Here's a fascinating story unearthed by two bloggers, Anglo-American Michael John Grist and Canadian Mike's Blender, both living in Japan. Most people have probably heard of Japanese love hotels. Those lurid, chintzy, pay-by-the-hour sex hotels taken for granted by the Japanese. But the Pearl Love Hotel takes this curious phenomenon to another level. It's a vintage love hotel, abandoned and left to wither and decay under a forest of twisting vines, deep in the Japanese countryside. 

The two men found the Pearl on a back road in Tochigi, in the process of being reclaimed by nature. And squatters, it seems, judging by the evidence left behind.

However, some rooms remain almost intact, including the two-storey executive suite, with its red flock wallpaper and circular quilted, mirrored love nest. It's almost undisturbed.

The two explorers believe the hotel is about 20 to 30 years old, built in an age when love hotels didn't have the karaoke and vibrating chairs that Japanese (and Chinese) lovers might be used to these days. But what happened here? Why was it abandoned?

Michael and Mike are experts at exploring Japanese ruins, or haikyo, and have catalogued a great many on their sites. It's a creepy, surreal, magical world, as these pictures show.

A fantastic find and great post. Check out their video too.  RM

Images: Michael John Grist and Mike's Blender 

Japanese studio General Design have completed a tall narrow concrete flagship store with no windows for a clothing brand in Nagoya, Japan.

Called Lad Musician Nagoya, the building consists of an enclosed concrete box with three skylights in the roof.

The interior features three split levels and uses only three materials: concrete, oak and galvanised steel.

Photographs are by Daici Ano.

Here’s some text from the architects: