Rising Popularity of Tobita Shinchi and it’s Female Workers Coping with Risks and Privacy Threats

Tobita Shinchi is one of Japan’s largest entertainment areas that still remains in Osaka. Even today, many customers visit Tobita Shinchi.

 

Now, a major change is taking place in Tobita Shinchi. The two major changes that are occurring right now are the transformation into a tourist destination due to the spread of SNS and the change in the way of working due to the COVID-19 crisis.

As a result of the coverage of Tobita Shinchi on SNS by many YouTubers and influencers, the area has become a tourist spot for young people, and the number of people who do not play but only take pictures or try to steal photos has increased, making it difficult for stores to deal with them.

In addition, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, there is no end to the number of cases of direct pulls, in which people deal directly with customers without going through the store.

Ms. K, 27, who worked in Tobita Shinchi for about three years, spoke to us about the reality of Tobita-shinchi, which is undergoing such major changes, based on his own experience.

“I started working at Tobita Shinchi when I was 24 years old. I was introduced to the area by an acquaintance who was a scout, and I started working on Seishun Dori.”

Tobita Shinchi has streets called Seishun Dori, Main Dori, Yokai Dori, and Nenkin Dori, and the places where one can work are roughly determined according to age. Generally, people in their early 20s work on Seishun Dori, people in their late 20s work on Main Dori, people in their 30s work on Yokai Dori, and people in their 40s and older work on Nenkin Dori.

Ms. K worked on Seishun Dori; she thought that since she was 24 years old, she would be working on Main Dori, but since she looked younger than his actual age, she ended up working on Seishun Dori.

The system in Tobita Shinchi is to sit in a position visible from outside the store, wave to the customers and move with them to a room upstairs. The fee depends on the store, but it is around 20,000 yen for 30 minutes.

The split is half for the woman actually working, half for the store, and 1,000 yen for the lady who is calling out for the customers.