A Chinese Whirlwind Sweeps Through Kabukicho Amid Inbound Tourism Surge

High risk? Unbelievable extra income? The reality of the Chinese-style water business, which is expanding into Japan one after another

Kabukicho, which has become a standard tourist spot for inbound tourists, is now receiving a further breath of fresh air from China. A “Japanese-style KTV,” a water business that combines karaoke, which originated in Japan, with the services of a cabaret club, has opened in Kabukicho.

The “Tenjo Ningen” is a karaoke bar where you can invite a girl you have chosen to join you in the karaoke room and have drinks and sing together with her. In China, ″KTV″ generally means karaoke, but ″Commerce KTV″ and ″Japanese-style KTV″ often refer to cabaret-like karaoke stores. In China, cabaret clubs, girls’ bars, and other water businesses themselves are prohibited, so I think it is easier in Japan, where they can operate legally,” said Shaw, a Chinese bartender (pseudonym, 32).

KTVs have been opened for tourists in Thailand and Vietnam, and Kabukicho has been known as an overseas destination for cabaret and sex industry workers.

I don’t think Japanese-style KTVs in Kabukicho are stores catering to the Japanese. Japan is a reasonable destination for wealthy Chinese due to the weak yen. I think the idea is to let them enjoy the illegal stores in their home country to the fullest and lose their money.

Cast members are divided into Chinese-Taiwanese and Japanese, and while there are about 30 Chinese-Taiwanese cast members, there are only 5 Japanese cast members. Reservations are made via “LINE” and “WeChat,” the Chinese version of “LINE.

Looking at the recruitment page, I think the manager is Chinese and he hires Japanese people to run the business. The Japanese cast members have close-ups of their faces and appear on the store’s TikTok, but the Taiwanese cast members are not allowed to show their faces. For foreigners visiting Japan to legally work in cabarets, they need a permanent resident visa or a marriage visa, and if they are on a foreign student visa, they are out. The restaurant has to check, but it is suspicious that all of them are of undisclosed age and do not show their faces (laughs).

Just like in a regular karaoke bar, when you enter the bar, you are first guided to the karaoke room. Then, women come to the room and stand in a line, and customers can nominate one of their favorite female cast members.

The rate is high because 80% of the customer’s fee goes into his pocket. The rate is 20,000 yen for two hours, so the hourly wage is 8,000 yen. However, unlike regular cabarets, I don’t like to serve customers in a private room because there is a high risk of being asked to provide sexual services because I am not under the watchful eye of the black-clad staff. In Japan, mizu-shobai is legal, so the customers know the difference between cabaret and adult entertainment and the unspoken rules, but I am also worried that I don’t know how cabarets in China, where illegal business is commonplace, are run.

For customers seeking services that go beyond Japanese-style KTV, “Chaideeli,” a sex service for Chinese customers, is popular. Asumi (pseudonym), a 21-year-old talent who has been working at a chaideri for about two years, says that since all the customers are Chinese, it is difficult for her to be identified.

In China, tall girls with big tits are popular, so if you are not 160 cm tall, you may not be hired. Also, the neighborhood is small, so evaluations are very strict. There are active word-of-mouth forums among Chinese people, and if a bad word gets around, you will be hung out to dry in no time. However, there are times when a well-heeled customer will give you 100,000 yen as a tip. It’s like gambling because you get extra income, which is not possible for Japanese people.

While runaway girls and street tramps are earning daily wages from Japanese customers, wealthy foreigners are spending huge sums of money inbound.

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From the September 27 and October 4, 2024 combined issue of FRIDAY