Closing ceremonies for Kabuki-za in Ginza

(Photo by Tokyo Reporter, April 30, 2010)

TOKYO (TR) – Closing ceremonies for the five-decade-old Kabuki-za theater, located in Chuo Ward’s Ginza district, will be held today.

Entertainment company Shochiku announced in 2008 that the theater, Japan’s home for kabuki since it was founded in 1889, will be rebuilt inside a large office-theater complex by 2013. Shochiku said in an email statement that the Kabuki-za is an aging structure that is susceptible to earthquakes. It added: “Taking into consideration that its facilities are not barrier-free, we decided that it would be in the best interest of our customers for us to rebuild the theater.”

The existing structure was established following heavy damage inflicted during the Allied bombings of Tokyo in World War II. Farewell performances took place Wednesday. Read more

Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka to close in 2011

(Photo by Tokyo Reporter, April 30, 2010)

TOKYO (TR) – Seibu Holdings announced this week that the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka, located in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, will shut its doors in 2011. Originally opened in 1955, the hotel features a 40-floor, wedge-shaped main building, which dates back to 1983 and was designed by renowned architect Kenzo Tange. Seibu Holdings said the site is scheduled to be redeveloped but no plans have been decided upon.

Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be medics, they’ll wind up selling love

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.” Read more

Livedoor founder Takafumi Horie to produce porn film

(Photo by Tokyo Reporter, April 28, 2010)

TOKYO (TR) – Takafumi Horie, disgraced former president of Web portal Livedoor, announced last night on satellite broadcaster Paradise TV that he is producing an adult video.

The site founder said the feature will include the debut of AV actress Nina and be released through porn publishing house Soft On Demand. The news came just prior to his participation in a game of “strip” mahjong with three adult video actresses that was broadcast live on Paradise TV, an adult channel known for its wacky and provocative programming.

In March of 2007, Horie was found guilty of falsely reporting a 300-million-yen loss as a 5-billion-yen gain on the Livedoor books. Two years ago, he lost his appeal on his two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. He subsequently submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court. He is now out on a 600-million-yen bail.

With a t-shirt that read “All Rumours Are True” covering his portly frame, Horie enthusiastically watched as the ladies systematically disrobed over the course of the game, which involves the matching of various rectangular tiles featuring various images. Read more

Sex-trade tabloid Tokyo Manzoku News to cease publication

(Photo by Tokyo Reporter, April 22, 2010)

TOKYO (TR) – Sex-service tip sheet Tokyo Manzoku News will offer guidance through Tokyo’s adult entertainment areas for the final time next month, announced the owner of the title.

The 16-year-old publication, under the umbrella of publishing house Creators Company Connection, offers pricing and location assistance for clientele interested in fuzoku (sex-related) clubs and bars within Tokyo’s larger nightlife quarters, including Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Shibuya.

The final issue of the 32-page sheet will hit the stands on May 13. The company cited developments in the media business as the reason for the termination. Read more

Sex sensations blossom under randy young florist’s tutelage

The April issue of women’s soft porn magazine Ai no Taiken Special Deluxe, as introduced in Shukan Bunshun (Apr. 29) features a story of a middle-aged woman’s sexual awakening.

“I’d led a protected life as a student,” she writes in the way of self-introduction. “My marriage was arranged, and I’d never had sex with any man except my husband.”

Definitely an old-fashioned gal. But that was to change last year after her daughter entered university in Tokyo and she came to the big city to look after her. Read more

Crummy Shibuya girl scouter nabbed with hand in cookie jar

At long last, the Tokyo government finally got around to passing an ordinance prohibiting men to approach women on the street and solicit them to take jobs in the sex industry. And recently, reports Nikkan Gendai (Apr. 21), Yusuke Yoshino, a 30-year-old operator of a massage joint in Shibuya, and three of his cohorts were arrested for violating the ordinance.

“Last November, Yoshino and his crew talked a 19-year-old woman into working at the massage joint,” says a police source. “Using the same technique, they had hired over 200 women that way.”

The source added that in addition to the ordinance, which was ostensibly passed because such activity was treated as a public nuisance, Yoshino’s massage joint was also charged under a law that prevents bottakuri (overcharging customers). Read more

Paper’s pride probed for ad featuring supplement-soliciting AV actress

Determining that an ad in a recent edition of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper was a tad over the top — given the appearance of a popular adult video (AV) actress — weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun (Apr. 22) defends its typically titillating turf by calling the conservative daily into account for its actions.

Placed on page 25 of the April 2 edition was an advertisement for an “energy-enhancement” supplement. “It builds men’s confidence,” reads the copy. Positioned next to the large headline is a very sexy lady. She is 39-year-old Reiko Shimura, who is given the titles of “exclusive advisor” for Horiki, the name of the medicinal product, and “V-Cinema actress,” which refers to direct-to-video film productions. Read more

December dusting duties descend into delightfully dirty deed

“The guy I’m going with now is such a catch, he’s made me the envy of my friends. If he has one flaw at all, I’d say he’s hopeless at home chores. So I told him I’d go to his place and tidy things up.”

So begins a tasty tale from March issue of women’s soft porn magazine Renai Tengoku, as introduced in Shukan Bunshun (Apr. 22).

“During the last days of December I stayed over at his place so I could help with the oosoji (big year-end cleanup),” she continues. “I put on my apron and began tidying up, but he just stood there doing nothing. Then he sneaked up behind me at the kitchen counter, began running his hands under the apron and murmured to me in a husky voice, ‘Mmmmm, the nape of your neck is incredibly beautiful. . .’ and stuff like that.
Read more

Delinquents, dust-ups and drunken dames — Kabukicho drifts downward

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. Read more

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