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.

Moritoshi Kurita, 33, employed as a deputy manager in the accounting section at industrial rubber firm Shibata, allegedly utilized his office computer on 55 occasions between April 2009 and July 2010 to transfer 230 million yen to his personal account. All told, he is accused of defrauding the company out of 530 million yen, of which roughly 500 million was sent to a hostess living in Katsuchika Ward.

“She fell ill and surgery was necessary,” Kurita is quoted by police.

Of course, Nikkan Gendai knows a ruse when it sees one. The tabloid’s trusty smut journalist Yukio Murakami is a bit surprised at the tactics used by the wily woman, saying that the claim that she requires surgery necessitates decent acting on her part. “Typically, the gal will say that she is being raised by a single mother, and her mother must undergo chemotherapy treatments,” the journalist says. “The treatment will run three million yen, and a lady will be recruited on the Internet to play the role of the mother.”

Murakami adds that marriage will already have been discussed so it will be impossible for the victim to abandon her. “After receiving the first payment,” he continues, “the condition will later resurface, and a second treatment will be needed to strengthen her immune system. A trip to an overseas hospital might also be an option.”

Nikkan Gendai then goes on to list the types of frauds typically pulled by hostesses.

A “pet fraud” will involve the girl’s dog, which is said to be entering a contest. If successful, the hostess can then drop the night gig and become a professional dog breeder. Of course, the judge will first need to be bribed (one million yen). Various other fees for preparation in the new career might then run between 500,000 yen and one million yen.

Seeking funds for plastic surgery procedures is another common scam. “I want to have sex with you and I therefore must look beautiful,” the hostess might tell her customer. Funds for eyelid work (300,000 yen), breast enhancement (700,000 yen), and underarm hair removal (500,000 yen) will then be needed. Afterwards, while the victim might notice a slight change in her appearance, the upgrades will be due to the use of such common items as a push-up bra and regular shaving razor.

Targets can vary. A gal might seek a guy looking for a sugar mama, and will tell him that if he assists with tuition for nursing school she will be able to take care of him later on. (The tabloid compares this approach to that of convicted “black widow” Kanae Kijima.) In the end, though, he will be taken for one million yen and the hostess will disappear from the club. (K.N.)

「キャバクラ嬢に約5億円」元経理係長の男を逮捕

Source: “Kyabajo no sagi teguchi” Nikkan Gendai (Apr. 14, 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.

His undoing came on the evening of March 11, when he bared his procreative equipment to a 16-year-old high-school girl at an apartment building in Musashino City.

“Tsukada, while dressed up in a middie blouse resembling a high school girl’s uniform, boarded the elevator in the apartment while the teenaged girl was already in the elevator,” a police source relates to Nikkan Gendai (Apr. 10). “He pressed a button for a floor lower than the girl’s destination, and after disembarking from the elevator turned to her and said ‘Mite kudasai!‘ (Please take a look), and then pulled up his skirt, revealing his genitals.

“The girl, predictably, reacted with shock, and Tsukada fled the scene. He was not wearing any underwear and had on a woman’s wig.”

Tsukada was apprehended near JR Musashi Sakai station and under questioning confessed to having made similar transgressions in west Tokyo suburbs from October of last year.

“There seem to be two types of cross-dressers,” Meiji University lecturer Osamu Seki tells the tabloid. “One is the pattern by which they affect female clothing and behavior to appeal to gay men. The other would be men who wish to flee from reality. Tsukada would be of the latter type. I often hear about men who claim that wearing women’s garments help them relax, by relieving them from constricted feelings from wearing a uniform or business suit. Often such males don’t have a satisfactory sex life, and they compensate by flashing.

“By dressing up as a female and exposing himself, I would imagine the subject got twice the thrill,” said Seki, who added, “By using polite Japanese when saying ‘Look at me,’ Tsukada shows he is a straightforward person at heart. He would be the type of cop who couldn’t bring himself to patronize a sex shop. His walking around in public close to where he committed his crime may indicate he had a latent desire to be apprehended.” (K.S.)

Source: “Joso otoko, naze chin dashi ni hashiru no ka,” Nikkan Gendai (April 10, page 5)

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 Nikkan Gendai (Mar. 20) reports that a police count of hot rodders in Tokyo found only 119 — a miniscule fraction from the peak in 1980, when 5,379 leather-clad born-to-be-wild ones cruised the boulevards.

What’s the reason for this drastic decline? For one thing, the prolonged recession has eaten into wages, so young guys just don’t have the cash to customize their cars and motorcycles, let alone purchase vehicles outright.

What’s more, Japan’s young people are changing.

“Delinquents these days detest superior-inferior relationships and disdain group activities,” explains a source at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. “Even though they are bad, they don’t like to hang out with others of their kind. Belonging to hot rodders or groups of toughs is seen as old hat. I think in the future we’re no longer likely to see new ‘tribes’ emerge.”

Nikkan Gendai points out, however, that these developments do not necessarily suggest that delinquency is dead. We’re in an era where parents don’t have any money, and one in which even university grads are having trouble finding work.

“In the past, young guys who were rudderless could always find work as scaffolding laborers or as pipefitter’s helpers, and so on, but now the construction industry is hurting badly as well,” says the aforementioned police source. “So now some of these guys gravitate to host clubs or other jobs in the sex industry. There’s nothing left for them to do but join up with fellow birds of a feather and start doing sleazy pyramid sales or attempt to con the elderly with ‘It’s me, send money’ scams.

“Since they don’t join groups but operate as lone wolves, it’s harder for us to track them down. It also makes more sense for yakuza to use guys like these as their subcontractors.”

Before young toughs were merely “rebels without a cause” who wanted to let off steam, notes the tabloid. Now that things have changed, they’re out to turn a profit from illegal endeavors. (K.S.)

Source: “Zetsumetsu sunzen, kieta bosozoku no yukue” Nikkan Gendai (Mar. 20, page 5)

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 as Nikkan Gendai (Mar. 13) reports, young staff members may see things differently.

“Several weeks after they’re transferred, they may say to themselves, ‘I can’t stand this new posting’ and stop coming to to work,” says labor expert and author Yukiko Takita. “Recently some young workers have tried to wreak vengeance against the boss who they feel was responsible for their transfer.”

Take Ms. A., age 26, who worked for a systems engineering firm. Infuriated because she was shunted off to a subsidiary, she emailed every person in the company that she’d been engaged in an extramarital affair with her former boss.

She then resigned and headed for school in the United States “to boost her career opportunities.”

What complicates the story is that the boss targeted by A’s scurrilous accusations had not actually bedded her. Rather, he was collateral damage when she blew herself up, in an act of “self-destructive terrorism.”

Then there’s the story of Ms. C., who, after her transfer, began issuing a stream of Twitter messages, under a pseudonym, cursing her former boss. Actually the messages were unclear as to the target, but they set off all sorts of office rumors. Until the former boss was confidentially informed by a colleague of Ms. C., he had no idea it was he who was being mentioned.

“When an employee is transferred, it’s essential to communicate with him or her in a direct manner,” says Takita. “Even then, there may be no way of avoiding hurting the sensibilities of a young worker. As long as the company regulations and labor laws are followed, the worker’s superior should be blameless. If he’s targeted by some irrational act of payback, he should consider taking retaliatory legal measures.”

The other day, Nikkan Gendai’s writer rented the DVD of the 2011 American movie “Horrible Bosses,” about three friends who plot the respective murders of their overbearing, abusive bosses.

“It was intended as a black comedy, but I didn’t find it funny at all,” he writes. (K.S.)

Source: “Tobashita buka no hofuku ga kowai!” Nikkan Gendai (Mar. 13, page 11)

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 after taking the Best Actress title at this year’s Sky PerfecTV! Adult Broadcasting Awards, this girl’s all grown up now. At the ceremony, held inside a hotel ballroom in Tokyo’s Shinagawa district on Valentine’s Day, the 22-year-old, representing channel Perfect Choice, said the achievement would not have been possible without fellow porn actress Rio, who won the same award in 2008.

“I made my debut three years ago on account of her,” said Naruse, attired in an aqua-blue dress and her face in tears while holding the wedge-shaped statue. “I remember seeing her on the stage. She was my inspiration. I am so very happy. I really want to thank my fans who supported me.”

The annual event, in its eighth year, is a mishmash of awards, whose winners were determined by online votes from fans, and short performances to showcase the top stars appearing on the approximately 10,000 programs broadcast last year on the more than 20 adult channels on the Sky PerfecTV! satellite network.

Nominees for the Best Actress award at the Sky PerfecTV! Adult Broadcasting Awards 2011 that took place on February 14 at a hotel ballroom in Tokyo's Shinagawa district.

Maki Hojo, winner of the Best Mature Actress award, thanked the audience for the many messages of encouragement she had received. “As an actress, if I can make people feel good mentally, I will continue to strive to make the best films I can,” said the 33-year-old, who typically takes housewife roles.

Kana Yume, 19, was easily the most emotional recipient. After taking the Best New Actress prize, she said she was determined not to cry, a vow that ended in failure very quickly. A member of the 800-strong crowd then offered encouragement: “Ganbare!”

“I made my debut in November and was nominated three months later,” she said. “Over that time I worked so hard, and now that I’ve received this award I want to express my thanks to my fans.”

Shiori Kamisaki took the Best Film award for her role in a feature within the ongoing “Goddess” collection by label Million. The 21-year-old became the first actress in over two years to get her start in the elite series.

“I had no knowledge of the AV world before the shooting started. I didn’t receive the script. I was told to just do it,” said Kamisaki, who followed through with aplomb — multiple times in fact, according to the cover of the DVD.

Though these proceedings may sound like fun and games, the business itself may be at a something of a crossroads. According to information from market research firm Teikoku Databank, former industry leader CA (also known as Outvision) has seen annual sales drop from 32.4 billion yen to less than half that figure between 2008 and 2011, with rival company Soft on Demand taking the top spot in spite of experiencing flat sales of around 15 billion over that same period.

Marinka Kiriya (front) performs before Reina Konishi and Azusa Kato at the Sky PerfecTV! Adult Broadcasting Awards 2011 that took place on February 14 at a hotel ballroom in Tokyo's Shinagawa district.

Kenchiro Suzuki, international sales manager at broadcaster Paradise TV, indicated that competition from the Internet is hurting sales. Further tapping into the international might be an option to boost revenue, he said, but Japanese laws requiring that genitalia be censored make productions more difficult to sell overseas. “We also need to adapt to the cultural sensitivities of the various countries around the world,” he said. “It’s not a simple situation.”

Another possibility is to replicate the strategy of label Alice Japan, which signed popular stripper and pin-up bombshell Minako Komukai. Her debut AV feature last year shipped 200,000 units — an astounding figure given that industry insiders consider sales of around 10,000 copies to represent hit status.

The February 21 edition of evening tabloid Yukan Fuji said that the business is being influenced by the “Minako Komukai effect,” in which labels are seeking big-name talent from other areas of entertainment to make AV appearances. The paper used a rumored offer of 100 million yen sent to conventional film actress Saki Takaoka, as first reported in tabloid Tokyo Sports (February 7) on page one, to support its claim.

Paradise TV for its part is experimenting with promoting the group Marshmallow 3D, an erotic pop combo that released its second single (“Marshmallow Fight”) in January. As a part of the ceremony’s conclusion, the trio, which collectively missed out in the Best New Actress balloting, hit the stage for a short musical performance. A skit featuring actresses Marinka Kiriya, Reina Konishi, and Azusa Kato rounded out the non-award performances.

Winners at the Sky PerfecTV! Adult Broadcasting Awards 2011 that took place on February 14 at a hotel ballroom in Tokyo's Shinagawa district.

But the real star of the night was Naruse, who also walked away with a media award sponsored by tabloid Nikkan Gendai. Also winning media prizes were Nozomi Hazuki (Yukan Fuji), Chika Eiro (Saizo), Tsukasa Aoi (Flash), and Satsuki Kirioka (Livedoor).

Naruse posted a photo of both trophies resting on her thighs later that night on her popular Twitter account. “I want all actresses to hold onto their dreams,” she wrote the next day. “Dreams come true, and I glad to have the proof!”

So do the fans. The actresses tossed rolled-up panties to the audience to close the festivities.

Note: This report originally appeared in the February 26 issue of the Japan Times.

On February 24, officers took managers Yuji Isa, 51, and Hiroaki Kato, 30, and two other employees of club Pippi, located in the Roppongi and Shinjuku entertainment areas, into custody for allowing female staff members to sit and serve at the same table as customers — a violation of the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.

Pippi is a variation of a hostess club termed a “girl’s bar,” which are clubs legally registered as eating-and-drinking establishments that under the adult-entertainment law are not allowed to offer personal one-on-one companionship.

Pin-up models Asami Tada, 23, and Rio Natsume, 27, served as founders of the Roppongi branch, which opened last September and has netted revenues of 15 million yen. The Shinjuku outlet opened in August and has amassed 24 million yen in revenue.

“At the time of the raid, the Roppongi club was having a special ‘pin-up idol day,’” said a person affiliated with the investigation. “Four of the 10 gals in the club were idols. At the Shinjuku branch, a similar event was being held for AV actresses, who numbered five of the 13 girls present.”

Nikkan Gendai notes that in addition to the aforementioned idols Mai Koide is a staff member at the Roppongi branch. The Shinjuku club is staffed by AV actresses Nana Otone and Shoko Akiyama.

According to the operation’s Web site, which has since been taken down, both outlets offered an all-you-can-drink service starting at 5,000 yen for 60 minutes from 11:30 p.m.

AV writer Kazuo Kajiyama says that weak monthly earnings of between three and four million yen per branch forced management to escalate services whereby customers were able to sit next to the hostesses. “Tada, Koide, Otone, and Akiyama do not have real name value,” says the writer. “Natsume, however, does have a degree of popularity, but she had a baby last October. So she hasn’t been able to work. It is natural that things have declined.”

Kajiyama adds that customers are growing weary of girl’s bars and there have been numerous closings as a result. “Clubs offering AV actresses are popular,” he says. “But in the end it got to where the big-breasted actresses were offering glimpses of their nipples to maintain interest.”

グラビアアイドルら接待　六本木で「無許可」営業

Nikkan Gendai (Feb. 25) cites the results of a survey of working married women that appeared in the Feb. 22 issue of the popular women’s magazine Fujin Koron. The survey claims that more than one out of three was engaged in an extramarital affair, which involved romantic romps of two or more times per month.

These figures were juxtaposed with data supplied by MR, a major private investigation service, which came up with similar findings. In a survey of 200 married women who worked, the MR detective service reported that 21.5 percent of the wives it had tracked for clients had engaged in infidelity. Most of these flings involved a co-worker, followed by “my instructor at a training seminar,” “business acquaintance” and “customer at the shop.”

The wives’ main motive for seeking something on the side was dissatisfaction with their spouse, with such complaints as “He comes home from late too late,” or “He never helps with house chores.”

Other hubby shortcomings that justified their extramarital flings included the husband’s selfishness, bad temper and cowardliness. Only three percent complained of his indifference to sex. So, advises Nikkan Gendai, if your wife is working and you don’t want her to stray, then get busy helping her with the house chores. (K.S.)

Source: “Osaka no gaaruzubaa de ga henshi, joshiko fuzoku toraburu saishinban,” Nikkan Gendai (Feb. 25, page 3)

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.

To recap, emergency services arrived at Sora in the afternoon of February 12 to find a third-year high school student lying face up on the floor. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sora, located in Osaka‘s Chuo Ward, is a variation of a hostess club termed a “girl’s bar,” which are clubs legally registered as after-hours, eating-and-drinking establishments so as to avoid more strict regulations under the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.

According to the Osaka prefectural police, the 27-year-old male owner of Sora discovered the girl at around 12:20 p.m., by which time her body had already gone cold. The employee added that she had started her shift at around 11 p.m. the day before and went to sleep after finishing.

Fuzoku writer Yukio Kamimura tells Nikkan Gendai that the situation in Osaka is likely due to a customer knocking out the employee with liquor.

“Male customers in these places are dealing with girls who don’t know how to drink. They’ll throw back drinks in one go,” explains Kamimura. “The girls will get drunk fast and collapse. Customers will often boast on various Internet sites about getting such-and-such girl at such-and-such bar to pass out.”

In addition, the scribe says, incidents involving encounter cafes, in which young women may be escorted off the premises by male customers, and the peddling of “legal herbs” are on the rise.

“Girls taking low-quality herbs will find themselves feeling light-headed and frequently wetting their beds each night,” Kamimura says. “Their speech patterns will also turn towards melancholy. Playing on their ignorance is a way to take advantage of these girls.”

The article says that real problems unfold in clubs in which patrons pay to see women wearing their school uniforms through a two-way mirror at a nozoki heya club. Shrewd customers will take illicit photos and follow the girls home later to confirm the location of their residence and school. The photos will then be displayed on the Web sites, with the girl’s school name listed.

“As to the encounter cafes, the girls will be offered 10,000 yen for being able to watch her masturbate with her panties on while in a karaoke box or other similar establishment,” continues Kamimura. “The guys will then secretly take photos of some of the girls. There have been cases of these shots appearing on the Web as well.” (A.T.)

Source: “Osaka no gaaruzubaa de ga henshi, joshiko fuzoku toraburu saishinban” Nikkan Gendai (Feb. 15, 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.