Community Views on Women Arrested at Ōkubo Park Highlight a Veteran Figure Avoided by Regulars

The women around that area are exclusively foreigners

The Security Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested four women, including unemployed suspect A (20) and suspect B (24), by July 24 on suspicion of violating the Anti-Prostitution Act for soliciting clients for prostitution. Suspect A is believed to have earned approximately 110 million yen over about two years since 2023, which she spent on host clubs and gambling. All of the women have admitted to the charges.

This arrest was a standard arrest with an arrest warrant, not a sting operation in which plainclothes officers posed as ordinary men to catch them in the act. The case demonstrates the Metropolitan Police’s serious approach to tackling street prostitution, but the women’s reputation as notorious streetwalkers around Ōkubo Park also appears to have triggered the arrests.

Suspect A had created an SNS group to share information about patrolling police officers and plainclothes detectives in order to avoid being caught. Since last year, more than 40 emergency calls were made around Ōkubo Park reporting incidents such as after entering a hotel with a streetwalker, my wallet disappeared, suggesting additional offenses.

A man familiar with streetwalkers near Ōkubo Park said the area where the arrested women worked was known among regular clients as an area with malicious streetwalkers, adding, “They mainly targeted foreigners.”

“The streetwalkers right near Ōkubo Park are veterans, part of the usual crew. The closer to the park, the longer their experience and the stricter they are with money. The women arrested this time belonged to that kind.

It’s true they did scam-like things. Even though the agreed rate was 20,000 yen for 60 minutes, they would spend 30–40 minutes in the shower, shortening playtime. When the main act started, they would scream ‘It hurts! It hurts!’ and interrupt the session, yet still demand full payment. It’s also common for them to take money from the client’s wallet while he is in the shower.”

As these misdeeds became widely known, regular male clients in the area reportedly stopped paying attention to them.

“However, they still needed to find clients in order to earn money. That’s probably why they targeted foreign tourists. With foreigners, there’s zero chance of them being plainclothes officers, and even if they overcharge above the usual rate, they would pay. I think about 70–80% of their clients were foreigners. The remaining 20–30% were new Japanese men, first-time visitors coming to Ōkubo Park—a tourist spot notorious for streetwalkers—to watch them.”

Even ordinary streetwalkers seemed to avoid areas with notorious women. In addition to scam-like activities, there were also women engaging in honey-trap schemes, so men shared information about malicious streetwalkers and took precautions.

The magazine had also heard suspect A’s shouts of abuse

In March 2024, FRIDAY Digital captured the moment when suspect A was stopped for a police questioning. At that time, she raised her voice aggressively, seemingly to intimidate a man who had pointed his smartphone camera at her to record a video.

A man who witnessed the scene recalled the situation at the time:

“Back then, it had become a sort of trend for live streamers to walk down streets lined with streetwalkers while broadcasting, so it was a common sight. Many of the women were used to being filmed and didn’t pay much attention. But A and B were aggressive—they would shout at anyone holding a camera, saying things like, ‘Don’t record videos!’”

During a 2024 interview, the author also heard them hurl insults at passersby, saying things like: “Chi-gyū (an online slang term mocking nerdy, introverted, or plain people), go back online. You can only act tough online, you’re disgusting!” Similar behavior was likely repeated multiple times.

TACHINBO became globally famous

Even among the foreign tourists targeted by suspect A, Ōkubo Park, where streetwalkers operate, seems to be known as a deep tourist spot in Japan. Many of them learned the term “TACHINBO” through video sites and social media and visited Ōkubo Park because of it. On major platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, “TACHINBO” is spread in multiple languages as a Japanese term referring to women waiting on the streets to solicit clients for prostitution.

Like Japanese visitors, some of these tourists filmed videos, while others negotiated to actually engage with the women. Their nationalities varied widely. A Chinese man carrying a DSLR camera, who was filming, said with bright eyes, “I’ve wanted to come here at least once.”

“It’s famous in China as an underground spot. Within the safe, big cities of Japan, this is a unique place where so many women sell sex. People who like exciting spots should definitely visit when they come to Japan,” said the Chinese man.

The arrests were likely driven largely by the notoriously bad reputation of suspect A and the others. However, the structure in which professionals exploit foreign tourists as regular clients seems like a terminal aspect of the “koien” scene. Raids and arrests of streetwalkers are expected to continue. Nevertheless, streetwalkers have historically adapted to enforcement measures, and some women continue working even after arrests. Further strengthening of countermeasures is expected in the future.