The TMD’s Community Safety Special Investigation Unit took Yuki Matsuoka, 28, the manager of Bar Encounter, located in Toshima Ward, into custody for lacking a business license in accordance with the nationwide adult-entertainment law. “This is not an unauthorized operation. I was busy in getting the proper approval,” he is quoted by officers.

According to officers working on the investigation, Matsuoka was previously employed as a host at a bar that was shut down. In August, 2009, he opened Bar Encounter, which has since taken in approximately 100 million yen in revenue. It employed approximately 12 hosts, whose work tasks typically include chatting with women and pouring their drinks.

According to Fuji News Network, officers entered the premises at around 2:00 a.m. on October 14 and found two hosts entertaining a pair women, aged 20 and 24.

Matsuoka had been promoting his operation as a “boy’s bar” in an attempt to present the establishment as an ordinary eating and drinking operation not subject to adult-entertainment regulations.

At around 3:35 a.m. on Sep. 1, a 25-year-old host — that is, a male club entertainer — was stabbed in the chest and back with a stationery knife by a hostess employed at a sex-related club, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

The 27-year-old, a resident of Kawasaki City, was arrested for attempted murder. “I could see on his phone that he was communicating with other women, so I panicked, and then stabbed him,” she is quoted as saying by police.

The suspect was taken into custody after a separate woman called the hotel’s front desk and the police were alerted.

“At first I went to play with friends during the daytime,” says tells the weekly tabloid. “It was like an expensive lunch. But since I was being pampered by guys dolled up in the Johnny’s theme” — referring to the popular talent agency Johnny’s Jimusho — “I became addicted.”

She continued the visits during the daytime, when her husband and children (one in elementary school, the other in high school) were outside the house. In one month, she would spend around 600,000 yen a month.

“I started using savings and money for the children’s education,” she continues. “I then borrowed 3 million yen from consumer finance companies. At first I was able to keep going by covering it with my husband’s bonus. However, last year’s new legal regulations have prevented me from borrowing further. I was stuck.”

Thus far, she has only been able to pay the interest on the loans. The principal remains outstanding.

“I don’t talk to my husband about the debts,” she says. “The reason of course is that it’s embarrassing. Plus, I know that a part-time job won’t help much.”

The only choice left, she figured, was to work during the daytime at a fuzoku joint, which is a sex business.

“Of course, there was an internal conflict within myself about this,” she continues. “But I started working last year during the summer on a part-time basis. At present, I can repay between 10,000 yen and 25,000 yen four times each month.”

Her oldest son still has one year to go before entering university.

“By then I need to repay all of my debt,” she says, “as well as that which I took from the savings designated for his education and our savings…”

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 who 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.

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.

“Those rip-off joints in Osaka scrutinize their targets beforehand,” says the owner of a near where Kuroda’s altercation took place. “There’s a possibility that the bar was assuming Kuroda could afford a certain level of tab just because he is a popular comedian. There have been an increasing number of bottakuri cases here in the Minami area.”

There are about 100 “girl’s bars” in Minami. Their sales reps solicit pedestrians with coupons that can be used inside. Cases involving fraud, however, are gaining attention. The local chamber of commerce has sent out a warning and the Osaka prefectural police has said it will take necessary measures, including legal penalties for violations, where applicable.

“With the recession, there are so many vacancies in buildings,” explains one owner, who used to operate 4 to 5 girl’s bars in Minami and claims to have earned about 10 million yen per location via fraud. “You can simply move in since most of the infrastructure is still intact from the previous owner. With no guarantee money required, you can rent a place for about 150,000 yen a month. There are many former hosts and those who used to work in that line of business who are starting up operations.”

With a revised law prohibiting solicitation of customers on the streets and imposing a closing curfew of 1 a.m. on host clubs, these new owners are recruiting gals to open girl’s bars and start bottakuri businesses.

In contrast to expensive hostess clubs, initial per client outlays are around 5,000 yen. The rip off, however, doesn’t come via, say, a 10,000-yen beer. “What they will do is a petit rip-off, or puchi-botta,” says the same owner. “Unlike kyabakura, customers do order drinks, so it’s easier to manipulate the pricing. Girls get 30 percent of what a customer pays on a commission basis. So even quiet girls become aggressive in engaging in bottakuri because they think it’s acceptable to rip a guy off for 10,000 or 20,000 yen.”

The main way to execute a bottakuri is via the size of the beverage container, where different sized glasses have different prices, maybe between 500 and 3,000 yen. Another girl’s bar operator tells Spa!, “Not knowing these price levels, drunk customers let the girls order the drinks, assuming that he will get changed for around 10,000 yen only to discover a final bill of 40,000 yen.”

Maid cafes, too, are getting in on the act. A 28-year-old gentleman was wooed by this opening line uttered by a female Minami street solicitor: “You are very handsome, please come to our place.” Upon entry, he was surrounded by three ladies. “They gave me a shoulder massage and then danced when the music went on,” he relates. “Even though they asked permission beforehand, I became bit suspicious as they were overly accommodating. Then the bill came to a whopping 15,000 yen for 30 minutes. The conversation with the maids was priced by the minute and both the massage and dancing were options. In the end, I regret that I didn’t check the pricing more carefully.”

Tokyo’s Kabukicho entertainment district is also seeing similar bottakuri scenes unfold, “but last February’s death of a customer, who had been slipped a mickey, has reduced substantial activities and things have shifted to puchi-botta,” says a karaoke pub owner.

The types of rip offs are varied and include overly priced pub snacks, the application of incremental fees at each step of a sexual service that culminates in intercourse and an additional charge for providing said intercourse in the first place — something of a forced gratuity.

“Small places cost you 70,000 to 80,000 yen to rent,” says an unnamed owner. “With that kind of small investment, you can start up a bottakuri and leave after six months. If you steal a client’s credit card, you will have probably have to deal with a specialized section of the police that deals with organized crimes. However, just taking some cash from the wallets of customers may not result in too many complaints if the bar operates only for a short period of time. In the long run, you can make a profit.”

A police source says, “To raid a bottakuri place, the key thing is the collection of enough complaints. Most people, however, don’t file claims, thus it is hard for us to make a bust.” (K.N.)

Source: “Fukkatsu ‘bottakuri baa’ ga oh-abare,” Spa! (Jan. 26, pages )

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.

Saitama Prefectural Police have learned that the 34-year-old was probably supporting a male acquaintance, aged in his 30s and employed at a host club in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward. “He is the most important person in the investigation,” says a source close the investigation. “He is not showing up to work now. And he might be the reason for Kijima’s crimes. The money she got from these guys was used to feed and take care of him.”

The same documents indicate that police are presently building cases for murder around the suspicious deaths of six men, many of whom gave Kijima sizable sums of money. Thus far, Kijima has been arrested four times for defrauding multiple other men, in their 40s and 50s and residing in various prefectures across the Kanto region, out of a total of 7.7 million yen after posing as a prospective marriage partner. (That figure is an update by Shukan Asahi over previous reports.) The most recent arrest occurred on November 18.

The body of Yoshiyuki Oide, a 41-year-old company employee from Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, and a charcoal burner, a common tool used for committing suicide, was discovered inside a rented car in Fujimi, Saitama Prefecture on August 6. Investigators found that he was defrauded by Kijima for 5 million yen. An autopsy revealed that he had died of carbon-monoxide poisoning and that his body contained the remains of sleeping pills. Kijima was seen with him the day before his corpse was located.

Kenzo Ando, an 80-year-old invalid from Noda, Chiba Prefecture, died on May 15 in a house fire. Kijima had withdrawn money from his account and served as his nurse. She was seen at the residence the day before the incident. A charcoal stove was found at the scene and Ando’s system as well contained a sedative.

Two other men linked to the suspected “black widow” are also known to have died in a suspicious manner. Police have withheld information on two additional cases for which Kijima is being investigated.

Police have scoured business cards, emails and bank transaction records connected to Kijima. Investigators noticed a large gap between her expenditures and the income she received from the men whom she allegedly deceived. It is known that she collected a total of roughly 100 million yen, but only used between 10 and 20 million yen to purchase an imported car and other items.

Police found evidence that the Shinjuku host was providing instructions to the suspect via email. “Based on emails, this guy appears to have an intimate or close relationship with Kijima,” says the same source. “These emails include him teaching her how to use charcoal. The way they were written, it could be considered as advice for making murder seem like suicide. In exchange for the money he forced her to collect, he might have also been a good listener for dealing with issues related to those guys she trapped.”

The source adds that such deception is the nature of the host business — one in which women are known to run up bills amounting to hundreds of thousands of yen in one evening. “I am sure that as with with most host clubs what matters is sales,” the source comments. “The color of the money and how you got it doesn’t matter in the end.”

The same documents also indicate that Kijima had a regular boyfriend, who is referred to only as “S-san.” She is said to have regularly accompanied the man, in his 40s, on fishing trips to Fukushima Prefecture.

Shukan Asahi then visits the host club in Shinjuku. When asked about whether Kijima frequented the club, one veteran host quickly responds: “Although people are saying she’s been here, she has not.”

A representative within the club’s public relations department adds: “I haven’t heard a thing about her coming here.”

In the end, was it for money? For sex? Shukan Asahi wonders what information will surface next. (K.N.)

Source: “‘Konkatsu’ onna sagishi ni ‘rentanshi’ wo shinan shita host ga ita!” Shukan Asahi (Dec. 11, pages 124-125)

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.

But, reports Shukan Shincho (Oct. 8), that doesn’t necessarily mean Tokyo’s largest adult entertainment zone has fallen victim to the recession. New businesses are springing up, appealing to consumers with super-low prices.

One such example is the Shateki Oh (King of the Marksmen) in Kabukicho 1-chome, which has been thriving since it opened last April. As the name implies, the shop is a quirky type of shooting gallery, similar to the tacky types often found in rural hot springs resorts. This one seems to be attracting sightseers on group tours to Tokyo.

Its manager says the shop gets about 100 customers a day on weekdays, and about 150 on weekends and holidays.

“Most of the business is in the evening,” he says. “A lot of the customers are men who come together with bar hostesses.”

Mizuna, a 24-hour bento shop located along a street lined with host clubs and love hotels, has been doing a land rush business in boxed meals, which it sells for a uniform price of 300 yen each.

“When we first opened, we sold items at various prices,” the owner tells Shukan Shincho. “But there are lots of restaurants in this area so our sales were sporadic. Then last April we hit on the idea of selling everything for 300 yen.”

Whatever the reason, that did the trick. Now the shop moves about 1,000 meals a day.

“We’ll get orders for 10 or 20 at a time from host clubs or people in the water trade,” he says. “But our profit is only about 10 to 20 yen per meal. Most of what we make goes to the 400,000 yen for the monthly rent and personnel costs. But still, nothing will happen if we just sit on our hands.”

Yes, Kabukicho is that kind of place, full of resolute entrepreneurial spirit and unconventional ideas. (K.S.)

Source: “‘Makku’ heiten de samagawari Shinjuku Kabukicho ‘shinmeibutsu,’” Shukan Shincho (Oct. 8, page 132)

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.

Hard-hit by Japan’s recession, various business and long-term building owners of the area, located in the city’s Aoba Ward, came together last month to form the “Kokubuncho Development Project.” The aim of the organization is to enhance the brand of the city — whose over 3,000 bars, restaurants and sex clubs have shared a style similar to that found in Tokyo’s Shimbashi and Ginza districts.

The first step was to come together as a group. Last month’s meeting consisted of approximately thirty men and women of varied ages, backgrounds and professions.

“How can we bring more customers to the town?” asks Masamitsu Arakawa, who owns a real estate agency and acts as the main organizer. “Well, to boost revenue we will have to rely on the overall capability of our group.”

Previously, the effort had been broken into six smaller communities delineated by Kokubuncho’s streets. A restaurant owner confesses: “I was only concerned about making a profit on my own before. This was the prevalent thinking in Kokubuncho. From now on it is not at the individual store level, but we have to promote the whole town.”

Indeed, a crisis is at hand. An owner of a shop specializing in the fuzoku (sex) trade says: “For the past five years we have been losing a substantial number of customers. We are now on the verge of either remaining Tohoku’s number one entertainment area or downgrading ourselves to one of those eating-and-drinking towns in the suburbs.”

For direction, Kokubuncho turned to Kabukicho’s “master,” Masaru Jo, director of the Kabukicho Shopping Center Promotion Association. Jo made a name for himself by participating in the redevelopment of Kabukicho, which meant reshaping its image by ensuring safety and cleanliness and promoting proper conduct by the area’s denizens — even encouraging oft-maligned hosts to show a more civic side by picking up trash from the streets.

“Management of a town must be carried out by those who are active within that town,” he says.

Yet at first Kokubuncho organizers were suspicious, wondering if the methods utilized in a much larger area like Kabukicho would be suitable. “However, the approach that Kabukicho used deeply astonished us,” Arakawa explains. “We started to think that the townspeople really do need to have a strong will and create a proper environment for business to thrive.”

From June, evening patrols in Kokubuncho began. Targets included illegally parked bicycles and lines of waiting taxis, with the reason being that a fatal problem in any entertainment district is a lack of secure space for pedestrians. Overall, 100 people, including hostesses, participated in this action.

Upcoming challenges include appealing to tourists. A guide map highlighting eating and drinking places is in the works and a push is underway to have the city of Sendai list the name “Kokubuncho” on bus stops near the area.

Jo sees these initial moves as being a huge step. “Through continued marketing it is crucial to share information based on analysis of just what the customer wants,” he says. “Most important of all, I do not want the town to forget the meaning of hospitality.” (K.N.)

Hosts look for clients near Ichiban-gai in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district

(Photo by The Tokyo Reporter, November 2007)