You wouldn't believe it, but I can't help but laugh at the day I've had again..
We organize to get motorcycle insurance - again! I go there at 11 AM, by time I found it, and they are closed. Sign says 10:00 - 20:00.. That's about the 4th shop I have been guided to that has no staff!!
Oh well, I've had enough of Tokyo and want to move on...
I did everything I could to avoid the highway, didn't want to get out there.. but if you stay on the smaller road, the never ending city is all traffic lights, and I would still be down by the Airport if I had not done the highway.
I'm fairly pleased with the traffic here, not all bad.. You get the mad fly by's, but in general it's pretty easy.. excellent road conditions! As they should be, the road tolls have cleaned me out today!
Anyway, it was getting dark, and after 7 hours on the bike, I need to stop and find a place to sleep. I can tell I am in a bit of an industrial area, and not expecting much from a cheap hotel..
Well you guessed it from the title! I am in a Love Hotel. Granted, I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA even at the time I got the room!!
On the outside, it looks like a pleasant nice palace style hotel. Big glass gates to drive through, and I see the sign "IN". I walk in, and nobody there. I call "0", thinking they are like Australia and they close up hotel check in's around 6 pm.
Lady answer, I ask for a room, and she shows me a wall with all the room numbers, with only one that is lit up. She trys to say, "Only one room left".
Price? 5300 yen.. to compare, my backpackers 2700, so just under double. However, the Holiday Inn I stayed at the airport last night was 8900 yen. I didn't see any options here, and I am not in a position to continue on the highway anyway.. she shows me the room, and I am like, "gee whiz, nice room for the price! It's got large screen tv, tanning machine?? karoke machine, big spa, marble bathroom, great big bed!!!" Thought I hit the jackpot! Until I saw funny little things for sale in the room.
Then I worked it out... but it's so nice, and my bike is in a private parking behind a large gated wall. I'll stay..
Have a look at what a sweaty mess I am from riding today.. out of all the action this room must see, it's only a spa for me tonight. AND, since South Australia is still in drought, a spa is out of the question at home.. So I am totally excited for my spa, and added the complimentary blue salt and bubbles!!
Then after my spa, I decide to go check my bike - and I'm locked in!!!! A bit of a panic for sure. I try to dial the phone out, and it's all in Japanese! I can't tell what the instructions say!! I start banging on the door when I heard footsteps, and I heard a lady running up to save me.
She is so nice, and she was here for a while, helping me sort out my plan for navigating tomorrow...
Anyway, I now know the reason I am locked in this room, is you pay by the hour and once you pay, you get to unlock it.
I don't know if this is standard, or even if we have such hotels in America or Australia.
But what a hilarious learning experience!!
I feel very trapped in here, but I have confirmed with her twice, when I pay the money, it will let me out in the morning..
Let's hope I can sleep through this tonight.. it's 12:20 AM already!
We organize to get motorcycle insurance - again! I go there at 11 AM, by time I found it, and they are closed. Sign says 10:00 - 20:00.. That's about the 4th shop I have been guided to that has no staff!!
Oh well, I've had enough of Tokyo and want to move on...
I did everything I could to avoid the highway, didn't want to get out there.. but if you stay on the smaller road, the never ending city is all traffic lights, and I would still be down by the Airport if I had not done the highway.
I'm fairly pleased with the traffic here, not all bad.. You get the mad fly by's, but in general it's pretty easy.. excellent road conditions! As they should be, the road tolls have cleaned me out today!
Anyway, it was getting dark, and after 7 hours on the bike, I need to stop and find a place to sleep. I can tell I am in a bit of an industrial area, and not expecting much from a cheap hotel..
Well you guessed it from the title! I am in a Love Hotel. Granted, I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA even at the time I got the room!!
On the outside, it looks like a pleasant nice palace style hotel. Big glass gates to drive through, and I see the sign "IN". I walk in, and nobody there. I call "0", thinking they are like Australia and they close up hotel check in's around 6 pm.
Lady answer, I ask for a room, and she shows me a wall with all the room numbers, with only one that is lit up. She trys to say, "Only one room left".
Price? 5300 yen.. to compare, my backpackers 2700, so just under double. However, the Holiday Inn I stayed at the airport last night was 8900 yen. I didn't see any options here, and I am not in a position to continue on the highway anyway.. she shows me the room, and I am like, "gee whiz, nice room for the price! It's got large screen tv, tanning machine?? karoke machine, big spa, marble bathroom, great big bed!!!" Thought I hit the jackpot! Until I saw funny little things for sale in the room.
Then I worked it out... but it's so nice, and my bike is in a private parking behind a large gated wall. I'll stay..
Have a look at what a sweaty mess I am from riding today.. out of all the action this room must see, it's only a spa for me tonight. AND, since South Australia is still in drought, a spa is out of the question at home.. So I am totally excited for my spa, and added the complimentary blue salt and bubbles!!
Then after my spa, I decide to go check my bike - and I'm locked in!!!! A bit of a panic for sure. I try to dial the phone out, and it's all in Japanese! I can't tell what the instructions say!! I start banging on the door when I heard footsteps, and I heard a lady running up to save me.
She is so nice, and she was here for a while, helping me sort out my plan for navigating tomorrow...
Anyway, I now know the reason I am locked in this room, is you pay by the hour and once you pay, you get to unlock it.
But what a hilarious learning experience!!
I feel very trapped in here, but I have confirmed with her twice, when I pay the money, it will let me out in the morning..
Let's hope I can sleep through this tonight.. it's 12:20 AM already!
The things you do and see when you are on holiday. Hope you got a good sleep and didn't get kept awake by all the noise in the night!
ReplyDeleteHey, your SOPT tracking thing isn't working! We don't know where your Love Hotel is.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laughs!
ReplyDeleteAdelaide mumma
So, in case of a fire, you better have the correct change on hand ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou got that right Thomas!! Luckily there was a small window to use if you get really hard up to escape.. Sorry, couldn't resist that one...! ;-)
ReplyDelete