The Coolest City on the Planet 2005: TOKYO

GQ circled the globe in search of the answer to this question: where CAN a man find everything he needs—the best clothes, restaurants, design, nightlife, and more—in one mind-blowing city? Here are ten reasons to haul your ass to Tokyo.

Love Hotels—where a quickie gets the respect it deserves.

Tokyo’s horny urban hordes typically enjoy zero privacy at home (wife, kids, grandma), and the few public parks that exist tend to be crowded. Salvation comes in the form of the city’s multitudinous love hotels, or rabu-ho, as they are affectionately known. There are several clusters of them in and around Japan’s capital, but the most accessible destination for foreign couples (no solo stays allowed) can be found on Shibuya’s Love Hotel Hill.

Minutes from the neighborhood’s famed Hachiko pedestrian crossing, the crowded peak glows with neon signage from tacky yet cute theme hotels (Graeco-Roman and nautical motifs remain popular) with names like Hotel Pink. All of the hotels stress anonymity: Rooms are procured by pushing a button below corresponding photographs in the lobby, and they are immaculate, despite the seemingly complete absence of maids (you will seldom see a staff member during your stay). All the rooms in the hotels are different, with some offering amenities like a sex-toy minibar, karaoke, video games, and, naturally, all the porn you care to watch. More expensive suites feature such extravagances as swimming pools and actual streams that run through nature-themed fantasy chambers.

But a word of caution to the uninitiated: Some establishments hit the unsuspecting with a mysterious extra charge after your “rest.” And newer hotels will lock you in the room electronically until you put cash in a slot when the loving is over. A romp will run customers anywhere from 2,500 yen (about $25) for an hour all the way up to 15,000 yen for the night. —Charlie Amter