Shinjuku Red Light District

On the evening of the bike tour, we had a walking tour of the Shinjuku redlight district w Suemi, a sweet local young woman, who told us about its history and laws and showed us its hideaways. The Omoide Yokocho is an alleyway of tiny Izakayas that was once a black market right after WWII. It evolved into a favorite place for locals to go for a drink until it became overrun with tourists. It still has a festive atmosphere. Locals switched to a new spot for izakayas that doesn't have the same charm as Omoide Yokocho, but it's still under development and is not teeming with tourists.

Kabuki-cho was named so because it was supposed to be a district for kabuki shows. Though that plan fell through, the area is known for entertainment, mostly of the adult variety, and is run by the Japanese mafia. Prostitution is illegal with a big loophole: if the buyer of services states they have fallen in love with the service provider, touching on the body becomes legal. Most services are for men, but there are many young men who host women, sometimes three at a time sitting across from each other on couches, while the man moves from couch to couch chatting with each, telling her that SHE is his real girlfriend. Ugh! Affordable daycare is available for women who work as prostitutes. Love hotels are extremely popular, not just for prostitution but for regular couples who need space for an hour, since many live with their parents. There's even a shrine in the district designed specifically to pray for money since that's what many who live and work in the area are there for.

Though there's something refreshing about the acceptance of sex in the culture and ways of supporting those who find themselves in the industry, I still left the tour feeling sick about the facade of connection that's being peddled.

Afterwards, we had giant bowls of udon with curry that were delicious.

Two fun facts:
1) Shinjuku station is the busiest in the world with 3.5 million people passing through each day. 😲
2) Smoking on the street is illegal and can only be done at home or in designated spots around the city. And believe us, you don't want to be near those spots. 😖Baca selengkapnya