Big in Japan: Japanese-style love hotel in New York City

by Matthew Firestone on

Earlier this week, Big in Japan brought you a how-to-guide for getting down and dirty in a love hotel (???????????????, rabu hoteru).

In case you missed the post, click here to get up to speed on the syrupy sweet yet delightfully sinful world of Japanese love hotels. Of course, if you’re reading this blog now, and thinking to yourself that Japan is awfully far away, than fear not as there may be a love hotel closer than you think!

Located at 51 Tenth Ave in Manhattan, the Liberty Inn NYC was recently voted in the Best of New York – 2008 issue of New York Magazine as the City’s BEST “by-the-hour” hotel.

Inspired by Japanese-style love hotels, the Liberty Inn NYC is home to twenty-eight uniquely designed rooms that are perfect for an old lover, a new partner or an adulterous tryst.

Can you feel the love tonight ?????(*??.??)(??.??*)?????

The history of the Liberty Inn NYC is, quite simply, awesome.

The hotel was first constructed in 1908 as the Strand Hotel, which soon become a rough and ready boarding house for sailors and prostitutes. During the Prohibition Era, the building lived several interesting lives as a speakeasy, a go-go bar and a social club. By 1969, it reverted back to its original purpose, and was renamed the aptly appropriate ‘Hide-A-Way Motel.’

Today of course, the Liberty Inn NYC is attracting a slightly more discerning clientele. Indeed, you and your better half can enjoy:

– Stylish rooms with romantic decor
– Mood lighting with adjustable setting
– Dramatic wall/ceiling mirrors and mural
– 37″ Plasma TV – Satellite TV and XM music radio
– 2 person whirlpool in “Romance Interlude Rooms”
– 6 selection in-house adult movie/video system
– Air purification system in every room

Not bad for an hourly motel!!

A two-hour ‘rest’ costs $60, though you can maximize your love-making time by shelling out the extra ten bucks for the third hour. For a more intimate escape, you can check in for night – prior to 11PM a standard room costs US$180, though you can save forty-five bucks by stopping by after hours. For an extra bit of spice, consider upgrading to the ‘Romantic Interlude’ rooms for only US$15/40 more per rest/stay.

The Liberty Inn NYC can be reached by A and E lines at 8th Ave, and the 1, 2 and 3 lines at 7th Ave. From either station, you can walk or take 14 St crosstown (M-14) bus west across 14th St to 10th Ave. Of course, if you really want to impress your near-future lover, it’s probably better to take a cab!

Note that reservations are not possible, though this shouldn’t be a problem as love and lust are always better when they’re spontaneous. Also, Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover cards are accepted, though if you’ve learned anything from the whole Eliot Spitzer affair, you’ll agree that it’s probably better to pay by cash.

For more information, you can contact the Liberty Inn NYC at (212) 741-2333 or check out their website by clicking here .

** All images were taken from the website for the Liberty Inn NYC**

Do escalators eat Crocs?

by Grant Martin on

I’ve been slow to catch on to the whole Croc trend, even though I hear that they’re crazy comfortable. Maybe it’s because I can’t seem to pull away from the Birkenstock trend or maybe it’s because I think they look kind of goofy. That’s fine. I’ve never been the pinnacle of style anyway.

Passing through the Tokyo airport the other day though, I saw this sign posted at the top of the escalator with a photo of our favorite polymer shoes on them. It says:

“Caution! There have been many reports of accidents in which people’s resin sandals have got caught in the escalators.”

I had no idea that there was an issue with Crocs and moving stairs. I guess I’m most surprised that some American hasn’t tried to sue Crocs for a million zillion dollars because their foot got stuck in an escalator or for “wrongful imprisonment.” Has anyone had a problem with Crocs on escalators? Should I call the fire marshal?

Either way, watch your step when you’re on the escalator at the mall this weekend. You could be in danger!

Big in Japan: How to get down and dirty in a Love Hotel

by Matthew Firestone on

Today’s posting is rated R for strong sexual content. Viewer discretion is advised.

There is no shortage of the weird, the wacky and the wonderful here in Japan. Indeed, you’ll find strange, strange things in the Land of the Rising Sun that have no real equivalent in the West.

For instance, Japan is world-famous for its love hotels (???????????????, rabu hoteru), a special type of short-stay hotel that puts North American hourly motels to shame. When you want to get down and dirty with a special friend, yet secrecy is of the utmost importance, head to a love hotel. Here, you’ll find that entrances are discreet, interaction with staff is minimized and cash changes hands without so much as eye contact.

And of course, while hourly motels in North America have a certain lewd stigma to them, Japanese love hotels are fanciful affairs. Both inside and out, love hotels have romantic and oh-so kitschy themes to help you set the mood, and there’s no shortage of added perks to help you enhance your love-making. Indeed, you’ll find pretty much anything your heart (and loins) desires in a love hotel, from rotating beds and mirrored ceilings to sex toys and S&M gear.

On that note, I present to you a quick and easy how-to-guide for getting down and dirty in a love hotel…

Step 1: Find the lucky Japanese girl or guy.

This is a whole separate post in itself, but might I suggest partying in any of the bars and clubs in Tokyo’s famous entertainment district of Shibuya. This is a good place to start your night of love and lust, especially since it’s close to Dōgenzaka (道玄坂), home to the aptly named ‘Love Hotel Hill.’ Which of course brings us to…

Step 2: Find the right hotel.

Love hotels are garish buildings often distinguished by tacky neon lightings, small or covered windows and occasionally bizarre shapes like castles, boats and even UFOs. Once you find one that suits your fancy, keep in mind that love hotels offer a room rate for a rest (休憩, kyūkei) as well as for an overnight stay. The period of a “rest” varies, typically ranging from one to three hours, while overnight stays only become available after 10pm.

Step 3: Get down to business.

Inside the love hotel, you’ll be prompted with a digital screen containing pictures of the various pleasure quarters . After choosing your selection, pay the proprietor behind the frosted glass, take the keys and get to it! Even if your romantic rendezvous was somewhat spontaneous, take comfort in the fact that most rooms in love hotels come stocked with condoms in all shapes, sizes and sometimes flavors. And, in case you’re feeling a bit kinky, most rooms stock ‘extras’ that can be purchased for a small fee.

Step 4: Party like a rock star.

The best part of staying in a love hotel (aside from the random sex) is enjoying all the extra perks you’ll find in the room. Feeling a bit unclean? Take a Jacuzzi with your partner in crime. Want to stretch your vocal range? Turn on the mic and belt out some karaoke. Want to ignore your date and do some gaming? Fire up the Nintendo Wii or Sony Playstation. Want to get hammered? Raid the mini-bar and pass out in drunken delight.

Step 5: Do the walk of shame.

Again, this is a whole separate post in itself, but depending on the visual quality of your date, you might want to make a quick exit in the morning. Trains in Tokyo start running around 6am, though you can always jump in a cab if your beer goggles were a bit fuzzier than usual.

On that note, feel free to post any good stories of lustful trysts you care to share with all of us in the online world! (^^>”

** Images courtesy of the WikiCommons Media Project **

Big in Japan: Japanese whiskey is dubbed the world’s best

by Matthew Firestone on

Japan is making a few new enemies on the international culinary scene as of recent…

This past March, Michelin guide director Jean-Luc Naret decided to shake things up a bit by snubbing the traditional gourmand capital of Paris, and naming Tokyo the world’s top food city. According to Naret, himself a French man, “Tokyo is becoming the global city with the finest cuisine, the city in the world with the most stars.”

Indeed, the French were horrified to hear that restaurants in Tokyo were awarded a total of 191 stars, nearly twice the amount awarded to Paris and more than three times the amount awarded to New York. The final nail in the coffin came when Michelin guides announced that three of the top eight restaurants in Tokyo serve French food.

Now, it seems that Scotland and Ireland may soon join the foray, especially since a Japanese whisky was dubbed the best single malt at the World Whiskies Awards last month. Despite stiff competition from traditional whiskey powerhouses, the Yoichi 20 Years Old single malt, which is produced by Nikka Whisky Distilling Company on the island of Hokkaido, was awarded “Best of Show” by a panel of judges from Europe, the United States and Japan.

The London based competition, which was organized by Whiskey Magazine, hosted more than 200 labels that were divided into categories based on regional and style variations. Each whiskey was then independently assessed in a series of three blind tasting rounds by a panel of tastings experts.

According to Rob Allanson, the main organizer of the event: “It is well known in the industry, and amongst connoisseurs, that Japan produces good whiskey. Japanese whiskey is still a niche market but demand is growing. I think this year we have seen some of the best the Japanese market has to offer in the competition. They performed magnificently and are starting to make waves on the international market.”

The award-winning whiskey comes from the Yoichi distillery, which was founded on the frigid northern Japanese island of Hokkaido in 1934 by the legendary distiller Masataka Taketsuru. Regarded as the Japanese father of whiskey, Taketsuru learned his skills on several trips to the Scottish highlands. While temperatures in Hokkaido are significantly colder than in the British Isle, Taketsuru discovered how to adapt the whiskey distilling process to suit Japan’s climate and conditions.

So how does Yoichi 20 Year taste? Delicious.

One judge described the blend as “round and full bodied, starts with sugared pecans, vanilla, sweet malt, then moved into more hazelnut and fruit cake in the finish,” while another described it as ”medium amber hue with a bold nose of sherry tobacco and old leather.”

So how do you buy a bottle? Not easily.

Reserves of Yoichi 20 Year are flying off shelves in light of its recent accolades, though the upside is that production volume is likely to increase in the years to come. While its market price is around US$300 a bottle, you can probably expect this figure to soar. Then again, is it really possible to put a monetary value on the world’s best whiskey?

With that said, if you’ve ever tasted this epic brew, leave a comment and tell us about it!

Only typing can save your life

by Grant Martin on

I can’t even begin to tell you about all of the strange games and contraptions in the arcades of Tokyo. I’ve seen rows of Tekken 6 and Pachinko games that go as far as the eye can see. I’ve seen two foot deep fish ponds in which you catch carp for points to win prizes. I’ve seen crane games where you have to pluck a beating heart of a recently slain pig.

Ok – not so much on the last one. But the rest were accurate.

My favorite game among all of the experiences I had was the game called “The Typing of the Dead”. It kind of goes like this: there are a bunch of zombies wandering around this town and you and another guy have to run around killing them. Only you don’t have machine guns or knives or poison arrows. No, you’ve got a keyboard. Monsters burst out of boarded up windows and manholes with the word “kanamatasufishu” under them and you have to type it as fast as possible. Get it right quick, you “shoot” the monster and get a rating A-F.

The best part about the game is that they actually animate the heroes with keyboards and Sega Dreamcasts strapped onto their backs into the plot.

Maybe in a zillion years I could imagine zombies raising from the dead, eating my family and wandering through the streets in a murderous torrent. But there’s just no way I could see someone coming to the rescue with a Dreamcast and a keyboard. You couldn’t even make it a modern gaming system?

But hey, you’re in Japan in a 6 story arcade and you just finished fishing for carp to win a plastic tiara. Suspension of disbelief isn’t too much to ask for 100 Yen. Just don’t even think about challenging me head to head in a match – two people already tried that and left with sore fingertips.