There are various deep spots in Kabukicho. Host clubs, adult entertainment, and shisha bars&#8230; One of the most well-known places where the various residents of Kabukicho gather together is the coffee shop &#8220;Renoir,&#8221; but there is actually another one. The other is the &#8220;foot massage parlor.&#8221;
<figure id="attachment_242106" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 3500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-242106"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="79fd6191"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/05/aflo_23167083.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-242106" class="wp-caption-text">It must be one of the few healing places for the residents of Kabukicho&#8230; (AFLO)</figcaption></figure>
According to the author&#8217;s research, there are nearly 10 massage parlors in Kabukicho that mainly offer foot pressure massage, and they are bustling with customers every day. In the evening, many of the customers are hosts and cabaret girls on their way to work. Some sex workers who are tired after their consecutive workdays are also seen.
“I come here every day before work. Since I have been going to the foot acupressure clinic, my physical condition has been better and my sales have been increasing.”
Haruki (pseudonym, 24), the number one host at a certain store, says so.
“I would like to do the whole body, but with foot pressure points, you have both hands free. While I&#8217;m getting the foot pressure, I can do a lot of business with the customers at once. It&#8217;s become part of my routine before work.”
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Many of the foot massage parlors in Kabukicho are open until morning. The busiest hours are after 1 am. A wide variety of people come in, including host-crazed women waiting for their after-hours drinks, women on their way home from the host who are free until the first train, scouts who have finished catching the host, customers from cabarets, and tired office workers.
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Two cabaret girls in gal makeup with thin legs and four businessmen in their customers&#8217; shabby suits try to enter the restaurant, and when they are told that they can come back in 30 minutes, they make a reservation and head for the ramen shop. Next to arrive are two &#8220;pien&#8221; girls. They seem to be regulars, and when the owner tells them that the store is &#8220;full today,&#8221; they say to him, &#8220;You&#8217;re making a lot of money, boss! We&#8217;ll have shisha then.”
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Yui (pseudonym, 19), a regular at the foot spa, said, &#8220;Soap operators are always tired of having their feet cramped up.”
“Soap work makes my feet get really sore. It&#8217;s physical labor. So after work, I often come here after going to a host club until I get a call from my supervisor. I&#8217;m so addicted to my phone that it&#8217;s hard for me to look at it for 30 minutes. So I can&#8217;t have a full body massage. I used to get a call from my charge when I was getting a full body massage and he was trying to give me an after work massage, but he couldn&#8217;t. Since then, I just do foot massages.&#8221;
As host Haruki said, one of the reasons for the popularity of foot massage seems to be that &#8220;hands are free”. On the other hand, Yui&#8217;s colleague, soap operator Lili (pseudonym, 19), also goes to a foot massage parlor for a different reason.”
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She says, &#8220;I usually have about three to four hours between the time I finish the soap and the time I have to wait for the first train. I eat dinner and then get foot pressure for about two hours. I turn off my phone and go into full sleep mode. If I want to sleep, I can go to a manga café, but I can&#8217;t wake up in a manga café. Foot pressure points, on the other hand, force me to wake up (laughs). When I wake up, I feel tired, so I think I killed two birds with one stone. The foot pressure massage shops in Kabukicho are very kind. If I say, ‘I want to sleep a little more today,’ sometimes they let me sleep even after the treatment time is over. I really like that kindness.”
Incidentally, the author also often goes to Ashitsubo while waiting for the first train. The slightly dark store, with its mix of customers from all walks of life, is a bit addictive. Perhaps it is the place where you can learn the most about the &#8220;now&#8221; of Kabukicho. If you have a chance to visit Kabukicho, why not stop by a foot spa and listen to the conversation?
Sasaki Chihuahua
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Born in Tokyo in 2000.
After attending an integrated school in Tokyo from elementary school to high school, he went on to Keio University.
He has been going to Kabukicho since he was 15 years old and has a wide range of personal connections.
At the university, he is studying sociology of the downtown area including Kabukicho.
His book &#8220;Pien to SNS Seikatsu to Seiketsu no Shohi&#8221; (The Disease of “Pien”: Consumption and Approval of the SNS Generation) is now on sale.
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From the April 22, 2022 issue of FRIDAY

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