[MMM]

I agree with most of what JBaymore said, except to clarify a couple points.

1) Love hotels. A Japanese love hotel is nothing like the ratty image of a "No-tell Motel" we have in the US. The love hotels are, yes, out in the open and often look like a Las Vegas casino or Disneyland attraction on the outside, but they are very private. What goes on inside is not open. There are no outdoor parking lots, cars are hidden behind a curtain, and some even have more than one exit for privacy.

The love hotel exists not to encourage sex, but as a private alternative for adults that may still be living with family.

2) Prostitutes. Paying for sex is illegal in Japan, but there are areas in every city you can go to for, again, discreet services. Go to those areas, like Kabukicho, and you will find them. But that is a SMALL part of Japan. In three years of living there I only saw what I would call prostitutes two times...both in Tokyo....one in Kabukicho and one in Ueno (I think). One was Chinese and the other was Russian. I have never seen a "street walker" in Osaka, and I have been all over the place there.

I have seen "pink salons" in adult entertainment districts, but chances are you are not going to be hanging out in those areas, so it is very easy to go to Japan and never be exposed to these things if you do not want to be.