(Subtle) sexual innuendo

Ah, the Banana and Donut Hotel, rural Japan’s brave crusader in the fight against population decline. This is a “love hotel,” and as the sign might suggest, it caters to couples looking for a private (and apparently tasteless) place to make babies. According to my memory, which is always full of interesting and highly accurate stories, the love hotel was born out necessity– couples living in multi-generational houses just couldn’t seem to find the privacy needed to make the grandkids. Generally smutty-looking and always rented by the hour, these classy establishments are commonplace all over the country. This is the best sign I have seen for one, though. And by the way, the little plus mark on the banana is the Japanese symbol for anger… makes the sign even more disturbing for me. Is this where banana bread comes from?

439 comments July 18th, 2006