An Investigation Into the Kabukicho Alley Said to Be the Scene of Near-Daily Incidents

A hot topic among Kabukicho residents

In the sleepless district of Kabukicho in Shinjuku, there is said to be an area that local residents refer to as the “cursed street.” Since the beginning of this year, numerous incidents have reportedly occurred there, with police officers and ambulances being seen rushing to the scene on many occasions. FRIDAY visited the area, which in recent years has even come to be known as the “To-Yoko kids’ dormitory.”

The incidents have been concentrated on a street lined with three love hotels referred to here by the pseudonyms “X,” “Y,” and “Z” (Hotel Z has been closed for renovation work since April). Together, the three establishments are sometimes called “XYZ.” Because the hotels are inexpensive and located near an area frequented by street prostitutes, they have become a popular destination for people engaged in compensated dating and so-called “papa-katsu” arrangements. According to local accounts, incidents involving assault, arson, and attempted murder have repeatedly taken place nearby.

Since around last year, the area has also become a place where the so-called To-Yoko kids—young people driven out of internet cafés and other temporary shelters—have been staying overnight. That is why the area has come to be known as the “To-Yoko dormitory.” Residents say the increase in incidents began around the same time and worsened after the youths were removed from Cine City Square in April of this year.

Local residents told the reporter that men brandishing metal baseball bats, group beatings among acquaintances, and drug abuse resulting in repeated visits from police officers and ambulances have become almost routine occurrences. Despite this, the incidents have rarely been reported in the media.

A man who said he had lived near Kabukicho for almost ten years nodded knowingly and said, “Oh, you mean the street with the prostitution hotels.” He added, “There have been a lot of young people around lately.”

“Street prostitutes from Okubo Park have moved into the Kabukicho love hotel district, and the usual pattern is to pick up customers in the area and then head straight to one of the nearby hotels. Hotels X, Y, and Z charge less than 4,000 yen for a short stay and around 6,000 yen for an overnight stay, making them some of the cheapest in Kabukicho. I’ve also heard that, aside from people involved in prostitution, young people with neither homes nor money use them as places to stay. Apparently, To-Yoko kids often spend the night there.”

Blood-soaked images uploaded to TikTok

Various rumors have been circulating about the three love hotels. The Kabukicho resident quoted earlier quietly told the reporter:

“It looks like plainclothes police officers have been patrolling the area. Apparently, some people have been abusing illegal drugs, and the police have been conducting stop-and-searches and drug tests.”

He continued:

“Since the beginning of this year, not only street prostitutes, customers, and To-Yoko kids, but also suspicious, thug-like people have started gathering on this cursed street, so I’ve been avoiding the area. According to rumors, some of them are involved in illegal drug trafficking.”

A murder-suicide involving a young couple is also said to have taken place at Hotel Y. The reporter spoke with a woman who had known the deceased man.

“He was a friend I met about four years ago. He went into Hotel Y with a woman, and they were filming a TikTok video. The footage showed the man lying on top of the woman, both of them covered in blood on the bed. The police and emergency responders arrived and reportedly tried several times to revive them using an AED, but both of them died.”

Why have so many incidents occurred on this so-called “cursed street”? The woman cited above pointed to the ease of entering the hotels.

“In central Kabukicho, police officers and volunteers patrol the area to warn underage people who gather there. Love hotels and other overnight accommodations attract To-Yoko kids, so they are monitored especially closely, and the hotels themselves usually refuse entry to anyone who appears to be underage. However, Hotels X, Y, and Z reportedly carried out age checks rather carelessly, allowing the To-Yoko kids to get in. Before long, word spread among them that even minors can get in there.”

Kabukicho has made headlines in recent years because of the increasing number of suicides in the area. The so-called “cursed street” is located near a building where people frequently jump to their deaths, and in April of this year, two young people reportedly jumped from Hotel X.

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