The Rise of No-Costume Imekura How It Evolved During COVID

What is costume-less image play (I-mekura)?

In his series “The Cultural History of I-mekura,” sex-industry journalist Akira Ikoma explores the history of image-play establishments that incorporate various unique themes. In this final installment [Part 2], he examines how I-mekura evolved even during the COVID-19 pandemic and what its future might hold.

[Part 1] Yankee Girls, Special Effects Heroines, Naked Coats The Late 2010s Saw a Surge of Shops with Edgy, Bold Themes

In the 2020s, image play advanced further. One trend that emerged during the pandemic was costume-less I-mekura. While sex establishments featuring women with particular attributes—such as married women in debt or girls who just moved to Tokyo—existed before, this trend became more pronounced.

In April 2020, comedian Takashi Okamura caused a stir on the radio by saying, “Once COVID is over, beautiful women will work as sex workers.” Shortly after, in June 2020, a delivery health (deriheru) shop appeared in Gotanda, Tokyo, featuring only women struggling financially due to the pandemic. Called “Corona Recession Girls”, it touted the concept: “These women are waiting for your help.” This was the epitome of costume-less I-mekura. Customers could feel as though they were helping women while engaging in play, consuming a social issue as a story—marking the rise of a new type of I-mekura.

Around the same time, “Yami Kano.” opened in Namba, Osaka, offering only sick-cute women—cute, clingy, yet slightly mentally fragile. The combination was fresh and innovative.

In Ikebukuro, Tokyo, a shop called “Adult Women’s Golf Club” appeared, offering delivery and hotel-based services. The luxurious image of golf helped promote the concept of costume-less image play featuring high-class adult women.

A truly revolutionary concept came from a delivery health shop in Uguisudani, Tokyo, called “Our Sex Processing Factory in Uguisudani.” Women wore factory uniforms, and customers became products on a conveyor belt, receiving sexual services as if part of a simple assembly-line process. This completely overturned traditional industry norms. Traditionally, sex establishments emphasized intimacy, where couples could feel human connection. This shop, by contrast, promoted the lack of human interaction as a feature. The concept likely aligned with pandemic-era guidance to minimize physical contact. Prices were extremely low—starting at 4,510 yen for 30 minutes—highlighting the influence of profit- and efficiency-driven neoliberalism even in I-mekura.

Some shops even exploited mask-wearing rules during the pandemic. In Kinshichō, Tokyo, a delivery health shop called “Immediate Strip!! Fully Naked with Mask Kinshichō” allowed customers to engage with fully naked women wearing only masks. Here, full nudity plus a mask became a recognized costume.

Japanese-Style Shops Trend Amid Inbound Tourism Increase

After the COVID-19 pandemic ended, the rapid recovery of inbound tourism prompted an increase in sex industry establishments incorporating Japanese-style cosplay. Examples include “Oiran Yukaku”, a health/soapland in Shinsakae, Nagoya, where women dressed in luxurious silk entertain guests, and “Otohime-en”, Tottori Kaike Onsen’s first Japanese-style soapland. Even in the sex industry, traditional Japanese attire is popular with visiting foreigners seeking an authentic Japanese experience, evoking the romantic image of oiran courtesans. Both establishments remain in operation today.

Additionally, Osaka’s Tobita Shinchi sees a constant influx of foreign visitors, and the number of women wearing kimono in the district’s ryotei-style establishments has noticeably increased. In summer, they wear yukata; in winter, kimono—so for clients, it’s like watching a seasonal fashion show of sexy traditional Japanese attire.

In recent years, Tobita Shinchi has also seen women wearing the uniform of the local popular baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers, which won the Japanese championship in 2023, and uniforms of the Los Angeles Dodgers, home of Shohei Ohtani, who frequently made media headlines for achieving a 50-50 milestone. The costumes worn by sex workers reflect current trends, showing that the sex industry often acts as a mirror of society.

Schoolgirl Theme Merges with “Oshi-Katsu” Boom

Currently trending are image-play soaplands that let customers feel like they are spending time in a lover’s room. These are shops where you can play with your ideal girlfriend or experience fantasies and desires you wouldn’t dare ask of a real girlfriend.

Traditionally, image-play involved women dressed as nurses, office ladies, or bunny girls. However, establishments like “Amateur-Style Image SOAP Kanojo-kan Utsunomiya Main Branch” in Utsunomiya, Tochigi, and “New Sensation Love-Activity Soap ‘If My Girlfriend Were’ Fukuoka Nakasu Main Branch” have gained strong support by offering everyday girlfriend image-play. For many men, an amateur girlfriend now represents an extraordinary object of desire.

At the same time, schoolgirl-themed services remain overwhelmingly popular. School uniforms are a staple of sex-industry cosplay, adopted by many shops across all regions. Options range from classic sailor uniforms, blazers, school swimsuits, and gym clothes to club-specific outfits for tennis, soccer, and track and field.

Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of underground idols and SNS influencers fueled the trend of “oshi-katsu” (fan support), making the combination of idol, cosplay, and amateur elements extremely popular in schoolgirl-themed soaplands. Examples include “Honey Collection” in Tokyo’s Yoshiwara, “After School” in Kawasaki’s Horinouchi, “Idol Lab” in Kanazuen, Gifu, and “Zenryoku!! Otomezaka 46” in Furumachi, Niigata. These shops advertise that their cast wears school-uniform-style idol cosplay while noting the actual ages of the women and often restricting enrollment to women in their 20s. Such shops have proliferated nationwide, and the trend shows no sign of slowing.

Predicting the Future of Image-Play (Imekura)

The trend toward incorporating specific scenarios into play has strengthened over time, regardless of the type of sex-industry establishment. The increase in shops with edgy concepts reflects heightened competition for customers. To meet a wide range of client desires and to survive economic downturns, image-play has become increasingly specialized and avant-garde.

During the 2003–2005 “Purification Campaign,” then Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara attempted to ban image-play establishments. Many people opposed this, arguing, “We don’t want our right to dream taken away.” Critics feared that prohibiting sexual services based on imagination and playfulness would stifle creativity, but image-play not only survived in a transformed form, it evolved further, introducing unique concepts that astonished the public.

From 19th-century Parisian brothels with exotic-themed rooms to the present day, the demand for fantasy-based play has persisted across time and space. New image-play spaces will continue to emerge, designed to satisfy individuals’ phantasms—personalized fantasies that define enjoyment and desire. Recent trends in VR-based sex services are part of this evolution. The arrival of a new era of image-play promises exciting innovations ahead.

References

Ore no Tabi (sex industry magazine), Million Publishing / Taiyo Tosho, 2018–2019

Akira Ikoma, Fūzoku no Gendaishi, Seidansha Publico, 2022

Agnès Giard, Erotic Japon, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2010

And numerous other books and online sources.