Young Japanese people have a problem: until they're married, most of them live with their parents—even if they're pulling in a healthy salary. Since housing in Japan's crowded cities is exorbitantly expensive, that's great for the budget; it's less good for the old sex life. So what's a young couple to do?

Enter the "love hotel," Japan's creative solution to this problem. Rooms are usually rented by the hour, and they're often decorated in outlandish styles. Under a recent law, they must be located in red light districts like Tokyo's famous Shinjuku.

Dwell magazine contributor Misty Keasler has been to a lot of love hotels... if only because she has a new photo-packed book on the subject. It's at turns fascinating and disturbing—but never boring.

My favorite fantasy room? The Hello Kitty S&M room at Hotel Adonis in Osaka:

(Hat tip: Boing Boing)