Sexy Hot Beauty

Unlike the dank motels where Americans allegedly seek anonymous sex, Japan’s love hotels are playful and unapologetically sexual. Photographer Misty Keasler shows the humor, desire, and even the loneliness of these empty rooms.

How did you learn about these hotels?

In 2003 I accepted a job teaching at a public school in Japan and lived there for eight months. After reading about the phenomenon of wildly decorated love hotels in my Lonely Planet, I looked for them all over the place but didn’t see any. I had no idea they were everywhere and that I walked near many on a regular basis. I just didn’t know what to look for from the street. I finally got bold enough, toward the end of my stay, to walk into what I though was a love hotel. And this series began. Continue reading ›