The Strange Feeling I Had in Susukino’s Love Hotel District

I think it was around the spring of 2022.

That was when I held my first workshop in Hokkaido.

At the time, there were still very few participants from Hokkaido itself.

So I used the large amount of ANA mileage I had accumulated and gifted flights to three men who had become regular participants at my Tokyo workshops, and together we traveled to Hokkaido.

Looking back now, it was probably quite an extravagant use of miles.

The venue and accommodation we used was a place called:

“Yamahana Onsen Tondenyu Ryokan.”

It had originally been a public bathhouse with natural hot springs that had later been renovated into a ryokan.

It was a fascinating place.

Spacious, comfortable, and equipped with its own hot spring bath.

It was also within walking distance of Susukino, the entertainment district of Sapporo, which made it extremely convenient.

On the day we arrived in Hokkaido, we first checked into the ryokan, dropped off our luggage, and took some time to settle in.

Then someone suggested:

“Why don’t we take a walk around the area?”

So the four of us headed out together for a casual evening walk.

After walking for about twenty minutes, we naturally drifted into the Susukino district.

I think it was sometime around early evening.

The air in Hokkaido was slightly cold in that uniquely northern way.

Tourists and locals mixed together in the streets.

It was still before the nightlife had fully begun — a strange, quiet transition between day and night.

We had no real destination.

We simply wandered through the city and eventually turned around to head back toward the ryokan.

That was when it happened.

On the way back, we accidentally entered one of the hotel districts.

At first, I felt nothing unusual.

But the moment we reached a certain block, I suddenly stopped and said:

“Let’s turn right here.”

It was not exactly fear.

Not even a chill.

Just…

a strange, unpleasant feeling.

Difficult to explain.

There was a coin parking lot there, and beside it stood a concrete love hotel.

Nothing visually dramatic.

And yet, the atmosphere felt strangely heavy.

Then K-san, one of the participants from Tokyo, suddenly became oddly enthusiastic and said:

“Sensei, let’s keep going straight!”

Even now, I still do not know why he was so eager.

But at the same time, I also had no logical reason to insist otherwise.

I could not exactly say:

“This place is dangerous.”

So in the end, we continued straight ahead.

And at that moment, the story simply ended there.

Nothing happened.

We returned to the ryokan and thought nothing more of it.

Then about a year later, I suddenly received a message from another participant from Tokyo, S-san.

Attached was a photo of a hotel, along with information about what later became known as the:

“Susukino Hotel Murder Case.”

The moment I saw the photo, I immediately remembered the place.

“Ah… it was there.”

S-san, who also practiced qigong and energy work, said something interesting:

“Even compared to the love hotel districts in Shibuya or Kabukicho, that area feels completely different.”

“At that level, it feels more like a demonic realm.”

Of course, I am not trying to say:

“That crime happened because of the land.”

Reality is never that simple.

But I do think that particular place carried an unusually disturbing atmosphere.

If it had happened somewhere else…

If it had been another environment…

Perhaps the incident would not have unfolded in such a horrific way.

That thought crossed my mind.

In Japanese, there is an expression:

“Ma ga sasu” — “a demon slips in.”

People usually use it to describe a sudden moment of darkness or destructive impulse.

But lately, I sometimes wonder whether the “darkness” already exists inside people,

and certain places simply amplify it.

Anger.

Desire.

Loneliness.

Violence.

Some places seem to magnify those things.

Of course, the opposite also exists.

Places where your breathing naturally deepens.

Homes where you somehow feel calm.

Spaces where people become gentler without realizing it.

Recently, I have increasingly felt that not only the body itself,

but also the spaces surrounding us,

have a profound effect on human beings.

By the way, I later learned that K-san had apparently made the Susukino love hotel district part of his usual morning jogging route.

…Human sensitivity truly differs from person to person.

Perhaps that is all this really means.

Recently, I have been offering not only remote support, but also space support sessions.

I now look not only at the body itself, but also at the spaces where people spend most of their lives.

▼ Remote Support & Space Support

https://www.karadanaoru.com/mirai?lang=en

Yuki Matsuoka