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

“Before Corona, I would often make sales calls to customers in the waiting room at the back of the store, because if not a single customer came in, I would not get paid. Besides, if the lady at the reception desk didn’t like me, she wouldn’t give me any customers, so I had to make sure I was in a good mood.”

 

Such a way of working changed drastically with the Corona epidemic. Even after the Corona business restrictions were lifted and the business resumed, the number of customers who had left did not immediately return. The restaurants, which found it difficult to pay her wages, suggested that she do a direct pull, also known as a back pull. Jikabiki is also called backdoor pulls, and refers to a situation in which a woman communicates directly with a customer and meets him or her outside of the store, without going through the store.

Direct pulls are considered illegal in the industry because the store loses its share of the customer’s money, and because the customer and the woman are alone, so it is difficult to know what will happen. However, the restaurant had no choice but to make this suggestion since there were no customers coming in. What awaited Ms. K, who had no choice but to start direct sales in order to make ends meet, was a litany of troubles.

“I was a victim once myself,” she said. When I was working at the store, the staff would help me out if I had any problems, but in direct labor, I had to handle things on my own. The other guy choked me, saying it was part of the play. I couldn’t stand this, so I kicked the other guy and ran away.”

They are also more likely to become victims of voyeurism and stalking. Some of her colleagues have even had to quit their jobs because their videos and photos were uploaded to social networking sites, and even the store where they worked was identified.

One of her colleagues quit her job. “I started to check Bakusai (an Internet bulletin board) and SNS more closely. Before Corona, I would only check them occasionally, but since the outbreak of Corona, I’ve been checking them every working day. But I’m really afraid that if I’m exposed, I’ll have to report the person I think is our customer which could result in their ban.”

The only way to find out who is posting what kind of information is to check on an individual basis. The public is cold, and if a woman is involved in an incident, she is almost responsible for her own actions.

While some women successfully advertise themselves on social networking sites, others have their personal information leaked. The day may not be far off when Japan’s entertainment districts will change in order to prevent damage to women.