The hotel, a combination of wood and steel-reinforced concrete, was constructed back in the 1960s. But Nikkan Gendai (May 16) warns readers that a similar fate might await anyone who frequents a love hotel that fails to meet basic safety standards.

The fire is believed to have started in the area of the hotel’s front desk and office, possibly due to a short circuit of the electrical devices in use. But the tabloid reveals that despite the standard practice that calls for twice-yearly inspections, Hotel Prince had last undergone an inspection by the local fire department in September 2003, i.e., nine years had gone by since its last safety check.

The negligence was attributed to the lack of officials available to perform safety checks.

Records of the previous check in 2003, moreover, showed that inspectors had pointed out to the hotel’s operator that the building did not comply with standards for fire safety equipment. Nor is there evidence that the operator made any improvements. In other words, the Prince was an accident waiting to happen.

“The first thing to look for is the safety of the fire escape stairway,” says Takamasa Wada, a fire rescue worker who provides advise regarding disaster risk management. “If objects are piled up on the stairway landings, people won’t be able to flee. That was the situation in that building in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho in 2001, when 44 customers died.”

Wada adds that it’s always safer when the fire escape is attached to the outside of the building. He also advises people who utilize such facilities take rooms on the 1st or 2nd floors.

“In a worst-case scenario, if you jump out the window there’s less chance of a major injury,” he says.

One factor compounding the Hotel Prince tragedy was the hotel’s location on a back street with few pedestrians. By the time a passing taxi spotted smoke and flames shooting from the building and called for assistance it was too late. So it’s also important to pick a love hotel that is not too isolated from the view of passers-by.

“Look for places with emergency ladders in the rooms, a map on the wall indicating what to do in the case of fire, and at least two emergency exits,” Wada also advises.

A final word: If you happen to be in one of these hotels when a fire breaks out, don’t count of help from a sprinkler system.

“In this country, there’s not one love hotel equipped with a sprinkler system,” asserts an unnamed source in the fire department. (K.S.)

Source: “Kekkan rabuhoteru no miwake-kata,” Nikkan Gendai (May 16, page 7)

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.

On February 12, emergency services arrived at bar Sora in Osaka’s Minami area of Chuo Ward to find a third-year high school student lying face up on the floor. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was later determined to be acute alcohol poisoning. The 27-year-old manager was taken into custody initially for violating the Food Sanitation Act and later for allowing a minor to work after 10 p.m., which is prohibited under the Labor Standards Act.

Sora is a variation of a hostess club termed a “girl’s bar,” which are clubs legally registered as after-hours, eating-and-drinking establishments. The clubs are, in fact, more or less hostess clubs in disguise.

“In the Minami area there are a lot of these types of illegal joints,” says a local restaurant employee. Osaka prefectural cops have busted seven girl’s bars so far this year.

“On March 19 and 22, multiple clubs in the Minami and Umeda entertainment areas were raided by 30 investigators,” said a representative from the Osaka prefectural police. “Going forward, the crackdown will be enforced continuously.”

The girl’s bar, which was born in Osaka up to eight years ago, aims to replicate a hostess club experience. The concept has proved popular and expanded into many entertainment areas of Japan, sometimes as one of a few specialty genres, including restaurant izakayas and bars staffed by AV actresses and pin-up models.

“The basis of the system is that the girls are bartenders behind the counter serving the customers,” says a fuzoku shop employee. “At a regular club or lounge that is not the case. Casual, enjoyable conversation with a cute, young girl is the sales point, and because the girl’s bars are reasonably priced relative to a hostess club they’ve spread like wildfire.”

Another reason for the popularity is exploitation of a legal loophole. With female staff members positioned behind the counter, opposite the customers, as opposed to positioned side by side, such as in a hostess club setting, the establishment can pass itself off as a regular bar and not be subject to the strict Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.

The popularity has brought trouble.

“In order to keep costs low, young girls who will work for low wages are being hired,” says a source in the industry, “and as an extreme sales point, the customers are allowed to touch the female staff members. The existence of shops ripping off customers with high fees is another problem.”

The trend is not limited to Osaka. In February, police raided the two outlets of the chain Pippi, located in Tokyo’s Roppongi and Kabukicho entertainment areas, for allowing female staff members to sit and serve at the same table as customers. The clubs were staffed by adult video (AV) actresses and pin-up models.

Tabloids ran stories about Pippi before the bust. “The articles were saying that the girls would sit next to the customers as a part of the service,” says a Roppongi restaurant manager. “With those rumors floating around, the cops heard about it and made the busts.”

Yet the illegal clubs are continuing to operate in spite of the actions of law enforcement. In order to overcome the current situation, “the police must begin a concentrated effort,” says the same manager.