Business boom for Japan's 'love hotels'

[TOKYO] From rooms kitted out like medical clinics where couples can play "doctors and nurses" to grottos where it is permanently Christmas, Japan's "love hotels" cater to almost every taste, offering a few hours of reasonably priced privacy in a crowded country.

And with the kind of occupancy rates that most hotels can only dream of, even during economic hard times, they are an almost recession-proof business, and a sector that is sure to see a bump over Valentine's Day today.

One weekday lunchtime at Two-Way, one of many "love hotels" in the lively Tokyo district of Shibuya, only two of the 34 rooms were vacant.