Strong yen increases Korean prostitutes in Tokyo

Economic conditions can have unexpected results.

Any nighttime wanderer up Shibuya’s Dogenzaka, passing the eateries, convenience stores and family restaurants, may have been approached by woman — not usually the youngest — asking if they want a “massage”. Of course, this actually means a handjob or blow job, or maybe even full service. They hang around in small groups; sometimes a sleazy pimp is nearby.

The fact that they are even asking white foreigners shows that the recession is taking its toll. And I’ve always loved that the police station is in full sight and no one does a thing. These ladies, after all, are no working solo but have the protection of an, ahem, larger organization.

Of course, you can tell from their faces and accents that these ladies are Chinese or Korean. Most Japanese prostitutes — even call girls and full-service ladies — don’t hang around on street corners, since strictly speaking the full deal is illegal (hence why and soaplands sex parlors can be in such plain sight, as they officially do not offer penetration). You are taking a risk by being out in the open and anyway, it’s surely not pleasant anyway to screw salarymen all day, let alone advertising that you do it.

The Koreans are now said to be outnumbering the Chinese, since the strong yen is attracting woman hoping to make a fortune in the land of the rising currency.

Brokers in the peninsular bring the woman over on tourist visas, valid for ninety days. Korean police (the Japanese ones apparently aren’t interested!) recently investigated one broker who is said to have brought in over ten thousand women.

The brothels and fuzoku around Ugusuidani, an area in northeast Tokyo famed for its gazillion love hotels and sex parlors, apparently employs the most Koreans. The broker rents a small building — presumably in connection with the yakuza — and there his “staff” share accommodation.

After undergoing “tests” with Japanese men and building up a “profile”, they then work the streets or in a fuzoku. The woman typically take a forty percent cut of the cost of a session. Seems like they might make a sweet profit but remember, they have to pay back the broker’s costs: air far, board, phone rental, photography, maybe even plastic surgery. They are often in debt by several thousands of dollars. Lured by ads telling them they can earn up twenty thousand dollars a month, in fact it’s far, far less. They are in short, the unsung, unnoticed laborers supporting the Japanese recession.