Underground Explorer Exposes Snack Bar with Half-Open Doors in Minamimachi

On October 15, a ryotei restaurant in Matsushima Shinchi, Osaka, was busted and its managers were arrested on suspicion of violating the Anti-Prostitution Law. In Kanagawa Prefecture, there used to be several “chon-noma” establishments around 2000, including Koganecho in Yokohama, but most of them have disappeared due to police busts.

In Kawasaki’s Horinouchi, there used to be more than 70 “chon-no-ma” during the bubble era. However, only a few of them are still in business in front of Corona. Similar establishments also existed only a few hundred meters away in the Minamimachi color district, which was reputed to have more young women than Horinouchi. It was said that the “chon-no-ma” of these two towns were almost completely destroyed by the COVID-19 crisis, but what is happening now? Pinappo Urach, an “underground explorer” YouTuber, walked the streets of Kawasaki.

Kawasaki, a town with two entertainment districts

Kawasaki. Kawasaki is located in the “upper right” of Kanagawa Prefecture. The sea side is densely populated with factories, a horse and bicycle racecourse, and gang-related incidents occur frequently, so Kawasaki is hardly an elegant town.

Men who have some access to the sex industry know that there are two large sex districts in this town. Horinouchi and Minamimachi are two such large-scale sex districts within walking distance from each other, which is rare even in Japan. If anything, Horinouchi has more establishments and more young women, so there are many male customers and it is more lively.

On the other hand, Minamimachi is the same soap district, but it is rather quiet. There are not many callers. In the center of the area, there is an office of a broad-based crime syndicate, and there is always some tension in the air. One often passes by strong-looking men, and there are many sturdy-looking luxury black cars parked in the nearby parking lots.

Horinouchi and Minamimachi are often confused as sex districts located close to each other, but their origins are slightly different.

Horinouchi, perhaps because of its location along the Tama River, once prospered as an inn town. Horinouchi is often mistaken for a brothel, but it has no history as a brothel. Its history is quite old, and it was established in 1623 as the third post town on the Tokaido Highway. Even today, the name “Kawasaki Yado” can be seen on streetlights.

Minamimachi remained a red-light district after the war

Although not limited to Horinouchi, inns in former inn towns used to employ “iimori-onna,” women who served meals. Of course, serving food was not the only job of these women, who were assigned to accompany travelers and merchants for the night. Horinouchi has its roots in such an inn town, and has reached its current prosperity.

It is the Minamimachi area that bears the burden of its origins as a brothel. The first prostitute quarters were established in this area in 1904. The origin of this area is said to be the gathering together in Minamimachi of the onnagaya (brothels) that had been located in Kawasaki Yado due to public morals. After the war, the area continued to flourish as a government-approved red-light district, and until recently there were still some glamorous red-light buildings and cafes remaining, but most of them have been demolished in the past few years.

The remaining “stores of that type” in Horinouchi have closed doors with glass walls. When I entered one of these stores, I found that it was no longer in the “play” style, but had become a regular bar. There is only one surviving store in the neighborhood.

On the other hand, in Minamimachi, as one can see when walking the streets, there are some “snack bars” with their doors half-open, unnaturally mixed in with the soap stores. When you peek inside, you will usually find an old man laughing and drinking sake.

But this is not just a place where drinks are served. This is a “chonoma”-style backstreet entertainment establishment. There were several similar establishments in the area.

In the paid version of “FRIDAY GOLD,” Mr. Pinappo sneaked into a “snack bar with a half-open door. He reported in detail on the small room behind the counter.