Asia After Hours

Included in a series of articles inside Shukan Post (Oct. 7) discussing the complete power the Ministry of Finance (MOF) wields over Japan is a sidebar that explains that trips to an infamous restaurant in Tokyo’s Kabukicho red-light district over a decade ago were just the tip of the iceberg as far as the illicit entertainment of bureaucrats.

In the late ’90s, sexually-charged entertainment for MOF bureaucrats came in two forms. Widely known was that which was sponsored by bankers assigned to the ministry, but what few realized was that other members within the Kasumigaseki community also acted as hosts.

“The other ministries were in search budgetary allotments,” says a retired ministry official. “Those ministries would send someone who went to the same university in the same year as MOF officials for hard night out on the town.”

Entertainment costs were paid by corporations that a particular ministry oversees. The erotic arrangements were similar to that of what the banks offered, with reports of ventures to the now-defunct Loulan no-pan shabu-shabu restaurant in Kabukicho, where hostesses served without underpants, eventually becoming symbolic of government excess at the time. (For a list of members from various ministries and public corporations who dined at Loulan check this site.)

But more extreme entertainment happened elsewhere, Shukan Post assures. “High-ranking MOF officials enjoyed the Mukojima district the best,” says a former banker. “Since it is a bit outside of the center of the city, many high-end ryotei establishments were able to deliver sex services. It was something of a ritual for younger MOF officials to wind up making out with geishas in their early 20s and also engage in dancing and drinking. Within 10 minutes of entry, everyone was naked.”

It was common to go one or two other places thereafter and even prepare hotel rooms, with the end result being expenditures of 10 million yen a night.

The article also includes a glossary of MOF slang commonly used, such as zabuton (ざぶとん), or pillow, which is a company you will be transferring to upon retirement, to further illustrate that their lifestyle tended to be rather cushy.

Rest assured, MOF officials also assumed the role of hosts, such as for when they wanted to tame a group of journalists from leading television stations and newspapers.

“While we didn’t go to premier restaurants,” a former writer says, “they bought our dinner at a restaurant inside their dormitories. They also had beer and whiskey on the rocks when we visited their offices after 5 p.m.”

Has anything changed since? Shukan Post is doubtful. (A.T.)

Source: “No-pan-shabushabu wa jono-kuchi datta zenra no elite tachi no inbi na sekai,” Shukan Post (Oct. 7, page 42-43)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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It’s a familiar nighttime routine: You are out in Shimbashi, drunk, and the last train has passed. What to do?

While pondering the predicament a young Chinese gal materializes on a nearby corner. “Excuse me, sir?”

Thus begins a survey of quickie sex services from weekly tabloid Shukan Asahi Geino (Sept. 15), which finds that prices are plummeting in the current deflationary environment.

“We can get you a room for 5,000 yen,” she continues.

“Ah, but I’ve only got 3,000 yen,” the crafty writer counters.

In Tokyo’s entertainment areas, below-the-belt services for 5,000 yen are in abundance, but many lucky lads are getting away with much less.

“A hand-job with light body-touching is an appealing package for girls who want to make fast cash,” comments a writer who covers underground businesses. “And for businessmen with tight wallets, it is an economical way to experience sexual pleasure.”

It was assumed that if prices were to fall too low customers would become cautious, but that has not been the case. “The trade has expanded into amateur girls,” the underground writer continues. “You know, to become involved in this business it doesn’t take much effort to recruit clients, and nowadays the competition to offer the lowest prices just keeps getting hotter.”

After finishing up in Shimbashi, the tabloid’s reporter moves over to Shinjuku’s Kabukicho red-light district, where he enters Anpuri-tei. The 20-minute course here runs a mere 2,700 yen and includes a hand service (2,000 yen) and room rental (700 yen).

Asagei’s writer enters a room and picks up the phone. Soon after an 18-year-old with big eyes, similar in appearance to actress Haruka Ayase, appears before him.

Various options are included, such as verbal abuse, blowing, the use of lotion, and panty and bra peeks. However, when time is up, the stroking stops — win or lose. But frankly, are there any losers at this price?

Outfitted in a tank top and pink underwear and seated atop a pillow, she utters a polite “excuse me” before proceeding with the pulling process.

The reporter winds up coming out on top, even vowing a return visit. Should you, dear reader, be interested in a similar experience Anpuri-tei’s number is provided: 03-6233-7499. And tell ‘em Shukan Asahi Geino sent ya! (K.N.)

Source: “Kabukicho de tekoki 2,7000 yen saiyasune wo koshin defure fuzoku ga oyaji no kahanshin wo sukuu!” Shukan Asahi Geino (Sept. 15, page 58)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Popularity: 4%

“You must be pregnant, and I will tell all.”

That phrase is certainly not something to be uttered by a junior high school teacher, but that was what 56-year-old Yuji Kurimoto, who was taken into custody on June 28 by officers from the Higashi Yamato Police Department, used to threaten multiple girls after he drugged them and committed obscene acts, reports weekly tabloid Shukan Jitsuwa (July 21).

Kurimoto, a teacher at Ritsujosui Middle School in Tokyo’s Kodaira City, was arrested for violating the welfare of minors. His downfall began after this message on his website caught the attention of a 15-year-old girl: “I am Hiro, 32 years old. Want to meet up in the city for 80,000 yen?”

They rendezvoused at a hotel in Tokyo’s Kabukicho red-light district on May 6. He filmed the subsequent sexual encounter.

“Kurimoto used the prospect of fat cash to appeal to a young girl and asked her to meet up,” a local beat writer tells the tabloid. “But after she refused, he sent 100 emails to her over a span of two days. Once the girl became emotionally drained, he said he would stop if she would agree to send a photo of herself topless. Once she agreed with the request, he then threatened her by saying he would distribute it.”

Kurimoto’s evil wrongdoing escalated once she capitulated and they entered the hotel. “After he paid her,” explains the same reporter, “he made her take a sleeping pill, which he simply called ‘a pill,’ and then he proceeded with his business. He used three cameras to shoot the scene.”

Shukan Jitsuwa believes that he has been buying girls for about 10 years. “Initially, he was satisfied solely by buying young girls,” says the previously quoted reporter. “Then he extended his interest to video shooting. But money could no longer deliver his wishes, so he came up with an idea of making them take sleeping pills. Then he began threatening the girls by saying that they are pregnant because they had unprotected sex, which made them see him on a repeated basis.”

After the 15-year-old girl spoke to her parents about Kurimoto’s continuous demands to meet, he was reported to police authorities. Inside his Kodaira apartment, investigators found 150 homemade DVDs that feature him engaged in obscene acts with 99 girls, 75 of whom are under 18 years of age.

“He offered the sleeping pills by explaining to girls that they would feel better or get more wet,” says another beat writer. “He was also an expert in the martial arts so had knowledge about health. He was also familiar with Chinese medicine, which allowed him to make drugs of his own. Even when girls challenged him over concerns that they were receiving speed or other drugs he would simply say that he is an expert and they should not worry. These things made him more convincing to girls.” (K.N.)

Source: “Kyujukyu nin sekkusu satsuma shita kichiku rika kyoshi,” Shukan Jitsuwa (July 21, page 208)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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While the general mood of consumer self restraint that has followed the Great East Japan Earthquake has extended to Kansai, that area’s fuzoku industry — the commercial sex trade, to be clear — is showing signs of stimulation, reports Shukan Jitsuwa (May 5).

The tabloid says that fuzoku girls from Tohoku are moving to Tokyo, which in turn is seeing its gals go to Kansai, a development that has guys licking their chops, or rather, getting their chops licked.

“A week after the earthquake we started to see this shift,” says a writer covering the fuzoku trade. “In terms of types of services, most of them are working in health clubs” — which have nothing to do with fitness but everything do with blow-jobs — “and soaplands in Kobe’s Fukuhara red-light district. One can even hear Tokyo accents in quickie joints located in Osaka brothel areas like Tobita Shinichi and Kujo.”

One 24-year-old female health employee, who used to work in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro area, tells the tabloid why she moved: “Tokyo still has aftershocks and supplies in general are insufficient. I cannot focus well. While some may say they don’t like Osaka, I am fine with it.”

Kansai customers are reaping great gains in experiencing Kanto-style techniques, the magazine enthuses.

“Kansai health shops usually prohibit sumata (specifically, grinding without insertion) due to the risk of actual intercourse. Blow-jobs, too, are a concern for health reasons,” explains the previously quoted writer. “But Kanto girls are generally agreeable with providing these services, and Kansai guys love this.”

A 32-year-old sales employee boasts, “I got a girl from (Tokyo’s) Kabukicho area when I phoned a deri heru (out-call) service. It was the first time for me to experience activities that were nearly real sex. I hope local girls will start offering this kind of thing as a basic service very soon.”

A club in Kobe’s Sannomiya adult area employs three girls from Kanto. “While we did not put out any special advertisements, news of their presence spread around by word of mouth among customers,” the employee says. “At first, we were trying to help them by offering a job, but in the end they have been helping us.”

Most girls, however, are working on a part-time basis and wish to return to Tokyo when the situation has settled.

“At our shop, these Tokyo girls are considered ‘in-training’ and customers target that,” the Kobe club employee continues.

“In the end, I want these girls to make money now and help in revitalizing the spirit of Tokyo,” the employee says.

Enjoy the fun while it lasts, Osaka. (K.N.)

Source: “Ima Kansai fuzoku wa bijyo zoroi: Ogoto & Fukuhara ni Kanto musume ga tairyo ryunyu,” Shukan Jitsuwa (Apr. 28, pages 34-35)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Following a nationwide push, gangsters in Tokyo are preparing for pending legislation that will crack down upon their traditional rackets — a development that may provide citizens with more than they bargained for, reports weekly tabloid Spa! (Jan. 25).

“Dealing with organized crime is this year’s top priority for police forces in Japan,” said Takaharu Ando, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency, at a press conference on January 6.

A special law to eliminate boryokudan groups, as yakuza criminal syndicates are referred, originated in the Kyushu region last year and quickly spread to 27 prefectures, including Hokkaido. It is expected that similar legislation will soon be enacted in all 47 prefectures of the country.

“Tokyo aims to enact such a law this spring after it has incorporated elements of legislation already in place in other parts of the country,” added Ando. “It will likely become the most comprehensive one of them all.”

Top boryokudan groups are now organizing study sessions for top members, which includes having attorneys give monthly lectures. They are learning, for example, that not disclosing one’s real occupation upon signing a lease contract can lead to an arrest warrant for fraud.

“This is seriously a big blow,” explains a senior-level member of a Tokyo-based boryokudan group.

The tabloid senses that boryokudan groups are indeed pushing themselves for survival, as evidenced by the extensiveness of the training materials used during the lectures. But along with these activities, local residents around the country are taking initiative. At the end of last year, a notable gangster office in Ikebukuro was removed follow action by local residents.

“The police support the residents,” says the same top-level gang member. “Even when the building is owned, not rented, by gangsters, police will pressure residents and property management associations to push for their elimination. Residents are of course hesitant because they are afraid of yakuza.”

Should boryokudan groups be left out of the picture, however, disarray of social order can result, the article believes. When yakuza groups, which will reconcile troubles, are no longer available, visible bullying starts.

A hostess working in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho entertainment district heard from her male colleague about one particular kyabakura club that didn’t pay a security fee to a yakuza gang on the third of each month, which in the business is known as mikajimeryo. “They were worried about the police, and a competitor drove them out of business,” she says.

The club, which originally opened last summer, shut this winter because foreign objects had been jammed into toilets to damage the plumbing. “When the building owner asked for compensation of around 5 million yen, the manager disappeared,” she continues. “Another club also went out of business because a dead dog was left outside its back door and girls stopped showing up to work because they were scared.”

Another example is a fire that occurred last September at a club in Nagoya, which resulted in a hostess and a male customer receiving severe burns. “The media reported that fire was due to the club not paying a security fee to the yakuza,” explains one street tout. “But rumors were circulating that the club’s competitors were behind it. That particular chain of clubs was known for not paying. Since the market is small in Nagoya, without yakuza, there can be no order.”

Club organizers are also worried. “Yakuza members are ready to take care of trouble. So if they are not around no one will follow the ‘no drugs and fights’ rule at any particular event,” explains a DJ. “If drugs are deliberately left in the bathroom area, knowing that the police will come in to check, the whole club will be busted. It is simply not feasible to run a club without yakuza protection.”

An investigator from a prefectural police agency responsible for yakuza activities feels short-changed. “I am frustrated by this initiative from top management,” the source says. “What is most risky is that the gangsters will become no longer visible. The relationships we’ve had with key members for exchanging information regarding organizational structures, schedules, and locations are to be no more.”

Elimination of boryokudan will actually take some matters into high risk areas, with the sale of drugs being an example.

“There is no order with regard to illicit drugs,” explains one pusher. “Without the yakuza, there will be a higher volume of low quality drugs circulating. We can only sell cheap blends to middle school kids and high school kids. But undesirable foreigners will sell to even elementary school kids.”

Secret banking and fraud, too, may get ugly without yakuza involvement. “Yakuza gangs make sure not to kill those in debt to loan sharks,” explains one underground loan broker. “But without them, it may get to a point where those involved will go after the borrowers to sell their organs or murder them for life insurance fraud. We will no longer be able to call it soft finance.”

Funding for surviving boryokudan groups will as well become more closed but not extinct. “Yakuza front company will have to be disclosed,” says one senior gang member. “But in the Kansai area yakuza money is spread wide, from bento companies to the construction industry. In Kanto, it’s from real estate to online shopping. This money is also invested in major construction companies, used by private investors, and provided to organizers of underground fighting games. They will only become more clever in terms of how they play the masquerade with their front companies.”

Organizations such as Kanto-rengo, which received media attention following last year’s drunken brawl of Ebizo Ichikawa, could take up some boryokdan activities since they are not registered as organized crime entities.

“With boryokudan groups gone,” says another investigator, “there is a concern that these entities could be the source of problems. They have some older guys who teach their younger members the tools of the trade. Vertical relationships in their hierarchy are much more loose in comparison to boryokudan groups. It could lead to chaos. Once the boryokudan groups are eliminated, they could do anything, including targeting ordinary citizens at random.”

Roppongi and Shinjuku still maintain a sense of order even with the influx of undesirable foreigners as yakuza gangs are still in control. “It is Ikebukuro that is becoming like a Chinatown,” says the same senior-level gang member first quoted in the article. “Okubo became Koreatown around it’s border. The locals are free to do whatever. With undesirable foreigners, there will be more drugs and stealing.

“Yakuza gangs have to find ways to survive,” the source continues, “so they may welcome undesirable foreigners onto their turf depending on the area.”

One may postulate that boryokudan groups are totally fading, but that is not so, the magazine concludes. “If they are being underestimated, they will use the lives of ordinary citizens to display their power. In the past, when a shooting resulted in injuries to ordinary citizens, this would be followed by arrests of yakuza members who had agreed to internally report to the police. Now that will be no longer the case.” (K.N.)

Source: “Boryokudan haijo de chian ga akka shita,” Spa! (January 25, pages 26-27)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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With the illegal gambling activities of sumo wrestlers having been duly exposed in recent weeks, Weekly Playboy (July 26) reports that underground casinos are now coming under fire.

“After the story concerning sumo wrestlers and baseball betting broke, three illegal gambling operations in Kabukicho were raided,” explains one illegal casino operator. “They included an a gaming room, an Internet operation and poker game shop. I am very worried about a raid on my place.”

What’s going on?

“Normally there are two patterns for the raids,” explains a member of the National Police Agency, who refused to be named. “The first case is when customers or others in the industry report an illegal operation. The second occurs when higher-ups order the police to raid a particular place.

“If it’s a customer or person in the industry leaking information, then the raid will be only place shop,” the source continues. “However, if (Tokyo Gov. Shintaro) Ishihara announces that he wants to pursue the establishment of a legal casino in Tokyo, for example, multiple places will be raided.”

The representative of the police adds that the Japan Racing Association may also request the busting of operations offering illegal, off-track satellite wagering. The crackdown then on the three Kabukicho parlors is unprecedented, the source says.

Customers are feeling the backlash.

“At poker clubs in Kabukicho, it used to be that players could start out up 500,000 yen and then if they continued they might go down one million yen,” explains an owner of a kyabakura chain who enjoys betting on poker machines. “Now, you can burn through two or three million yen from the start and not see one royal flush or a four of a kind.”

The owner of a fuzoku club likes baccarat. “Before, it would be 50-50, win or lose,” the source says. “Not knowing whether one will win or lose is the is the fun of gambling, and the customer would keep playing. But now, it’s all losing.”

An underground casino manager says that everyone is being targeted. “We don’t know which place will be raided next,” the owner explains. ” So the owners of the clubs want to earn as much as possible now. As a result, the regulars lose all the time. I feel bad for them. But I have to do it. I can’t go against upper management.” (A.T)

Source: “Ura kajino jyankii tachi ga rensen renpai no naze?” Weekly Playboy (July 26, page 10)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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With growing numbers of hesitant, herbivorous males matched by more assertive, carnivorous females, sex in Japan has truly turned topsy-turvy. Nikkan Gendai (July 17) reports that increasingly libidinous Japanese women have been flocking to discreet “sensual massage parlors,” where they pay to be pampered by young hunks.

An office worker in her 30s who patronizes such a place in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho district tells the tabloid, “The place where I go has a membership system and won’t admit anyone without an introduction. A 90-minute session costs 30,000 yen.”

She describes the shop as one unit in a modern building, which has been partitioned into cubicles that have been well soundproofed.

“After showering, good-looking male esthetician gives me a full-body oil massage, which including stroking my breasts, buttocks and asoko (down there). They’re so skilled in their techniques my butt twitches with pleasure.

“In principle intercourse is not included on the menu, but the esthetician might ask a customer he likes, ‘Do you want to lick me?’ and if you reply ‘yes,’ he’ll whip it out and let me get him hard with my mouth. Then he’ll stick it in — the sensation’s so good I feel faint.

“And there’s no extra charge for the intercourse, even if the time runs over,” she smirks.

The hunks, who appear to be the type one normally finds employed at host clubs, range in age from their 20s to 40s. Many are said to be interested in starting up similar shops and are there to learn the tricks of the trade.

“Those in their 20s earn from 400,000 to 500,000 a month,” says a “pink” journalist. “Those over 30 seem to be more trusted by the women and are requested more often, which of course boosts their income. But even the youngest customers at these places are in their late 30s. And there are plenty of middle aged ladies in their 50s and 60s. Many are women who operate their own businesses, or trophy wives of wealthy businessmen.”

According to the journalist, particularly popular is a certain shop in Tokyo’s upscale suburb of Setagaya, where a lead performer in adult videos moonlights. Many of the women who patronize this place seek anonymity, and arrive at the door wearing sunglasses or surgical masks.

“Some shops will also summon female estheticians, for women enjoy getting off by lesbian play,” the journalist adds.

Even with new shops springing up, demand at these establishments is said so brisk that customers are obliged to set up a session with their stud a month in advance. (K.S.)

Source: “‘Joseiyo seikan esute’ ni muragaru onnatachi,” Nikkan Gendai (July 17, page 4)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Ayano, a 20-year-old pre-med student, has a lucrative part-time job. She dispenses oral and manual sex at a “fashion health” massage parlor in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho red light district.

Since high school she had dreamed of becoming a physician, and after achieving a high score on the entrance examination was admitted to a medical school.

Unfortunately, reports Weekly Playboy (May 3), her tuition is damn high.

“Most of the students are from affluent families, but recently even some of them are in arrears of their tuition,” she says. “I have a friend who dropped out and began training as a emergency rescue worker.”

Ayano tells the magazine she has three siblings in school and for various reasons is responsible both for her own livelihood and university tuition. She first tried working as a waitress in a café where her monthly take-home pay was 160,000 yen. Then she found a job in a cabaret club where payment was 5,000 yen an hour.

“But it was rough working by night and taking classes by day,” she says.

And when her parents found out about it they put pressure on her to quit. Little did they know what she found next…

“So I looked for a part-time job that would bring in big money that I could also conceal from my parents,” she says. “At first I felt scruples against working in the sex industry, and wept in despair, thinking, ‘My life has hit rock bottom.’

“But then I rationalized to myself, that ‘I’m doing it to become a doctor,’ and so I created another personality for myself who’s doing this work.”

Shedding her last articles of clothing in front of a customer, stretched out supine on the massage table, initially took courage.

“It may be rude of me to say this,” she says, “but in my mind my customers became like the cadavers on which we perform autopsies in anatomy classes. I feel completely indifferent toward them. You learn to overcome your feelings of repulsion toward a dead body — it’s the same way with a customer at the shop.”

So far the hardest thing on Ayano has been the urge for sweets created by stress from the job, which she says caused her to put on seven kilograms in just three months.

It’s ironic that she is studying to become a doctor to heal the sick and has become sick in a sense of binging on sweets. But she plans to keep her part-time job until graduation from med school.

“Unlike northern Europe, where education is free, a medical student in this country has to work like crazy,” she sighs. “For a girl from a salaried worker’s family, this is the only way to make it happen.” (K.S.)

Source: “Watashitachi, iryo hokai de fuzokujo ni narimashita,” Weekly Playboy (May 3, page 162)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Tokyo’s Kabukicho area as captured at night by the camera of photographer Hajime Kiyohira is seen to be increasingly turning into a Mecca for Japan’s youth, similar to Shibuya, reports Flash (Apr. 20) in a special pull-out section.

The four-page spread features a drunken girl urinating in a street corner; a salaryman takes a punch from an aggressive street tout in front of the infamous Parisienne coffee shop; women unable to walk are sprawled in the arms of their boyfriends as they are dragged away; a police officer chases and eventually corals another unruly tout; and a man with his clothes piled at his feet at the intersection of the Furin Kaikan building announces, “Hadaka de nani ga warui!” (What’s wrong with being naked!), as passersby snap photos with their mobile phones.

The shift towards a younger clientele started with the closing of the Koma Theater at the end of 2008.

“In the streets, there used to be a lot of yakuza,” Kiyohira says of the gangster presence. “But not anymore. It’s just hosts milling around. The area has changed a lot I think.”

The photographer, who has spent the last 15 years shooting Japan’s largest red-light district, recalls an incident 10 years ago in which a group of girls were approached by two men who asked for their phone numbers. “Soon after, a black car pulled up close,” he remembers, “and a few guys jumped out and started beating them. The ladies appeared to be in close with the boryokudan, maybe working in the mizushobai trade.”

Kiyohara says that the Kabukicho of today is frequented by “normal” people. “In the morning, you’ll see young girls sleeping in the streets,” he says, “and guys will haul them off to hotels. This is happening all the time.”

Photos very similar to those inside Flash were featured in Spa! (Sep. 1, 2009) — most notable were shots of naked university students pole-climbing in the plaza fronting the Koma Theater. In that article Kiyohara explained that the well-known clean-up of the area was misleading: “The big clean-up was simply a performance.”

He goes on to tell Spa! that 10 years ago there were only a handful of underground casinos and shops peddling illegal DVDs but now there are around 30. Similarly, Korean and Chinese fuzoku (sex-related) clubs numbered two or three. Today, the total is over 20.

Kiyohara believes that cops will shut one place but it will open in a slightly different form two weeks later. Kabukicho is still littered with girl’s bars, deai cafes, and fuzoku recommendation centers simply because the government’s tax coffers would be lighter if they were all shut.

“Strange, weird young people are out violating various laws,” he says. “In the end, it is not safe.”

A major theme in the Flash pictorial is the numerous shots of women unabashed about flashing some flesh. Low-cut tops, garters and short skirts are all on display. “It’s such a chilly day yet her panties are readily visible,” reads one caption of a man and woman walking away from Hajime’s lens and down a street.

Subculture monthly Jitsuwa Knuckles (May) also uses similarly titillating photos of Kabukicho from Hajime. In closing, it offers this question: The cherry blossoms are blooming and it is getting warmer and warmer — if people continue with such erotic behavior in public, what’s going to happen next? (K.N.)

Source: “Nisen Junen fuyu Kabukicho erosu & baiorensu,” Flash (Apr. 20, special pull-out)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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The warmth of spring may have finally arrived but the chill of the wave of recession is still readily apparent throughout the metropolis. Yet Takarajima (May) finds the entertainment area of Kinshicho, located three train stops away from Akihabara on the Chuo Line in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward, to be surprisingly indifferent to these economic difficulties.

A visit one evening in March starts with a stroll down a street called Derby-dori, situated behind the Marui Building and outside the South Exit of the station building. After just a few meters, street touts in black suits quickly approach.

“How about for 4,000 yen? For three, it will be 10,000 yen.”

The club is named Eden of the World’s Beauties.

“It’s a Filipino pub. Lots of young girls are there. Russians, Romanians, Slovaks and Ukrainians, too. Hey shacho, are you interested? Wanna hang out with some young girls from South America?”

That’s a long list of countries. Is Kinshicho really that international?

Somewhat reassuring is a metro-sexual-looking guy, who says, “My shop has Japanese girls, should you be interested.”

Unlike Kabukichicho and Ikebukuro, where new laws and enforcement activities have limited promotion of this sort, Kinshicho appears to be indifferent to these regulations.

This anarchy-like environment is a bit irritating at times. It is also a reminder of the bubble era and raises the question: Why is Kinshicho so hot now?

“While Tokyo’s laws do limit certain PR activities,” says a fuzoku writer, “Kinshicho may be getting some slack due to its location, across the [Sumida] River and facing Chiba Prefecture. The reason for the numerous gaikokujin pubs is that the girls have lost jobs in the Kabukicho and Roppongi areas and have shifted to here. There are more than 20 Filipino pubs, making this place a real Mecca. Most of the gals are married to Japanese, so having a visa makes it easier to work.”

Conveniently, the Olympic Village, as the locals refer to it, is a market offering food and daily goods suited just for these international hostesses.

Long ago, Kinshicho was a factory town. In 1937, the area emerged as an entertainment district with the establishment of the Tokyo Rakutenchi theater. A black market formed during the postwar era in front of the train station. But by 1950 it had been relocated and numerous drinking areas, such as Derby-dori, sprang to life. The Kadan-gai area — today a collection of snacks and bars — was one of the new locations for the black market stalls.

It is perhaps due to that time, when there was a mingling of U.S. occupational forces and Japanese who benefited from the war, that numerous international elements exist today.

A Kinshicho regular says that the area attracts people not only from its base of Koto and Sumida wards but also Taito, Katsushika and Edogawa wards. “It is for locals to have fun, rather than a place for tourists,” explains the regular. “There are also many single men who live with their parents and thus have some disposable income. Those working on the Tokyo Sky Tree project seem to also be also fascinated by this area. You can see some of them hanging out in their work wear.”

He says the biggest trend of the moment is with pubs staffed by female Chinese students. Fees range between 4,000 and 5,000 yen per hour. “The quality of girls is very high,” the regular goes on. “Their arrogance also makes M-type men interested in them. For those who are fed up with Filipino pubs, they should give these a go. However, you cannot take the girls home with you.”

Kinshicho is also cheaper than options closer to the city center. The early-bird rate at Pink salons is 3,000 yen for 30 minutes.

Indeed, prices suitable for an economy in deflation, but what about the level of the talent?

“Kinshicho gets many young girls at its pink salon,” says the same fuzoku writer. “They are from Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures. Similar to what Nishi Kawaguchi area [in Saitama Prefecture] used to be, they are girls aged 19 or 20 who are working. The lax regulation makes it easier for them to work.”

Low prices, quality service — why not give it a spin?

“Hey, for 60 minutes, we’ll set you up for 1,500 yen.”

It is a low-priced, high-end (appearing) Filipino pub staffed by 30 hostesses replete with nice sofas, all-you-can-drink mizuwari and unlimited karaoke.

“Many customers are Chinese, and they are arrogant,” says a hostess in her 20s, fluent in Japanese and showing a pair of very sexy legs under her miniskirt. “I like Japanese guys, even though they don’t have that much money to spend.”

In the end, any shattered pride due to the harsh economy is quickly restored — a pleasant night of karaoke for the advertised price of 1,500 yen plus tax.

Drink, hit and run: the apparent motto of one of the last male heavens left in Tokyo. (A.T.)

Source: “Gaikokujin ga neon-gai no shuyaku ’shitamachi no kabukicho’ ga atsui!” Takarajima (May, pages 134-136)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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