{"id":1881506,"date":"2026-04-14T10:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T07:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1881506"},"modified":"2026-04-14T10:01:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T07:01:00","slug":"unfiltered-photos-from-inside-tokyos-fading-love-hotels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1881506","title":{"rendered":"Unfiltered photos from inside Tokyo\u2019s fading love hotels"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-2983-1989\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443290.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/art-photography\/article\/70084\/1\/tokyo-love-hotels-photographs-sofiya-loriashvili-japan-bdsm-portraits\" data-article-id=\"70084\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.51\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1989\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443290.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Sofiya Loriashvili<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-14T10:01:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"14 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"14\">14,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - art-photography\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\">Art &amp; Photography<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lightbox\">Lightbox<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\">Art &amp; Photography<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lightbox\">Lightbox<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Unfiltered photos from inside Tokyo\u2019s fading <span class=\"nowrap\">love hotels<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Photographer Sofiya Loriashvili returns to Japan, bringing together friends and collaborators in a bondage-inspired series backdropped by surreal <span class=\"nowrap\">hotel interiors<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-14T10:01:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"14 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"14\">14,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-14T10:01:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"14 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"14\">14,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/TiarnaMeehan\">Tiarna<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-18-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days <span class=\"nowrap\">in Japan<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/0\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1988\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2982-1988\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443300.jpg\" width=\"2982\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/1\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1325\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-233-1988-1325\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443302.jpg\" width=\"1988\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/2\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"2026_LORIASHVILI_JPN_S.P 32\" class=\"img\" height=\"1424\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/7-495-2136-1424\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443304.jpg\" width=\"2136\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/3\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1989\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2983-1989\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443290.jpg\" width=\"2983\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/4\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1325\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-503-1988-1325\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443291.jpg\" width=\"1988\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/5\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1325\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-675-1988-1325\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443292.jpg\" width=\"1988\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 18 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cKnown territories feel good,\u201d says photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sofiya.loriashvili2\/\">Sofiya Loriashvili<\/a> as she returns to Japan to once again photograph Tokyo\u2019s love hotels. Her previous series, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/66275\/1\/31-days-in-japan-tokyo-bondage-love-hotels-sofiya-loriashvili-photographs\"><em><span>31 Days in Japan<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, explored her perspective, as an outsider, of the tension between control and surrender in the city\u2019s erotic spaces and wider society. Now she returns with a continuation of that work, <\/span><em><span>30 Days in Japan<\/span><\/em><span> \u2013 named simply after the length of her visa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The project continues her exploration of BDSM as both a literal and symbolic structure within Tokyo. \u201cBDSM is a form of restraint that, to me, reflects certain aspects of Japanese society, as well as the tension between the omnipresence of sexual imagery and strict censorship,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m always impressed by those billboards, posters, ranges of champagne girls out in the streets and at the same time blurred dicks and pussies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While much appears unchanged on the surface, Loriashvili is aware of a shift in the feeling of this collection of photos. \u201cEverything felt different because my journey was different \u2013 new people, new places, new books. But at the same time, I tend to create routines; they make me feel safe, I\u2019m a control freak. So the more I return to a place, the more I build my own sense of routine within it,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"684a5cb7-738c-4705-b862-b42b01077c51\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443300.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.51\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1989\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443300.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Sofiya Loriashvili<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The images bring together both new collaborators and returning ones:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lily_yurika_\/\">Lily<\/a>, a performer and dancer;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ellie_bound\/\">Ellie<\/a>, a dominatrix and rope artist; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/super_cchan_yeee\">Shion<\/a>, a dancer and rope model, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hamchi122\/\">Narumi<\/a>, who she met online. It\u2019s a deliberate choice to avoid professional models, instead favouring something less rehearsed. The result is a series of images where subjects appear sprawled, contorted, or caught mid-movement, often in various states of undress and poised on patterned furniture or stained carpets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She also shoots with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/coldpizzaishotterthan_u\/\">Hinata<\/a>, a collaborator from the previous series. It\u2019s a relationship the photographer speaks highly of, discussing how their closeness made the series all the easier to shoot naturally.\u00a0<\/span><span>In one image, Hinata appears lying in a shell-shaped bathtub in a love hotel just outside Tokyo. \u201cI particularly love an image where she removes her wig and looks straight into the camera,\u201d Loriashvili recalls. \u201cWhen I started photographing her in the bed, it just wasn\u2019t working. The light was bad, the room was too small, and I didn\u2019t have enough distance to frame the whole scene properly. The images felt wrong to me, and I started to panic. I was so fixated on that bed \u2013 but nothing was working, and I couldn\u2019t let it go. At some point, I just got frustrated and thought, \u2018fuck it\u2019, let\u2019s forget the bed and do something else. And that\u2019s when it suddenly worked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That release of control mirrors something larger within the work itself. \u201cWorking with Hinata feels like a shared journey. She\u2019s as invested in the process as I am. Sometimes it doesn\u2019t work, and in those moments I can feel how her attitude mirrors my own,\u00a0 when I feel lost, it shows. Then we reset, and it becomes my responsibility to find direction again. In a way, photographing others often feels like making self-portraits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"cfc235eb-34aa-4285-a49b-b42b010789df\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1989\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443303.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.66\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 Days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443303.jpg\" width=\"1989\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Sofiya Loriashvili<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In another standout shot, Loriashvili appears herself, standing undressed on the tatami in her Airbnb. \u201cYou\u2019re not supposed to wear shoes on tatami. But in my defense, those shoes were completely clean and had never touched the outside,\u201d she tells us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>More than anything, the photographer is drawn to the spaces she shoots, specifically the city\u2019s fading love hotels. Many images are set against oak panelling, gaudy wallpaper, or surreal interiors \u2013 in one, a subject straddles a cowhide rodeo bull. \u201cI was drawn to older, almost forgotten spaces, especially vintage love hotels that I try to visit while they still exist,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey somehow remind me of my grandparents&#8217; place with flowery wallpaper and the smell of cigarettes.\u201d It\u2019s spaces like these that are increasingly disappearing, soon to be replaced by something cleaner, more sterile and homogeneous. \u201cIt makes me sad to think that one day places like this won\u2019t exist.\u201d For now, she\u2019s not done with them: next year, she&#8217;s planning to return to Japan and shoot in a love doll factory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/70011\/1\/meet-the-curator-and-artists-behind-resurgence-craft-reimagined\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ajahee\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-0-616-410\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442753.png\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Meet the curator and artists behind Resurgence: Craft Reimagined<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/70020\/1\/art-shows-to-leave-the-house-for-april-2026-exhibitions-london-paris-ny\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"15-Donna Gottschalk, Myla a\u0300 seize ans, Mission Di\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-1-1934-1287\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442788.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Art shows to leave the house for in April 2026<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-18-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days <span class=\"nowrap\">in Japan<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/0\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1988\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2982-1988\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443300.jpg\" width=\"2982\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/1\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1325\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-233-1988-1325\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443302.jpg\" width=\"1988\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/2\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"2026_LORIASHVILI_JPN_S.P 32\" class=\"img\" height=\"1424\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/7-495-2136-1424\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443304.jpg\" width=\"2136\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/3\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1989\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2983-1989\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443290.jpg\" width=\"2983\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/4\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1325\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-503-1988-1325\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443291.jpg\" width=\"1988\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36935\/5\/sofiya-loriashvili-30-days-in-japan\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1325\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-675-1988-1325\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443292.jpg\" width=\"1988\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 18 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cKnown territories feel good,\u201d says photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sofiya.loriashvili2\/\">Sofiya Loriashvili<\/a> as she returns to Japan to once again photograph Tokyo\u2019s love hotels. Her previous series, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/66275\/1\/31-days-in-japan-tokyo-bondage-love-hotels-sofiya-loriashvili-photographs\"><em><span>31 Days in Japan<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, explored her perspective, as an outsider, of the tension between control and surrender in the city\u2019s erotic spaces and wider society. Now she returns with a continuation of that work, <\/span><em><span>30 Days in Japan<\/span><\/em><span> \u2013 named simply after the length of her visa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The project continues her exploration of BDSM as both a literal and symbolic structure within Tokyo. \u201cBDSM is a form of restraint that, to me, reflects certain aspects of Japanese society, as well as the tension between the omnipresence of sexual imagery and strict censorship,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m always impressed by those billboards, posters, ranges of champagne girls out in the streets and at the same time blurred dicks and pussies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While much appears unchanged on the surface, Loriashvili is aware of a shift in the feeling of this collection of photos. \u201cEverything felt different because my journey was different \u2013 new people, new places, new books. But at the same time, I tend to create routines; they make me feel safe, I\u2019m a control freak. So the more I return to a place, the more I build my own sense of routine within it,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"684a5cb7-738c-4705-b862-b42b01077c51\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443300.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.51\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"1989\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443300.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Sofiya Loriashvili<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The images bring together both new collaborators and returning ones:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lily_yurika_\/\">Lily<\/a>, a performer and dancer;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ellie_bound\/\">Ellie<\/a>, a dominatrix and rope artist; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/super_cchan_yeee\">Shion<\/a>, a dancer and rope model, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hamchi122\/\">Narumi<\/a>, who she met online. It\u2019s a deliberate choice to avoid professional models, instead favouring something less rehearsed. The result is a series of images where subjects appear sprawled, contorted, or caught mid-movement, often in various states of undress and poised on patterned furniture or stained carpets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She also shoots with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/coldpizzaishotterthan_u\/\">Hinata<\/a>, a collaborator from the previous series. It\u2019s a relationship the photographer speaks highly of, discussing how their closeness made the series all the easier to shoot naturally.\u00a0<\/span><span>In one image, Hinata appears lying in a shell-shaped bathtub in a love hotel just outside Tokyo. \u201cI particularly love an image where she removes her wig and looks straight into the camera,\u201d Loriashvili recalls. \u201cWhen I started photographing her in the bed, it just wasn\u2019t working. The light was bad, the room was too small, and I didn\u2019t have enough distance to frame the whole scene properly. The images felt wrong to me, and I started to panic. I was so fixated on that bed \u2013 but nothing was working, and I couldn\u2019t let it go. At some point, I just got frustrated and thought, \u2018fuck it\u2019, let\u2019s forget the bed and do something else. And that\u2019s when it suddenly worked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That release of control mirrors something larger within the work itself. \u201cWorking with Hinata feels like a shared journey. She\u2019s as invested in the process as I am. Sometimes it doesn\u2019t work, and in those moments I can feel how her attitude mirrors my own,\u00a0 when I feel lost, it shows. Then we reset, and it becomes my responsibility to find direction again. In a way, photographing others often feels like making self-portraits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"cfc235eb-34aa-4285-a49b-b42b010789df\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1989\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443303.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.66\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sofiya Loriashvili, 30 Days in Japan\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443303.jpg\" width=\"1989\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Sofiya Loriashvili<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In another standout shot, Loriashvili appears herself, standing undressed on the tatami in her Airbnb. \u201cYou\u2019re not supposed to wear shoes on tatami. But in my defense, those shoes were completely clean and had never touched the outside,\u201d she tells us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>More than anything, the photographer is drawn to the spaces she shoots, specifically the city\u2019s fading love hotels. Many images are set against oak panelling, gaudy wallpaper, or surreal interiors \u2013 in one, a subject straddles a cowhide rodeo bull. \u201cI was drawn to older, almost forgotten spaces, especially vintage love hotels that I try to visit while they still exist,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey somehow remind me of my grandparents&#8217; place with flowery wallpaper and the smell of cigarettes.\u201d It\u2019s spaces like these that are increasingly disappearing, soon to be replaced by something cleaner, more sterile and homogeneous. \u201cIt makes me sad to think that one day places like this won\u2019t exist.\u201d For now, she\u2019s not done with them: next year, she&#8217;s planning to return to Japan and shoot in a love doll factory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/70084\/1\/tokyo-love-hotels-photographs-sofiya-loriashvili-japan-bdsm-portraits&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-2983-1989\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443290.jpg&#8221;] Photography Sofiya Loriashvili April\u00a0 14,\u00a0 2026 Art &amp; Photography \/ Lightbox Art &amp; Photography \/ Lightbox Unfiltered photos from inside Tokyo\u2019s fading love hotels Photographer Sofiya Loriashvili returns to Japan, bringing together friends and collaborators in a bondage-inspired series backdropped by surreal hotel interiors April\u00a0 14,\u00a0 2026 April\u00a0 14,\u00a0 2026 TextTiarna Sofiya [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1881506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1881506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1881506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1881506\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1881506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1881506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1881506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}