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Bandung Hotel: 東京都台東区浅草４－４９－４.
(4-49-4 Asakusa, Taito Ward.)
Phone: 03/3876 2866. Fax: 03/3875 4058. Web: http://www.geocities.co.jp/SilkRoad-Lake/1380/.
It is a long way from tropical Indonesia to the bleak concrete wastelands of north Taito Ward, but this place (and its new brother across the street) represents a piece of Java in Japan. The landlord of this hotel is reportedly from Indonesia, while his/her partner is a fourth generation Asakusa-ite. Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese and English speakers will be freely accommodated here. It is just down the road to 言問橋 (Kototoi Bridge) and the oldworld charms of Asakusa. Go down the road the other direction (note: it can be a long, cold, concrete-ugly kind of road) you will skirt around the historic Yoshiwara pleasure capital of Japan. Not that there is much to remind you of it, apart from the solitary willow trees swallowed up by gas stations, and the many adult entertainment complexes announced by guys standing out on the streets, and bright, garish, pink neon.
Japan Hopper writes: "Yoshiwara has been a representative of sex industry. There are famous soaplands which allow their guests to have sex with girls legally. As few of them offer such services to foreigners, this essay cannot be their guide unfortunately or not. However, if you understand their history, you can be more fascinated with the history of Tokyo.
"The long history of Yoshiwara area started in 1617 near Nihonbashi. The area was burned down in 1657, and moved to the current area near Asakusa. Although it was distant from the central Edo, Yoshiwara flourished with their guests every night and lasted until the end of WWII when their services became illegal.
"Having sex was, of course, the goal for their guests, however, was just a part of their services. They also offered foods and drinks as restaurants and an opportunity to and play with geisha. These services were eventually separated into three independent services; cabaret club, ryotei restaurant and soapland.
"Their buildings were located along the main street with cherry trees, Nakanomachi. The area was completely segregated from the outside world, surrounded by deep moat which also prevented the girls from escaping. The only entrance from the outside world was the Omon gate. The area was filled with girls who compete with each other to attract their guests so that they often created the fashion of Edo.
"Today, you can see some remains of old Yoshiwara. Nakanomachi still exists with willow trees planted instead, and is surrounded by soaplands. The Omon gate was burned down, and the moat was covered. There is a willow tree next to a gas station as a symbol of Yoshiwara since the guests looked back the area and the night they enjoyed there..."
Khao San Hotel: 東京都墨田区東駒形２－２－５.
(2-2-5 Higashikomagata, Sumida-ku.)
Phone: 03/3251 0841. Fax: 03/3251 0844. Web: www.akihabara.yad.jp/map.html. Map: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/KhaosanTokyoAsakusaAnnex-Tokyo-13458/directions/.
Check In: 5pm. Check Out: 10am.
Credit cards accepted: American Express, JCB, Master Card, VISA.
Right next door to the French/International restaurant where I dined with Mrs Sasaki and her daughter once... on the banks of the Sumida River... Near the blue bridge.
Tororo noodles. The restaurant was called Meursault Dappes.
I don't know why -- I mean I know capsule hotels are supposed to be a uniquely Japanese experience, an experience you wouldn't find in downtown Berlin or Chicago. Capsule hotels represent the two threads of Japan, the past and the future, coming together in one knot: the bonsai Zenlike love of miniaturization (in this case the miniaturization of your room!), and the Japanese love of high-tech. The end result is a style of accommodation reminiscent of those old sci-fi classics like Alien and Doctor Who -- humans stored cryogenetically in coffin sized bedchambers. If you want to experience a night in a capsule hotel while you are in Japan, what better place is there than Akihabara, the hightech heart of the whole country? On the other hand, I would rather spend the night in a Japanese love hotel, even if I was alone, because the love hotels are more fun. In a love hotel you can sing karaoke and enjoy light shows in your bathtub. In a capsule hotel you are basically crammed in like sardines. And from what I have heard (since I have never stayed in a capsule hotel before) you pass an uneasy night listening to a cachophany of neighboring wheezes and snores, before getting woken by the chorus of alarms which kick in about 6am, and continue until checkout time at 10am.
Bed bugs, rude staff, helpful staff, great location, poor insulation -- these are just some of the verdicts of those who have stayed at Khao San Hotel in Asakusa. To read literarily hundreds of customer reviews of this hotel, click here at this Hostel World link.
Doll@Cafe: 外神田１－６－７秋葉原センタービル5F.
(5th floor Akihabara Center Building, 1-6-7 Soto Kanda.)
Phone: 03/3251 5865. Web: http://www.doll-cafe.net. Map: http://www.doll-cafe.net/html/access.htm.
If Akihabara is the wierdest part of Tokyo, then Doll@Cafe is probably the wierdest part of Akihabara. Located on the fifth floor of Akihabara Center, Doll@Cafe is not actually a cafe but rather what they would call in England a "place of ill repute". That's right it is a brothel, a whorehouse! But here's the catch -- at Doll@Cafe there are no females, at least human females at least (with blood in their veins.) At Doll@Cafe all the ladies are lifesize dolls. I admit, some of them look cute -- see some more pictures here. But for the life of me I just can't understand why people would shell out money -- and this case a lot of money -- to sleep with a doll. For that amount of money they could purchase a real hooker. It is obvious therefore that some Japanese men would rather make love to a doll than to a woman. It is just too strange for words (but such is the nature of Japan!)
Like love hotels, there are two options -- the short stay (euphemistically called a "rest", although we all know that short Japanese love hotel stays are anything but restful), and the overnighter (at this establishment they call it the "night course".)
It's cool to take photos of yourself with the dolls, and you can also dress them up in whatever turns you on -- school uniforms and maid costumes seem to be particularly popular.
The dolls are specifically made for love and weigh in at around 26 to 28 kilograms, and are 140cm to 150cm tall when standing. A night of passion with one of them will set you back 22,000 Yen (around US$250). If you want a quick rumble then a 45 minute session will cost you only 10,000 Yen.
Want to experience modern sex Japanese style -- Doll@Cafe is the place for you!
But if real women are more to your taste, then perhaps you ought to head to Thailand!
Tokyo Green Hotel Ochanomizu: 神田淡路町２－６.
(2-6 Kanda Awajichou.)
Phone: 03/3255 4161. Fax: 3/3255 4862. Map: click here for map.
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KANDA/AKIHABARA, Tokyo
My lesbian cousin Kel and her pet girl of the time stayed here during the silver winter of 2006/2007. I visited them once and watched a new remake of Monkey on TV. We went up to Nikko and hung out in the winter sun. According to notes I made at the time: "(The Green Hotel) is At Awajicho. Just a stones throw from Akihabara. My cousin Kellie stayed here." Kel told me all about Chem Trails. I smoked dope and tried to date a girl called Tomomi. It was just another winter in paradise -- but it was good having Kel around, even in her current lesbian form." .
From Subway Marunouchi Line Awajicho Station: 2 mins on foot. From Shuto Expressway Kandabashi Exit: (500 m)
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| Room Info | Meals | Plan | Price (Per person) |
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| Single room 9sqm for 1persons BedSize 105cmx195cm |
No Meal | Selection | JPY 7,900 | |
| Single room 9sqm for 1persons BedSize 105cmx195cm |
Breakfast | Selection | JPY 9,000 | |
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(6-29-5 Asakusa.)
Phone: 03/3255 3311. Fax: 03/3255 7343. Web: http://www.geocities.co.jp/SilkRoad-Lake/1380/.
Check In: 2pm. Check Out: 10am.
Two minutes walk from Akihabara Station on the JR Lines and Eidan Hibiya subway line. Just across the road you will find the Tsukuba Express line, which can take you north out of the city.
Credit Cards accepted: Amex, Visa, Master, Diners.
Regular Rates: Singles from 11,550 Yen, Twins from 18,690 Yen, and Doubles from 17,850 yen. Breakfast is an extra 1,300 yen per person with tax.
This is a huge restaurant located in the heart of Akihabara, and is perfect for those whose idea of a holiday in Japan, is hunting through software shops and used manga malls. Conditions in this hotel, are just as hightech as those outside, on the neon streets. All guest rooms are furnished with a work desk, TV, high-speed intrnet access, telephone, refrigerator, air conditioning, hairdryer, bath, shower and toilet. Inside the hotel are two restaurants: Ginza (open weekdays only), a traditional Japanese number offering live seafood, tempura and kaiseki (Japan's answer to haute cuisine). The other place is Cafe Restaurant Bonjour, "a bright yet relaxing atmosphere in a fashionable cafe terrace style. Serves tea, coffee, cakes, refreshments and other light meals" according to the hotel website.
Someone who stayed at the Washington commented: "The room was microscopic, and the bathroom was even smaller, but the Hotel was super clean and in the middle of Akibahara, the mecca of Japan's nerd culture..."
On the other hand, a New Zealand guest of the hotel remarked: "Liked - great location, easy access to the trains and subway. (1 minute walk) Only one change to get to the airport. Close to the Ueno area for eating, markets and color. Easy access to Ginza. Clean rooms, competent and helpful service. Rooms a reasonable size - for Tokyo.
Hotel Asakusa Mikawaya 2-7-11Taito-ku Hanakawado 111-0033
On Big Empire Dot Com, the maid phenomenon was described thus: "Though the name may imply otherwise, a maid café is not a place to find a woman busily working a vacuum, nor even an ambiguous shroud for yet another type of Japanese sex establishment. With menus, written in deliberately unique Japanese, offering everything from ?glittle devil?h cocktails (600 yen) to full-body massages (4,000 yen for thirty minutes), these establishments allow customers to partake in a faux master-and-servant relationship with a young lady sporting a Victorian outfit or other seductive wear, perhaps a uniform based on a popular manga, anime, or video game. Conversations often include such honorific titles as my lord or my lady."
Here is a description of all (or at least most of) of the maid cafes in Akihabara. It should be noted that there is more to maidology than just cafes -- there are also maid reflexology places where young women dressed as maids give you foot massages, there are places where you can go and take photos of maids, and there are even maid beauty parlors for girls who want to look like maids. Check the links bar immediately below, to see which page you want to look at:
Contact the author Rob Sullivan at coderot@gmail.com. Anticopyright December 2008/July 2004.
