bedposts. I thought she was a bit cruel,
but at the same time, I was a bit jealous of her."
Some love hotel employees say spring often sees the hard word put on them.
"There was this one time when I went to deliver some food a couple had ordered
and was greeted by the man, fully naked, and with his mast at full staff. When
he noticed that I was embarrassingly staring at him, he turned around and asked
me if I wanted to join in with him and his girlfriend," an incredulous Mizutani
tells Shukan Jitsuwa. "I could see his fully naked girlfriend behind him. She
just stared at me and giggled. Really, gimme a break."
Copyright 1999-2006, Mainchi Daily. Used with permission. All rights
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