Underground Explorer Reveals Secrets of Alcohol-Free Izakaya Sales

“Nightlife districts” disappearing across the country.

A single “warning letter” led to the disappearance of a neon-lit district that had thrived for 70 years.

On November 1, 2021, approximately 36 establishments in Kannami Shinchi, a red-light district in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, all shut down simultaneously. This occurred after the representative of the local business association was summoned by the police on the same day and handed a “warning letter” demanding an end to illegal operations. The letter pointed out that, although the businesses in Kannami Shinchi were registered as restaurants, they were in fact providing sexual services through their female employees. While online comments often state that the area was “raided and destroyed,” the truth is that they decided to close down before any official raid occurred. 

Kannami Shinchi was structured with the first floor serving as a counter-only restaurant. During business hours, from evening until midnight, women dressed in revealing mini-skirts or dresses would sit at the entrance. Its predecessor, “Park Street,” was established in the mid-1940s as an illegal red-light district known as a “blue line” and was famous alongside Osaka’s Tobita Shinchi. It had a 70-year history as a “chon-no-ma” district.

However, since November 1st, three years ago, the neon lights of Kannami Shinchi have never been lit again. All of the “chon-no-ma” establishments shut down, and to prevent the resumption of illegal operations, the city decided to purchase the land. As of November 2023, the city had completed the acquisition of 31 properties, and demolition of some buildings began in January 2024. The plans for the site include turning it into a plaza or renovating the buildings for use as temporary retail stores.

 

 

At first glance, these “shops” didn’t appear to be that kind of establishment.

“Chon-no-ma” derives its name from the brief encounters that take place within a short time span. In the past, all the establishments in the red-light districts known as “Akasen” and “Aosen” operated this way. However, when the Anti-Prostitution Law was enacted in 1956, these places became illegal, and “chon-no-ma” operations disappeared from the public eye.

Today, one of the most prominent remaining areas is Tobita Shinchi in Osaka, part of the so-called “Five Major Shinchi” districts. In the past, Yokohama’s Koganecho, Kawasaki’s Horinouchi, Watarakano Island in Mie, and Maehara in Okinawa were also well-known, but they have disappeared due to crackdowns. Many other “chon-no-ma” establishments once existed throughout Japan, but their numbers continue to decline year by year.

 

The YouTuber known as Pineapple Ura-ch (hereafter referred to as Pineapple) is an “underground explorer” who conducts investigative reporting in various hidden nightlife districts across the country. He mentions that he sometimes encounters strange establishments that don’t appear to be part of the underground sex industry at first glance. Many of these places, he explains, are remnants of the former “Akasen” and “Aosen” districts, continuing to operate in a diminished capacity. 

“I previously visited a certain town in Shikoku. There is a place here said to be a remnant of the blue line, featuring several ‘izakayas’ that do not serve alcohol. So, if they don’t serve alcohol, what do they do? They offer women’s services, which is considered ‘underground sex work.’ At first glance, they genuinely look like izakayas, but there’s one unnatural detail: the doors are inexplicably ajar. This is a sign of prostitution operations.

This ‘half-open door (or slightly ajar) style is occasionally seen in establishments operating underground, such as in Kawasaki’s Minamimachi, Kochi’s Tamamizu Shinchi, and Toyohashi’s Koike Yūkaku (which was destroyed in 2022). However, to someone completely unaware of the circumstances, they just appear to be regular izakayas.”

The paid version of FRIDAY GOLD features details about these “izakayas” that still operate and includes an undercover report by Pineapple.