“Love Hotels: The Hidden Fantasy Rooms of Japan”

Every city has hotels that specialize in, er ... "limited time" stays, but they're usually disgusting flop houses that you wouldn't stay in for twenty minutes even if you were paying by the hour. Not in Japan, however, where love hotels are an art form in themselves. Many of the rooms at these places look like abstract art installations as they're lavishly decorated, often in some unique theme that will cater to just about every taste imaginable. (The Hello Kitty bondage room is always a popular choice.) Photographer Misty Keasler's new book "Love Hotels" document Japan's more interesting guest quarters, and her photos will also be featured in upcoming shows at several US art galleries. Some of these places look so nice that we could actually see ourselves staying in them for a couple of days, although even we might get sick of the noise coming from our neighbors. Eventually, you just gotta get some sleep.

· Misty Keasler Hotel Photos (pdnbgallery.com, via Boing Boing)
· Buy: "Love Hotels: The Hidden Fantasy Rooms of Japan" (Amazon)

Previously: Smut and Hotel Rooms 2007 Calendar, "Pink Box: Inside Japan's Sex Clubs", DVD Review: "Hotel Bliss", Hotel Room Nudes, Japanese Love Hotel Videos