Exploring Kanagawa’s Hon-Atsugi: Tracing the Past of the Former Red-Light District

In October 2024, three pinsalo establishments in Osaka were raided on suspicion of public indecency, leading to the arrest of 18 employees and customers. Some speculated this was part of a cleanup operation ahead of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, but in truth, pinsalo is the kind of business that police can easily target once they decide to.

Pinsalo is said to have originated from “arusa­lo,” which appeared in Osaka around 1950. From the Showa era through the early Heisei years, it flourished nationwide as an accessible form of adult entertainment. Over time, some services became more extreme, and establishments known as hon-salo—which offered “full service” to the end—appeared. Among the most infamous was the NK style that spread in Nishi-Kawaguchi, Saitama, around the year 2000. At its peak, more than 200 hon-salo shops were said to exist there. However, a large-scale crackdown in 2005 and further action in 2007 wiped them out.

Over the past 20 years, the number of pinsalo has plummeted. Even regular shops in Tokyo now operate discreetly, and if they ventured into illegal services like hon-salo, they would likely be shut down immediately. Still, in regional areas, some shops appear to have survived stubbornly. The underground explorer and YouTuber Pineapple Ura Channel has introduced various hon-salo across Japan in his videos. This time, he set out to visit one said to exist in the “adult entertainment shopping street” of Atsugi, Kanagawa.

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A sex shopping street with a history of about 50 years

Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture—located almost in the center of the prefecture, on the west side of the Sagami River. Despite the name, the city’s core is not Atsugi Station but Hon-Atsugi Station (in fact, Atsugi Station itself is in neighboring Ebina City). The station is connected to a large commercial complex, and the surrounding area is lined with shops and restaurants, keeping the streets lively with constant foot traffic. Since there’s a direct train to Shinjuku, many commuters travel to central Tokyo from here.

When people hear “Atsugi,” they often think of the U.S. military base, but the base itself is actually located in Yamato, Ayase, and Ebina—so unlike areas such as Fussa or Haijima near Yokota Base, the town isn’t dominated by Americans. On clear days, the mountains of Tanzawa and Ōyama can be seen in the distance, Kanachu buses run back and forth, and the atmosphere is somewhat laid-back. It’s a typical mid-sized Kanagawa city.

That said, Hon-Atsugi does have its own “adult entertainment shopping street,” known as Sun Road. Located about 300 meters north of the station, away from the bustle of restaurants and karaoke joints, this small street clusters together pinsalo and “chai-esu” (Chinese-style massage/sex service) shops alongside regular eateries and izakaya. The atmosphere is somewhat decadent, resembling a run-down shopping arcade, and first-time visitors might hesitate to step inside.

A brief look at the history of Atsugi’s red-light district: traveling past Hon-Atsugi toward Isehara, then by bus and cable car, lies Mt. Ōyama—a site of ancient mountain worship. Atsugi thrived as a post town serving pilgrims and as a staging point on the Sagami River. As with Kawasaki’s Horinouchi, major riversides often fostered red-light districts.

Atsugi’s hanamachi (flower district) emerged in the early Meiji era, just east of today’s Sun Road. According to the Kōkoku Chishi Manuscript, there were already eight geisha recorded in 1876 (Meiji 9). Until 1957, there were said to be 15–20 ryōtei (banquet restaurants) and rental halls, likely making the area a lively entertainment quarter until the Prostitution Prevention Law took effect in 1958. Today, however, no major traces of that past remain.

A tipster said that there is a book salon in Hon-Atsugi

Bringing the story back to Sun Road: the origins of this red-light shopping street are somewhat unclear, but it seems it was originally just a regular shopping arcade. Over time, tenants such as esthetic salons and adult entertainment shops moved in, and that eventually shaped today’s Sun Road. It is said to have existed since 1979.

A tip arrived in the author’s X (formerly Twitter) DMs, claiming that at a certain pinsalo in this roughly 50-year-old adult entertainment arcade, “full service” was possible. The message was surprisingly specific: “At the shop called 〇〇 in Hon-Atsugi, there’s a girl named ×× who does it. She’s a gal type in her early 30s, no extra charge” and so on.

Of course, generally speaking, what’s offered at a pinsalo is limited to “hand” and “oral” services—intercourse is strictly prohibited. Yet this wasn’t the only tip: two other DMs also came in, naming different women said to be offering full service there.

A retro, underground shopping arcade where pinsalo supposedly offer more than they should… fascinating, isn’t it? The author decided to head to Hon-Atsugi to see for himself.

After a 50-minute ride on the Odakyu Line from Shinjuku, he arrived in Hon-Atsugi a little past 3 p.m. and walked quickly toward Sun Road, past streets lined with izakaya and cafés. The people going about their daily routines surely had no idea that illegal acts were allegedly taking place in the pinsalo tucked away nearby.

When he reached Sun Road, the street was completely empty—deserted despite the mid-afternoon hour. Yet the glowing signs of pinsalo and chai-esu shops made it clear they were open. The target shop, too, was in business. Climbing a somewhat steep staircase to its entrance, the sound of an old Ayumi Hamasaki track played, evoking the early 2000s.

The undercover visit confirmed it: in a rundown pinsalo on the fringe of Hon-Atsugi, hidden in the faded shopping arcade, full service was indeed being provided. In fact, there are reportedly several such shops in Hon-Atsugi.

Though this likely has no direct connection to the city’s hanamachi (red-light district) history, it is worth noting that similar establishments exist in nearby Hadano. Perhaps, being at the foot of Mt. Ōyama, there lingers some faint sense of the old custom of shōjin-otoshi (a symbolic release from ascetic restraint). One could say there’s a cultural and historical undercurrent that somehow finds expression in today’s pinsalo.

In the paid version of “FRIDAY GOLD,” Mr. Pinappo Urauchi actually sneaked into the store and talked with the “gals” he met at the store.