Cops arrest six for trafficking in Thai women at Gunma hot springs gulag
January 26, 2012
When the springs on the beds at Ikaho spa, near Shibukawa City in Gunma Prefecture, got a little bit too hot, it was the police, not the fire department, that came to the rescue.
Nikkan Gendai (Jan. 25) reports that snack bar operator Kenichi Ando, Matsuba-kai gang member Jiro Sato and four others were arrested on a charge of violation of the Immigration Law and abetting prostitution. Specifically they lured two Thai women to Japan and charged them 5.5 million yen for “travel expenses,” which they were expected to pay back by engaging in the world’s oldest profession.
The two women, ages 32 and 35, were taken into protective custody. Read more
Hostess club manager, gang members arrested in prostitution of Thai females in Gunma
January 23, 2012
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced on Monday the arrest of the manager of a hostess club and two members of the Matsuba-kai organized crime group for the alleged prostitution of Thai females in the Ikaho hot springs area of Gunma Prefecture, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 23). Read more
Ginza blues: Sister, can you spare a hostess?
January 22, 2012
“Tonight we’re having a shinnen-kai (first party of the New Year), and we haven’t got enough gals to go around. Would you mind lending us Rei-chan and Tomo-chan?”
“Tonight is quiet here, so no problem. Tell you what: take three and I’ll send them over.”
The above exchange, relates Shukan Shincho (Jan. 26), took place not long ago between two bar “mamas” while getting their hair done at a beauty salon in Ginza 7-chome. Read more
Fireman unable to pay tab opens extinguishers inside Kabukicho hostess club
December 23, 2011
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced on Thursday the arrest of a fireman from the Komae Fire Station for assault and property damage after he opened three fire extinguishers inside a hostess club in the Kabukicho entertainment district of Shinjuku Ward, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (Dec. 23). Read more
Upper member of Yamaguchi-gumi attacked in 20-man brawl inside Roppongi hostess club
December 14, 2011
TOKYO (TR) – A senior member of the Yamaguchi-gumi criminal syndicate was injured after being assaulted by a large group inside a Tokyo bar early Wednesday morning, reports Fuji News Network (Dec. 14). Read more
Tokyo club managers arrested for employing teenage hostesses
December 9, 2011
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested two foreign managers of a Tokyo club for employing teenage bar hostesses, reports Yukan Fuji (Dec. 8). Read more
Chiba bars staffed with foreign hostesses busted for licensing violations
December 1, 2011
TOKYO (TR) – Police raided three bars staffed by foreign bar hostesses in Chiba Prefecture on Tuesday and took the female proprietors into custoday for improper licensing, reports Fuji News Network (Nov. 30). Read more
Tokyo times: Legislation to limit perusal of Ginza pussy
November 15, 2011
On a typical evening at 1 a.m., the lights in the Ginza club district start to dim, but standing out will be at least one brightly lit pet store, in which a number of dogs and cats can be viewed by passersby, typically bar hostesses and their customers. However, reports weekly tabloid Shukan Post (Nov. 18), these late-night shops will be the subject of new regulations to reduce abuse beginning next year.
On October 31, the Ministry of the Environment announced new guidelines that will ban the exhibition of pet commodities during late hours. Set to start next June, the legislation aims to prohibit the display of cats and dogs after 8 p.m.
In Tokyo, late-night shops are common in the entertainment areas of Ginza, Roppongi, and Shinjuku. Most of their visitors after midnight are hostesses in flashy make-up and outfits who wonder aloud how ownership can be attained.
“I visit here after I’ve dealt with particularly difficult customers or simply felt fatigued,” a 25-year-old hostess tells the tabloid as she locks her eyes on a Chihuahua, priced at 250,000 yen. “By looking at them, I can feel a soothing feeling. I will feel sad if I don’t get to see them.” Read more
Tokyo hostess club busted for employing high school girls
October 25, 2011
TOKYO (TR) – The manager and another employee at a Tokyo hostess club were among those arrested for employing minors, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Oct. 25). Read more
Tokyo trends: Ginza flower girls wilting
October 24, 2011
Wearing jeans and a casual jacket, Tamiko quietly holds three bunches of flowers under the flashing neon lights of Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district. She is one of the last independent flower vendors in this area known for its swank hostess clubs and bars.
“There aren’t that many classy customers who buy flowers anymore,” the 73-year-old tells Shukan Post (Oct. 28).
Tamiko is like a walking encyclopedia for Ginza, having experienced the area’s booms and busts. “There are only three Japanese ladies left selling flowers like this,” she says. “There is also one Korean girl but I haven’t even spoken to her.”
With the other two Japanese ladies not working due to health problems, Shukan Post believes that these flower girls are on the verge of extinction.
Tamiko remembers back to the early days. “In the 1940s, there were 100 girls selling flowers,” she explains. “They would buy flowers from the Shimbashi and Ginza areas and then hit the shops and clubs one by one. It was a really busy time.” Read more
