A little more than one year after the devastation of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, Miyagi Prefecture’s biggest nightlife quarter of Kokubuncho is booming as construction firms target, oftentimes through collusion, the government’s second supplementary budget for the reconstruction of stricken areas.

“Construction company employees are arriving from all reaches of Japan,” says a person in management at one such firm. “Clubs are routinely filled to capacity.”

According to an employee at a kyabakura (hostess club), there are not enough girls employed in the deri heru (out-call sex) trade to satisfy demand. He says that reinforcements are being ferried in from outside the prefecture.

Even AV star Minako Komukai is appearing in a 20-day engagement at the Sendai Rokku-za strip club until May 10, and this is not her first appearance since the quake.

The tabloid finds it hard to believe that Tokyo remains mired in deflation while just a few hundred kilometers to the north Sendai’s economy is expected surge forward for the foreseeable future.

Restoration of roads and bridges is getting up to speed, with dump trucks causing traffic jams along the coast. When this basic infrastructure work is finished, major redevelopments will then commence. These projects are expected to last for 10 years. A hotel staff member tells the tabloid that its rooms are booked solid for three years.

Flush with cash, construction company employees are able to freely go out drinking and hit the golf course. Sales at department stores and home appliance shops are reportedly double that of last year.

Real estate brokers are looking to turn a quick buck by investing in damaged properties. “The other day, a rather gruff real estate guy with a Kansai accent was here,” says a restaurant employee. “It was the middle of the afternoon, but he had geisha girls on both sides serving him wine.”

Of course, with so much tax money floating around, it would not be surprising to hear rumors concerning dodgy activity. One going around concerns collusion among big-time contractors and the prefectural government.

“For large jobs, the rubble disposal work went to big-name contractors and the levee work was given to marine contractors,” says a representative from a local construction company. “Small companies from this area were left out entirely. So there are grumblings about how the prefecture is handling the situation.”

Prior to the bidding for debris-clearing jobs, it was not a secret that big-name contractors Shimizu, Kajima, and Obayashi had already secured contracts from the prefecture.

Further, garbage incineration jobs were also dealt with by the prefecture, and not by local civic authorities, which is standard practice. “A ‘proposal method’ was used,” says an industry insider. “This insured that the big companies got everything, almost like gifts descending from heaven.” (K.N.)

Source: “‘Fukko baburu’ ni waku Tohoku saidai hankagai Kokubuncho wo iku,” Nikkan Gendai (May 6, page 7)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

In its Mar. 31 issue, the tabloid somewhat surprisingly reports that Miyagi Prefecture’s biggest adult entertainment area in Sendai is functioning on a limited basis.

The lifelines of Sendai, which has suffered greatly following the Mar. 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, are starting to come back to life. Shops have begun to operate as their utility services are gradually being restored.

From the area’s largest red-light district, Kokubuncho, located in the city’s Aoba Ward, a reporter tells Asagei that electricity and water services are slowly coming back to life. “Some shops have started to sell yakitori on the streets during the day,” the source adds. “A convenience store has reopened and there are long lines. Ladies can be seen wearing make-up and sporting mini-skirts. We are beginning to see the light.”

However, only some entertainment establishments are in operation during the evening.

“A few bars are open, but they don’t have any food, only drinks,” continues the same reporter. “Only one kyabakura club is open, and the three hostesses who were able to show up for work were accommodating ten customers. These guys looked to be locals in their 40s and 50s.”

During the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, soaplands offered their bathtubs to those impacted by the disaster. Sendai, the tabloid postulates, has not yet reached that stage.

In midst of this, however, deri heru joints (out-call sex operations) are functioning, with some even offering housing to displaced female staff members. The magazine advises that services are limited to the central part of the city.

One of them is Celeb Garden, which began operation four days after the earthquake.

“While customers are calling, we are just operating on a limited basis,” says a representative of the club, whose Web site offers a hotel plan that starts at 17,000 yen for 70 minutes. “Unfortunately, out of 100 girls, there are a few whose whereabouts we cannot confirm. I just wanted to reassure them by opening the office to offer them a place to stay if they had lost homes.”

The manager at club S-style tells the tabloid that they are also trying re-establish contact with some female employees. “One of our girls lives in the central section of Sendai,” says the manager of the club, which has been steadily receiving reservations from customers. “She encouraged me by saying that the club has to keep moving forward. Our competitors may be closing their shops, but we cannot let all the lights go out in Sendai.” (K.N.)

Source: “Hisaichi no kanrakugai ha ima Sendai de deri heru eigyo shite ita!” Shukan Asahi Geino (Mar. 31, pages 34-35)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

Once their eyes adjusted to the surroundings, the cops blinked and ogled in astonishment.

“It was like we were standing in a deluxe hotel,” one is quoted as saying.

Occupying all 80 tsubo (about 265 square meters) — an entire floor in a four-story building in one of Tokyo’s swankest residential areas — United featured private rooms equipped with karakoke, expensive sofas and an enormous wine cellar stocked with Chatau Margaux, Romanee-Conti and other premium labels priced as high as 1.5 million yen per bottle.

Another attraction was its grand piano, described as a type so rare only a few exist in the world.

“United had about 6,600 members who each paid 10,000 yen to join,” says the police source. “The members included politicians, entertainers, professional athletes, business executives and the like. One famous singer would come here and drop about 1 million yen in the course of one evening.”

Another of United’s attractions was 101 women who were registered to work there as hostesses, all described as “good-looking and fashionable women in their early 20s.” Some of them reportedly held daytime jobs as “race queens” or models, but about one third were students at prestigious private or public universities in the Tokyo area.

“They could earn 100,000 to 150,000 a month working there part time, but actually the had an ulterior motive for working there,” the investigator explained.

It seems that with the “ice age” situation in corporate hiring this year’s university graduates are currently facing, the young women were hoping that by toiling evenings at United they might get lucky and link up with some free-spending businessmen and other patrons, and hopefully landing a job in the process.

But United had not obtained an entertainment business license, and instead of giving its hostesses a contract, had treated them on the books as “customers.”

Under police questioning, reports Sankei, the young women had given such explanations as “There were some customers in showbiz, so I thought I might get a chance to find work,” and “My ulterior motive for working there was to charm my way into a job.”

Somewhat strangely, the article did not mention any names of persons arrested in the sweep. (K.S.)

Source: “Hosutesu nerai wa shukatsu,” Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 27, page 26)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

Following the enactment last November of a law that prohibits the existence of fuzoku navigational shops, the operations have gone underground in the Gion and Kiyamachi districts of Japan’s former capital.

(For non-regular readers of Shukan Jitsuwa — shame on you — such places will typically offer computer terminals, area brochures, and guidebooks featuring local clubs that potential customers may use to seek their desired form of debauchery.)

The new variation has taken shape inside usually mundane shops.

“On the surface, ticket stores, second-hand clothes shops, used-book stores, and other types of second-hand stores operate as advertised,” says an individual related to a fuzoku shop, “but some are also engaged in providing guidance to fuzoku shops, kyabakura joints, and girl’s bars.”

Kyoto prefectural police have already cracked down upon conventional navigational shops in enforcing the regulation. But the usual pattern of the shops staying one step ahead of the police is resulting in operators disguising their involvement in such illegal activities.

An employee from the Kyoto City municipal offices says, “When we entered this new standing bar, a staff member approached and, with a grin, said, ‘Any plans after this? I know a sexy kyabakura and health club.’”

Those who are monitoring the situation are the fuzoku operators themselves. This recent blow to the industry follows the restrictions placed up the utilization of street touts for attracting customers.

A pink salon owner says that the vibe of the city is on the way down. “It’s understandable that the government is against fuzoku operators, but they don’t think about what it takes to keep this town going,” laments the owner.

“By the time of the Gion Festival (in July), only the long-running fuzoku shops will likely have survived,” says a fuzoku writer.

Spring is just around the corner, concludes the weekly, but Kyoto’s winter may continue for some time. (K.N.)

Source: “Kyoto de zenmen kinshi no ‘kakure annaijo’ zoshoku no naze!?” Shukan Jitsuwa (Mar. 10, page 190)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

The article says that certain VIP clubs — known as “limited lounges” — in the Tokyo’s Nishi Azabu and Roppongi entertainment areas, often frequented by celebrities and athletes, are coming under watch by law enforcement authorities.

United Lounge Tokyo, located in Nishi Azabu, was busted on the evening of Feb. 4 for operating a kyabakura establishment (hostess club) without a proper license, a violation of the nationwide adult-entertainment law.

The Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 8) reports that two arrests were made, including the 41-year-old manager, Shoichi Hashimoto.

Yukan Fuji adds that the club has a roster of 6,700 members, including IT moguls and politicians, and last year had a revenue of 450 million yen. Charges ranged between 20,000 yen and 30,000 yen per hour.

The store took a commission of 15% on sales by the hostesses, who on average would take home between 100,000 yen and 150,000 yen each month — not attractive money, but that’s not what they are seeking.

“These types of places are increasing rapidly in Roppongi and Nishi Azabu,” says a restaurant owner. “There are a lot of ladies that belong to model and talent agencies but there’s not a lot of money if you are just starting out. They are looking for a supporter or to become a possible mistress if it could lead to better opportunities. There are quite a few girls willing to sleep their way to success”

The focus on these clubs by the police, the article says, is a response to the incident involving kabuki star Ebizo. Last November, an intoxicated Ebizo became engaged in a confrontation at a high-end Nishi Azabu club. He suffered minor injuries but was forced to cancel future theater appearances.

“Dealing with organized crime is this year’s top priority for police forces in Japan,” said Takaharu Ando, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency, at a press conference on January 6.

A special law to eliminate boryokudan groups, as yakuza criminal syndicates are referred, originated in the Kyushu region last year and quickly spread to 27 prefectures, including Hokkaido. It is expected that similar legislation will soon be enacted in all 47 prefectures of the country.

“Tokyo aims to enact such a law this spring after it has incorporated elements of legislation already in place in other parts of the country,” added Ando. “It will likely become the most comprehensive one of them all.”

Top boryokudan groups are now organizing study sessions for top members, which includes having attorneys give monthly lectures. They are learning, for example, that not disclosing one’s real occupation upon signing a lease contract can lead to an arrest warrant for fraud.

“This is a big blow,” explains a senior-level member of a Tokyo-based boryokudan group.

The tabloid senses that boryokudan groups are indeed pushing themselves for survival, as evidenced by the extensiveness of the training materials used during the lectures. But along with these activities, local residents around the country are taking initiative. At the end of last year, a notable gangster office in Ikebukuro was removed follow action by local residents.

“The police support the residents,” says the same top-level gang member. “Even when the building is owned, not rented, by gangsters, police will pressure residents and property management associations to push for their elimination. Residents are of course hesitant because they are afraid of yakuza.”

Should boryokudan groups be left out of the picture, however, disarray of social order can result, the article believes. When yakuza groups, which will reconcile troubles, are no longer available, visible bullying starts.

A hostess working in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho entertainment district heard from her male colleague about one particular kyabakura club that didn’t pay a security fee to a yakuza gang on the third of each month, which in the business is known as mikajimeryo. “They were worried about the police, and a competitor drove them out of business,” she says.

The club, which originally opened last summer, shut this winter because foreign objects had been jammed into toilets to damage the plumbing. “When the building owner asked for compensation of around 5 million yen, the manager disappeared,” she continues. “Another club also went out of business because a dead dog was left outside its back door and girls stopped showing up to work because they were scared.”

Another example is a fire that occurred last September at a club in Nagoya, which resulted in a hostess and a male customer receiving severe burns. “The media reported that fire was due to the club not paying a security fee to the yakuza,” explains one street tout. “But rumors were circulating that the club’s competitors were behind it. That particular chain of clubs was known for not paying. Since the market is small in Nagoya, without yakuza, there can be no order.”

Club organizers are also worried. “Yakuza members are ready to take care of trouble. So if they are not around no one will follow the ‘no drugs and fights’ rule at any particular event,” explains a DJ. “If drugs are deliberately left in the bathroom area (by a competitor), knowing that the police will come in to check, the whole club will be busted. It is simply not feasible to run a club without yakuza protection.”

An investigator from a prefectural police agency responsible for yakuza activities feels short-changed. “I am frustrated by this initiative from top management,” the source says. “What is most risky is that the gangsters will become no longer visible. The relationships we’ve had with key members for exchanging information regarding organizational structures, schedules, and locations are to be no more.”

Elimination of boryokudan will actually take some matters into high risk areas, with the sale of drugs being an example.

“There is no order with regard to illicit drugs,” explains one pusher. “Without the yakuza, there will be a higher volume of low quality drugs circulating. We can only sell cheap blends to middle school kids and high school kids. But undesirable foreigners will sell to even elementary school kids.”

Secret banking and fraud, too, may get ugly without yakuza involvement. “Yakuza gangs make sure not to kill those in debt to loan sharks,” explains one underground loan broker. “But without them, it may get to a point where those involved will go after the borrowers to sell their organs or murder them for life insurance fraud. We will no longer be able to call it soft finance.”

Funding for surviving boryokudan groups will as well become more closed but not extinct. “Yakuza front company will have to be disclosed,” says one senior gang member. “But in the Kansai area yakuza money is spread wide, from bento companies to the construction industry. In Kanto, it’s from real estate to online shopping. This money is also invested in major construction companies, used by private investors, and provided to organizers of underground fighting games. They will only become more clever in terms of how they play the masquerade with their front companies.”

Organizations such as Kanto-rengo, which received media attention following last year’s drunken brawl of Ebizo Ichikawa, could take up some boryokdan activities since they are not registered as organized crime entities.

“With boryokudan groups gone,” says another investigator, “there is a concern that these entities could be the source of problems. They have some older guys who teach their younger members the tools of the trade. Vertical relationships in their hierarchy are much more loose in comparison to boryokudan groups. It could lead to chaos. Once the boryokudan groups are eliminated, they could do anything, including targeting ordinary citizens at random.”

Roppongi and Shinjuku still maintain a sense of order even with the influx of undesirable foreigners as yakuza gangs are still in control. “It is Ikebukuro that is becoming like a Chinatown,” says the same senior-level gang member first quoted in the article. “Okubo became Koreatown around it’s border. The locals are free to do whatever. With undesirable foreigners, there will be more drugs and stealing.

“Yakuza gangs have to find ways to survive,” the source continues, “so they may welcome undesirable foreigners onto their turf depending on the area.”

One may postulate that boryokudan groups are totally fading, but that is not so, the magazine concludes. “If they are being underestimated, they will use the lives of ordinary citizens to display their power. In the past, when a shooting resulted in injuries to ordinary citizens, this would be followed by arrests of yakuza members who had agreed to internally report to the police. Now that will be no longer the case.” (K.N.)

Source: “Boryokudan haijo de chian ga akka shita,” Spa! (January 25, pages 26-27)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

President Ryuhi Hayashi (62) of the Kanagawa Prefecture-based firm was taken into custody on Saturday for operating a “girl’s bar” in Yokohama without a proper license under the nationwide Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.

Annual revenue from the company’s 36 hostess and karaoke clubs, located primarily located in Kanagawa, is estimated at 5 billion yen.

With the economy still in a tailspin, the weekly tabloid explains that it is important to understand that customers are still tight with their spending.

“Restaurant businesses in Japan typically provide a wide variety of choices,” says a reporter from the economic section of a national newspaper. “But offering good-tasting dishes alone is not enough to attract customers. With deflation ongoing, price competition is very tense, and services need to be designed such that they go beyond what has been in the past.”

The “girl’s izakaya,” which is an establishment characterized by waitresses with exposed midriffs, is now garnering attention.

Tokyo’s Kanda district appears to be a decent place to get a taste, so to speak. At Izakaya Tsubasa, the female servers serve pork dishes while outfitted in an “army look,” which means very skimpy camouflage skirts and tops. Also in Kanda is Izakaya Anzu, where signed photos of the waitresses are available as souvenirs.

If mini-skirted kimono gals are your preference, then Shinjuku’s Komachi is a good option. But if you find shirt sleeves a tad confining, stop inside Izakaya Sakura Project, where the ladies are bare from finger to shoulder. Got a thing for nurses? Well, then head down to Osaka’s Izakaya 1969, where white-uni-clad gals offer beer and a menu similar to that of a hospital.

“The price range is reasonable,” says a managing director at one of the izakayas, “and these places are popular among those who cannot afford girl’s bars and kyabakura joints. While there is no intimate hospitality, customers are allowed to enjoy casual talk with young and sexy ladies.”

Shukan Jitsuwa (Jan. 6) covers similar territory but digs a bit deeper to find a few places that are more interactive. At Peachs John in Tokyo’s Tachikawa district, guests ordering the “marshmallow catch” are entitled to snatch a sugary treat that has been suspended from the crotch area of a hostess.

Shukan Taishu adds that securing staff at one of these outlets is a challenge. “Good looks and an outgoing personality are important,” explains another managing director. “We only find 2 or 3 suitable gals out of ten we interview. These qualities are something we cannot compromise upon.” (K.N.)

Source: “Ichido ha itte mitai 20 uniiku izakaya,” Shukan Taishu (Jan. 3)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

Not surprisingly, reports Nikkan Gendai (Nov. 13), the hard times have made life all the more difficult for the hostesses who toil in Ginza’s clubs, and more than a few have found themselves facing financial failure.

At the end of 2009, cabaret and club workers joined forces to form the Kyabakura Union, an affiliate of the Freelance Worker’s Union, which has undertaken negotiations on behalf of 38 former shop employees.

In one such case, three former hostesses at a pricey Ginza club went so far as to sue their former employer in the Tokyo District Court, demanding 4.3 million yen in unpaid back wages.

“I didn’t receive any salary for the first seven months of this year,” one of the litigants told the tabloid.

According to the terms of the hostess’ employment when she was recruited last December, she was to receive 46,000 yen for working three and a half hours per evening (slightly more than 13,000 yen per hour). But hostesses who fail to meet quotas or whose customers are in arrears on their bills are subjected to fines or are otherwise penalized.

What’s more, the shops typically deduct certain nominal expenditures from hostesses’ wages, such as the cost for toilet paper and bathroom deodorizer, which can add up to as much as 30,000 yen per month.

To make matters worse, business this year has been terrible.

“The shop paid me no salary at all since January,” one hostess told Nikkan Gendai. “They claimed that unless I paid them the money I owed — for those fines, penalties and so on — they weren’t obliged to pay my salary. Even for Ginza, this treatment is exceptionally severe.”

The hostess went on to relate a tale of woe, which culminated in eviction from her residence for failure to pay rent.

The attorney representing the club lambasted the hostesses for “one-sidedly bad-mouthing the club at a press conference.”

According to a hostess union representative, to escape their financial liabilities quite a few Ginza establishments are engaging in such underhanded stratagems as shutting the shop and filing for bankruptcy, after which they re-open under a different name.

“In such cases, the girls who previously worked there are just discarded,” the rep says. (K.S.)

Source: “Ginza hosutesu zankoku monogatari,” Nikkan Gendai (Nov. 13, page 5)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

The tabloid cites the entertainment areas of Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Shibuya as common hot spots. Many young females migrate from the countryside and must offer sharp discounts, or gekiyasu enko, as slashed bonuses for salaried workers have become the norm.

Seated on a street corner is a 19-year-old from Niigata Prefecture. “I came to Tokyo to earn money for one week,” says the brown-haired girl. “I have only have a few hundred yen. Tonight I can’t find anyone. If someone will pay 5,000 yen and the hotel fee that’s acceptable…”

In Shibuya, the writer finds a deeply tanned female in a miniskirt. She does not offer sex, only hand-jobs, and handles five customers a day. Referred to as tekoki enko, the service costs 3,000 yen a pull.

Oftentimes, however, the girls will abstain from independent contracting and utilize agents, who entice prospective talent with rates of 50,000-yen per day. On websites or through ads in evening sports newspapers, the pimps will collect clients interested in Lolita-like lasses and arrange a deri heru, or call-girl, setup at a love hotel.

“A high school girl and can get 50,000 yen a day,” explains a writer for a national daily. “For a middle school girl it’s around 70,000 yen. But recently elementary school girls have been able to fetch 120,000 yen for one shot.”

The money is just one thing, says the writer. The girls also find the arrangement safer than working solo as the chances for trouble from an uncooperative client are reduced.

“If the police crack down on one organized service,” continues the source, “there will always be another ready to serve. There are so many students out on summer vacation.”

Cafes described as deai-kei establishments oftentimes will specialize in matching hookers with Johns. Girls enter free and can enjoy surfing the Web or reading manga comics. Guys observe their activities through a one-way mirror and then choose a girl who meets their fancy. The couple will then move to another booth and talk for 10 minutes. If an agreement is brokered, the guy will pay a fee to the cafe and transportation costs to the girl before heading out on a date.

Once summer vacation starts, Shukan Jitsuwa notes, the cafes are at full capacity.

“Most deai cafes are just for prostitution purposes,” explains fuzoku writer Yukio Murakami. “Probably 70 to 80 percent of the girls will allow sex if the money is right.”

The magazine then moves on to a street filled with kyabakura clubs, which offer hostess services, to examine the swindling of university students.

Waseda, Rikkyo, Meiji and Gakushuin universities are usually well represented but nowadays Tsuda College and Aoyama Gakuin University, known as “princess” schools since girls from wealthy families often attend, are entering the picture.

The con takes place at the recruitment stage. Students will be offered a generic kyabakura role only to later find out that the establishment is a sekukyaba,, where the kissing and fondling of exposed breasts is offered, or ichakyaba, in which touching takes place through worn garments.

“Even when they find out that touching and kissing are allowed they won’t quit because they are getting paid,” says a kyabakura employee. “It’s easy to trick them because they don’t know how the night world works.”

Runaways, it seems, have it no better. Wayward females will post requests for lodging on online sites. “In the postings, they’ll use the word kami (god) to describe the potential suitor but really he is an okami (wolf),” explains an editor at a fuzoku rag. “Since no one will offer free lodging, they are going to want sex. And since they are runaways, they have no means of recourse if there is a problem. I know of one girl that wound up shooting up on dope and got raped.”

Speaking of drugs, the use of shabu is escalating at an alarming rate, reports the magazine. Inexperienced girls will try it for the first time at a club, perhaps in Shibuya. “The girls will be told by a seller that they can get high on MDMA for 5,000 yen,” says a person in the club industry. “MDMA is a drug that enhances sexual pleasure, and one hit could lead to repeated use.”

Law enforcement authorities tell the tabloid that summer can be the start of a dangerous descent. “They might think that they are doing enko ‘only for summer vacation,’” says a source related to the police. “But that is just the beginning. There could be stress so they might go to a host club. They might also start up with drugs, pile up debts, get mentally sick or suffer a physical ailment. Life can get bizarre. It’s dangerous earning money in the sex trade, and it’s best to be on guard.” (A.T.)

Source: “Nettaiya ni ugomeku aoise wo uru shojotachi michaku 24ji,” Shukan Jitsuwa (Aug. 19, pages 52-54)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.