“I Might Die Here Today”: Three Active Soapland Workers Reveal the Terrors of Their Work and the “Desperate Self-Defense Measures” They’ve Taken to Protect Themselves
Every time, I think, “I might die.”
In the wake of an incident in which a female employee and a male customer died at a soapland in Fukuhara, Kobe, we spoke with three active soapland workers in Yoshiwara.
They shared their firsthand experiences with client obsession, stalking, having their homes tracked down, and receiving threats. The conversation then shifted to the self-defense measures they take to protect themselves from such dangers and the reality of safety precautions in the industry.
Sayaka: I really want to take a proper professional training course. Even if I keep safety equipment in the playroom, I’m worried I won’t be able to reach it in an emergency. But if I leave something like a baton in plain sight, it might turn the customer off. In the end, my only options are to flee to the front desk or scream as loud as I can.
I’ve heard stories about kicking a client in a vital spot or crushing their hand, but those are hard to replicate. That’s why I make sure to maintain a firm emotional distance from my clients. I don’t let them get the wrong idea that we could date or get married. For clients who still come on too strong, I’ll say “I’m tired” during the session and pretend to fall asleep, hoping to make them dislike me.
Yoko: The most dangerous situation is when a customer is spending too much money. You need to be on high alert if they suddenly start coming in more often, or conversely, if their clothes look shabby every time they visit. If you ban them suddenly, they might hold a grudge, so I make it so they gradually can’t get a reservation anymore. And just like Sayaka, I cut corners during service to make them dislike me.
Sayaka: The more dangerous the customer, the more likely they are to fly into a rage if you ban them. After all, the best strategy is to make them dislike you.
Yoko: So, the idea is to get them to find another favorite girl, right? But that’s not really a fundamental solution, is it?
Moe: I don’t take any precautions. I’m mentally prepared for the fact that this is a “job where it wouldn’t be surprising if I were killed at any moment.” Every time I’m called by a new customer and open the door, I think, “I might die right here today.”
Sayaka: Actually, I’ve been on leave since the Fukuhara incident. My fiancé told me, “I don’t want you to go to work.”
Yoko: If I were to carelessly say something like “I’m quitting,” the clients who are seriously in love with Sayaka might start making all kinds of assumptions, and it could lead to something irreversible. It might be better to just fade out like this.
Moe: If we’re serious about taking precautions, the only option is to take all the customers’ belongings in the waiting room, have them strip completely naked, and install security cameras in the rooms.
Sayaka: But if there’s a security camera in the room, the clients won’t feel comfortable.
Yoko: It’s a job where you’re naked, after all. It’s a business that relies on trusting the other person and letting yourself go. If you’re suspicious of the clients, you can’t give a good performance. I love this job and want to keep doing it, but I absolutely don’t want to get killed. I want this city to be a place where we can work and play safely.
Moe: It’s no use if just one establishment tries hard. Unless measures are taken uniformly across Yoshiwara and Fukuhara, I think another tragedy will happen.
From the September 11 & 18, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*
Compiled and Written by： Jun Yamada