There are a lot of associations to be made when “Shinjuku” is mentioned. Aside from being a major commercial center in Japan, it is also where the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is located. And let’s not forget about Shinjuku Station, which is the busiest railway station IN THE WORLD. (Honestly, I was overwhelmed at how maze-like and vast it was.) But let me talk about our peek into Kabukicho, that part of Shinjuku which has gained the rep of being the “red-light district” of Tokyo. And that is where we stayed on our brief stop in Tokyo. *phew*
We had three nights in Tokyo before heading off to Yamanashi for our Mt. Fuji climb and, primarily for convenience, we chose the Shinjuku area for our accommodations, because (1) the Expressway Bus Terminal where we’d take the bus bound for Mt. Fuji Station is conveniently located at the Shinjuku Station, and (2) I haven’t been to Shinjuku on my prior Japan trip, so.
Jumping into Shinjuku’s Maze
We arrived in Shinjuku Station late in the afternoon, and it was quite an adventure navigating the maze-like Station, with our carriers and backpacks, trying to locate the correct exit.
Just to give you an idea… Shinjuku Station has more than 200 exits.
We got there close to the rush hour, so the human traffic made it even more of a challenge. This pic below was taken on an early morning, in a relatively un-crowded part of this labyrinthine railway station.
Characteristic of stations, there are underground arcades with shops selling food and various odds and ends. Just check out these prawns presented so nicely. I think this was taken after a day spent at Tokyo DisneySea (which I talked about in this post).
Honestly, walking around these food displays, I feel like pounds are piling on even if I’m not eating a morsel of them. They just look so pretty, and colorful, and yummy, and delicious…
…and sinful. Sinfully fattening.
Outside the Station building, there are a lot of tall commercial buildings, and you can tell right away why this district earned fame as the entertainment center in Tokyo. Those pachinko and slot places can definitely be found at almost every turn.
Entertainment Hub(bub)
Aside from shops and food places, there are several noteworthy places around the Station that you will find mentioned and recommended in most travel guides. On one of our wanderings around the area, we passed by the Samurai Museum Shinjuku. We didn’t go in, though.
When it comes to entertainment in Shinjuku, the Robot Restaurant is another place you’d see on lists of places-to-see in this area. Considered one of the main attractions of the Kabukicho area, the Robot Restaurant is NOT actually a restaurant. Well, not strictly. It’s more like a theater, with staged shows, and the promise of giving you the one of the “wildest shows on earth”, presumably featuring robots, laser lights, performers, dancers in costume… I suggest you check out this review for an idea.
We didn’t go in, as well, because we weren’t really all that interested. And dang, the tickets for show admission have way steep prices!
The Robot Restaurant was in our route to and from our accommodations to the Station, and this is what the area looked like in the morning, when this particular area is still “asleep”.
Walking around the area in the morning, it’s easy to think that you’re in a typical neighborhood where people live, surrounded by various stores and shops that you’d find in any street in cities. There aren’t a lot of people about, and the few people you’d meet look just like the usual strangers you’d find on any city street.
That is, of course, until you pay closer attention to the signs on several storefronts, and on the billboards.
I was reading a blog about a certain journalist spending time in Kabukicho – really going into its seediest and shadiest sections – and I’d have to agree that this place could easily be heaven for those seeking sexual stimulation or satisfaction (of their curiosity). Or both.
(If you’re interested about that journalist experience, here it is.)
You see, these buildings also happen to “house” business establishments such as hostess bars, host or gigolo bars, love hotels, and what-have-you.
Things definitely change, and the place transforms, when it gets dark.
A Glimpse of the Dark Side of Kabukicho
Or the bright side, depending on how you look at it.
Because the place sure becomes alive with lights and a myriad of sounds that, to the unaccustomed, can be overwhelming. When the crowds of people are added to the mix, it’s easy to get lost in the maze-like streets and alleyways.
Lord knows we had quite a hard time finding our accommodations that first night, and it did not help that we were also lugging our stuff with us.
And with too many lights and signs blinking at us at every turn, most of them NOT in English, yeah… getting confused and lost is a bit understandable. Expected, even.
Maybe it was because it was still between 7 and 8 when we were walking around, but the invitations we got while walking through the streets were those for meals and some refreshments inside their places of business. A bit later, and there would be different staff members, in different garbs and with different miens, inviting people from the street to come inside their “bars” or “offices” for some “fun”.
You get what I mean, right?
One night we went home quite late, close to 10pm, and we spotted groups of loud, inebriated males – all in office suits toting briefcases – stumble out of buildings, accompanied by ladies in tight dresses and killer heels. Or groups of ladies entering an establishment, led by the handsome and dapper young men waiting for them by the door, and they would be tittering and tinkling with high-pitched laughter, obviously looking forward to what they’d find inside.
Yeah, that kind of fun.
Kabukicho is the heart of the host or hostess business, and we saw many proof of that. There were large billboards featuring men – all primed and primped – with inviting smirks and smoldering gazes.
Just to give an idea how lucrative it must be for a male gigolo, there were also places with open invitation to a “meet-and-greet” with a guy named Yuichi, or maybe Ren.
A few times we saw flashy cars pass by on the streets, driven by young men that resemble those men on the boards and posters. And once or twice, there’s an older woman riding shotgun beside them.
It felt weird, to be on the other side of the fence. You see, generally, I live in a world where women are objectified. It’s the general norm, isn’t it? But then I found myself in a place where it is the men who are objectified.
And it felt… strange, somehow.
At that time, I wondered out loud how a man (someone removed from this “culture”, so to speak) would feel standing on this street, seeing all those billboards of men promising “romance”. I want to ask him how it feels to find your shoe on the other foot.
I’m not one to judge. I don’t want to. I like to think that I am one who keeps an open mind. They might go against my principles, but I also accept that reality often do not coincide with one’s beliefs.
So it was interesting, enlightening, and truly fascinating to get this glimpse of Tokyo’s red light district. It’s just the very tip of a long fingernail (an arm, even) of what Kabukicho truly is, but it was enough of an eye-opener. At least, for me. I don’t need to go to the lengths that the Australian journalist did to know that there is more beneath the already seedy surface I am seeing.
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