Playback ’94] More Than 20 Women in Kinshicho, Central and South American “Women of the Night” in the Early Hours of the Day

What did “FRIDAY” report 10, 20, or 30 years ago? In “Playback Friday,” we take a look back at the topics that were hot at the time. This time, we will introduce a story from the October 14, 1994 issue, which was published 30 years ago, titled “The Number of Women of the Night in Kinshicho, Tokyo, Who Commute to Work from a Hostel,” which closely follows Central and South American “women of the night.

The “kohen joshi” or “dating girls” who stand in the Okubo Park area of Shinjuku have been reported in many media, and street prostitutes called “tachinbo” have become a major presence in the area. These “tachimbo” prostitutes are now predominantly Japanese, but in the past they were mostly foreigners. The following is an article that “closely follows” these women as they stand on the streets at night (the descriptions in parentheses are quotes from past articles).

More than 20 showy women were “waiting for customers.

In 1994, this reporter visited the south exit of Kinshicho Station in Sumida Ward, Tokyo. He had heard that the number of Latin American “women of the night” working in groups of seven or eight was rapidly increasing in the neon district here.

I took a quick stroll through the downtown area at this early hour, and found roughly 20 women already in the area. Leaning against parked cars or perched on guardrails, they waited for customers while chatting with their friends.

With blonde or brown hair slicked back over their shoulders and flashy jewelry, they stood on the street, wearing darker makeup on top of their already chiseled eyes and noses. They were dressed in tight jeans and open-breasted jackets, or in white minis and black tank tops.