A shortage of boxes due to the host bubble, prostitution spots with girls who appear to be underage… Kabukicho is becoming more and more chaotic.

This series of articles, which began in January ’22, has successfully reached its first anniversary. During that time, many things have happened in Kabukicho, but what will happen this year?

The “tohyoko kids” who have been actively featured in the series since ’21 are still firmly in existence. In fact, I have the impression that it is becoming more and more of a “place of desire” for young children, and there are not only kids who want to wear mine fashion, but also serious-looking high school girls in school uniforms and young mothers with their children. The age of the children is getting younger, and many of them look like junior high school students. I am concerned that if adults get involved with these girls, incidents such as prostitution may occur even more frequently.

Street prostitution in the vicinity of Okubo Park, known as “kouen,” has been attracting as much or more attention than tohyoko. The area has long been known as a prostitution spot, but perhaps due to the recession caused by the COVID-19 crisis, young, pretty “normal girls” have recently begun to sell their spring clothes, and girls who appear to be underage (in some cases, Toyoko kids are standing in the street) have also been seen. Some men visit the park as tourists, and at times, more than 100 people a day come and go around the park. However, regardless of whether the issue is right or wrong, Kabukicho always attracts more and more people as the topic becomes more and more popular. This year, we can expect to see more and more “koensetsu” (socializing).

Where do these women put the money they earn from “kouen”? Recently, I have heard a lot about men’s underground idols. In order to contribute hundreds of thousands of yen to the sale of goods such as cheki (Japanese checkers), many girls engage in street prostitution or work at illegal JK-refreshers.

Of course, there are also many girls who pay tribute to hosts. The market has expanded due to increased media exposure and the use of social networking services, and a record number of hosts are now selling 100 million yen a year. In fact, at the end of 2010, a host sold 100 million yen in one day.

The host bubble is far from over, and there is even a shortage of “boxes” in which to set up store. The number of host clubs in Kabukicho itself has increased by nearly 40 in the past three years. Host clubs are buying up and renovating locations that once housed cabarets, bars, and restaurants whose sales had been depressed by the COVID-19 crisis, and stores are springing up in areas of Kabukicho where few host clubs existed before.

Another topic of discussion in Kabukicho has been the “overseas dekasegi” of sex workers. Dekasegi has been booming since the middle of 2010, when the Corona measures began to loosen. However, in the U.S., the FBI began to tighten its crackdown, and some of the author’s friends have returned to Japan after being refused entry into the country. The fact that “Japanese women are entering foreign countries to engage in prostitution” is now recognized worldwide.

Recently, not only in the U.S., where regulations have been tightened, but also in Asian countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, dekasegi (migrant workers) have become popular. This is a risky way of earning money, and requires the ability to gather information and a strong spirit.

Looking back, I feel that the Kabukicho market expanded in 2010 with the three pillars of “younger age,” “SNS,” and “globalization. The title of this series has changed from “Reiwa 4” to “Reiwa 5,” but the fact that Kabukicho is a chaotic town will not change in the future.

Sasaki Chihuahua
Born in Tokyo in 2000. After attending an integrated school in Tokyo from elementary school to high school, he went on to Keio University. 15 years old, he has been living in Kabukicho and has a wide range of personal connections. At the university, he is studying the sociology of downtown areas including Kabukicho. Kabukicho Moratorium” (KADOKAWA) is now on sale.

From the January 20/27, 2023 issue of FRIDAY