The spectacular reality of “Yabai Shinjyun” held in a part of Kabukicho

With the easing of restrictions by Corona, face-to-face classes have been restored one after another at universities in Tokyo. Club and circle activities can now take place, and welcome parties for new students, or “shinjin-en” (new students’ welcome), are being actively held in April and May.

Usually, these parties are held at izakayas (Japanese-style pubs) in the vicinity of the university station. It is a kind of baptism for new students to be shocked when they are charged several thousand yen for a meal at a cheap izakaya, which is much shoddier than the menu, and after getting drunk on cheap drinks.

However, it is still better to be charged a higher fee for cheap drinks. In Kabukicho, even “bad new parties” are frequently held.

It is said that there are more than 200 bars in Kabukicho. The type of business varies, but many bars stay open until morning. A small percentage of these bars rent out their premises early in the day to new students. The hours are usually from 20:00 to 23:00, with all-you-can-drink prices around 2,000 to 3,000 yen, karaoke, and darts. They attract customers by offering all-you-can-drink, karaoke, and darts for around ¥2,000 to ¥3,000.

No, really, I should have been more aware of the danger when the meeting place was Kabukicho in the first place. ……

Yurika (pseudonym, 19), who attended a newcomer party held in Kabukicho, told us this. Having just moved to Tokyo, she went to a new party of an all-round club at a famous university to make friends and to enjoy the sparkling Tokyo atmosphere.

I had an image that intercollegiate clubs were bad, but I didn’t really know much about them. I went to Kabukicho with a casual feeling because one of my classmates from Tokyo said, ‘I usually go there to see movies and stuff,’ but the place for drinking was a bar in a shady building. I thought it was a bar that served cocktails and other such fashionable drinks, but it was totally different (laughs).”

Yurika was poured a mixture of cheap green tea and Kagamizuki into a glass and was served drink after drink.

It was like …… to say no or to ruin the atmosphere. The universities were really different. There were people who were not university students. Some were scouts, some were working part-time at a bar,…….”

Feeling that she was in danger, Yurika left the new party in the middle of the day. Later, she was surprised to learn that there were many clubs with similar drinking habits.

She said, “It seems that there are usually new clubs that just aim for new girls who don’t know anything about it. I would have been in trouble if I had kept drinking like that. I was surprised to hear that Tokyo is really a scary place when I heard that the female seniors don’t help them because they assist them or find them funny.”

Looking at social networking sites, there are many posts such as, “I joined the party with a light heart, but it was a bad party,” and “You should really be careful in that circle. Of course, most bars operate in a healthy manner. It is not that the bars are bad, and most of the circles are just for having fun and drinking, but one should be careful about newcomer parties held by groups whose activities are unknown to the public.

As Yurika mentioned in her story, the men you meet at such clubs may actually be scouts, and you may end up being pimped out in the adult entertainment business. There is also a possibility that a host may be mixed in with them and try to sell them business. In fact, one of the author’s acquaintances had all of her savings taken away by a host she met at a college welcome party, and after working at a soap opera and collapsing from overwork, she found herself dropping out of school.

I hope that new students will protect themselves and enjoy their student life in Tokyo.

Sasaki Chihuahua
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 ” Pien” to SNS Seikatsu to Seiketsu no Shohi” (The Disease of “Pien”: Consumption and Approval of the SNS Generation) is now on sale.

From the June 3, 2022 issue of FRIDAY