A so-called love hotel in Japan has been converted into a funeral home, sparking much debate on social media. - Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu/X.com
TOKYO: A love motel in Japan has been converted into a funeral home, sparking a heated discussion on social media about sharply declining birth rates and the country’s ageing population.
A netizen posted a photo of a former love motel in Saitama prefecture in eastern Japan which has become a funeral parlour in February.
Another person, who uses the handle @mikumo_hk, reacted to the post with a screen capture from Google Street View, which showed the site when it was still a motel.
The person said that post was a signal of the declining birth rate and ageing society.
Known as love motels in Japan, the special facilities emerged in the late 1960s and burgeoned during the country’s economic peak, known as the “bubble” era of the 1980s.
They cater to couples who seek privacy and comfort.
The level of love motels vary greatly, some offering luxury experiences comparable to five-star hotels, while others in suburban areas are more dowdy.
A boom in love motels in Japan coincided with an increase in the country’s birth rate. - Photo: QQ.com
Some Japanese love motels are widely known for their extravagant, and sometimes outlandish decorations, especially those with spaceship, anime or wonderland themes.
The rooms of the love motel turned funeral home in Saitama are now painted a solemn white and there is a heavenly atmosphere.
“This is truly ‘from cradle to grave’,” a Japanese online observer commented.
“I imagine some people begin and end their lives at the same place,” said another.
“I do not want to have my funeral held in a former love motel,” said a third.
The emergence of love motels chimes with Japan’s second baby boom, which witnessed annual births that exceeded two million between 1971 and 1974.
The conversion from love motel, top, to funeral home, middle and below, has split opinion online. - Photo: QQ.com
The country’s birth rate fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024, down five per cent from the previous year while declining for a ninth consecutive year, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan.
Meanwhile, Japan’s elderly population rose to record 36.25 million, with people aged 65 or older accounting for 29.3 per cent of the country’s population, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said last September.
It is estimated that elderly people will make up 34.8 per cent of the population by 2040.
According to statistics released by Japan’s National Police Agency, the number of registered love hotels also decreased from 5,670 in 2016 to 5,183 in 2020. - South China Morning Post
