In Japan, love hotels are more than discreet getaways. Many double as architectural landmarks, from pastel castles and neon spaceships to cartoon whales. French photographer François Prost spent 2023 traveling from Tokyo to Shikoku documenting these buildings in his series Love Hotel. His images show how fantasy, kitsch, and nostalgia shape this distinct form of roadside architecture, turning ordinary structures into themed destinations.
While his series spans a wide range of designs, these five examples capture some of the most eccentric themes he encountered.
1. Sweets Hotel — Shibuya, Tokyo (defunct)
Once a well-known sight in Shibuya, the Sweets Hotel had a facade styled like a Battenberg cake, complete with sculpted icing and oversized cookies. Rooms echoed the dessert theme with pastel and candy-inspired decor. Closed in recent years, it remains a reference point in love hotel archives. Prost’s photograph shows the pastel exterior as a reminder of the decorative competition among hotels in the 1980s and 1990s.
2. Chapel Christmas — Narita, Chiba
Part of a chain of holiday-themed hotels, Chapel Christmas keeps festive decor on display all year. The Narita branch features a Santa statue at the entrance, garlands along staircases, and small Christmas trees in rooms. The theme reflects Japan’s view of Christmas Eve as a romantic occasion. Prost’s image captures the fairy lights and seasonal backdrops that define the exterior.
3. Hotel UFO — Chiba Prefecture
Shaped like a flying saucer on a cylindrical base, Hotel UFO has a silver finish and a ring of circular windows that recall a retro 1970s–80s science-fiction style. Neon signage in stylized lettering and interiors with curved forms extend the theme. The building is visible from a distance, and Prost’s photograph shows its low profile against an open sky.
4. Hotel Festa Qugiela — Okayama
This bright pink whale has a wide mouth for an entrance, a smiling face, and palm motifs. The exterior is typical of the playful side of love hotel design, where buildings resemble animals or vehicles. The interior is simpler, but the facade alone makes it a landmark. Prost’s photograph emphasizes the scale, giving it the look of a theme park structure in a suburban setting.
5. Hotel Aladdin — Okayama
Hotel Aladdin adopts an Arabian Nights style with pastel walls, onion-shaped domes, and arched windows. It reflects the “fantasy travel” design trend of the 1970s and 1980s, when love hotels borrowed from imagined foreign locations. The facade is illuminated at night, and the building’s symmetry and palette make it a notable roadside landmark. Many themed hotels from this period have been replaced or remodeled, but Aladdin retains its original design, showing the variety present in Prost’s series.
