225 pages Photographs by François Prost Text(s) by Agnès Troublé 24 x 15 cm Language: English, French and Japanese Hardback Publisher: Fisheye Livre 2025
Love Hotel brings together a collection of photographs capturing the facades of Japanese love hotels, taken in 2023 during a road trip from Tokyo to the island of Shikoku. Photographer François Prost offers a vernacular portrait of Japan—one made up of roadside scenes, weathered signs, and colorful facades, far from the usual stereotypes. From the sprawling urbanization of giant metropolises to the orderly rural landscapes, these views pass by through the lens of these emblematic establishments of Japanese popular culture. Originally, these hotels were meant to provide couples with privacy, as romantic relationships were not always easily expressed within the often small family home.
Love hotels served as an extension of the bedroom—dedicated solely to intimacy, and removed from family life. The project features several hundred images and continues a series of previous works focused on nightlife facades, such as After Party (2011/23, France) and Gentlemen’s Club (2019, USA).
