Overtourism Affecting Kyoto’s Adult Entertainment Establishments
Currently, in Kyoto City, due to the surge in inbound tourism, there are situations threatening residents’ lives such as “not being able to board buses,” “serious noise and garbage problems,” “tourists entering private roads and peering into private lives,” and “markets crowded with foreigners, making daily shopping difficult.” The nuisance behavior of foreign tourists obsessively chasing after photos of beautifully dressed maiko and geiko in the Gion area, known as the “maiko and geiko paparazzi problem,” has also been a topic of news. Kyoto City, suffering from such overtourism or tourism pollution, faces the question of how local establishments are responding to the increase in inbound tourism. When we covered the situation in mid-July, we heard various voices from the people involved.
“Foreigners also come. (Health establishments) everywhere are accepting inbound tourists. White people, Chinese people. There are almost no troubles. Everyone can speak a little Japanese. Some speak fluently. In some countries, full service is the norm, so we explain (the system) at first and guide them after they understand. Some girls are happy about it. It’s educational for them. But, there are also girls who are not okay with foreigners.”
The person speaking is a man who was soliciting customers for a health establishment in Kiyamachi. According to him, Japanese customers who come in drunk and rowdy around 11 p.m. are more troublesome, while there are not many issues with foreigners. By the way, since foreigners are enjoying the benefits of the weak yen, do they all opt for long courses?
“Not really. It varies. Short courses are more common, like 30 minutes. They come to experience what it’s like.”
Further, when talking to other solicitors from different establishments, I was told, “Foreigners also come. Chinese, Koreans, Americans. Black people, Southeast Asians, people from the Middle East. They enjoy themselves without any problems.”
Establishment-type sex businesses are all accepting inbound tourists, and it seems that foreigners are behaving well. Some even have English signs such as “Escort service” and “Welcome” displayed at their entrances. Continuing, we looked into how nightlife businesses are handling inbound tourism.
“(There are) foreign customers. Chinese, Koreans, white people. Sometimes women come too, saying they want to drink at a Japanese cabaret club.” (A cabaret club solicitor in Kiyamachi)
When asked if it is a problem of “overtourism,” the response was, “It is not.” Instead, the sentiment was, “We actually want more customers; having too many customers is not a problem.” I also spoke with other solicitors.
“English signs? We don’t have them. (Our establishment) already has an English name. Some foreigners mistake an oppa-b (Korean-style pub) for a strip bar. They don’t seem to understand the difference.” (Solicitor for an oppa-b in Kiyamachi)
“We don’t accept foreigners. You see, there’s a language barrier. It’s hard for the girls to keep smiling for an hour straight. They don’t seem to understand time-based systems.” (Solicitor for a cabaret club in Kiyamachi)
“We don’t allow foreigners. There’s no way to have a proper back-and-forth conversation. The increase in inbound tourism doesn’t matter. Foreigners spend their money on hotels, souvenir shops, and izakayas. They go to bars otherwise.” (Solicitor for an oppa-b in Gion)
Based on what I heard, while foreign tourists are flooding the tourist areas in Kyoto City, it seems that overtourism is not occurring in the entertainment districts. Although the issue is whether there are women available to handle the foreign customers, there appears to be a strong desire to accept more foreigners and benefit from the increase in inbound tourism if possible.
On the other hand, nightlife establishments generally do not seem to have high expectations for inbound tourism. In cabaret clubs, there are no special prices just for foreigners. Many oppa-b (Korean-style pubs) do not accept foreigners. However, we heard from solicitors at cabaret clubs that “If foreigners can speak Japanese, they are allowed into the establishment,” and “If the number of foreign customers increases, they would like to switch to a ‘cash on’ system (paying for each drink when it arrives at the table or paying at the time of ordering) instead of a post-payment system.”
On the sidewalks of Shijo Street at night, women in cute costumes from girls’ bars were soliciting customers. It was striking to see the foreign men being invited into the establishments with shy smiles.
In the paid version of ‘FRIDAY GOLD,’ Mr. Ikoma provides a thorough guide to the reality of sex establishments accepting inbound tourists, as well as the characteristics of Kyoto’s sex industry and major establishments.
