The crackdown on happening bars and clubs in Tokyo sadly continues. Even, as in this case, if they have been around for years. Such venues are places for swinging and tend to be members-only, though this is usually bypassed by making people members when they pay a fee at the entrance. The legal issue comes with public indecency, since people are engaged in sexual activities in a place accessible to the public like a bar or club. A way to circumvent the law against indecent exposure is to have private playrooms. The happening bar was 9259 in Shinjuku, which made a nominal claim at being a ...

A self-employed man from Nagoya was arrested by Aichi police on May 30 on suspicion of violating the anti-prostitution law. According to Japanese media reports, the 50-year-old man is accused of holding sex parties at hotels. The man organized over 50 such gatherings of men and women between September 2021 and around December 2022, usually involving half a dozen or so people each time. The male participants paid from ¥10,000 to ¥15,000 to join a session, though there was no charge for the women. Participants were part of an online club or organization of people who wanted to take part ...

One of the biggest news stories last week, at least in our adult-flavored orbit, was the arrest of several people on allegations of organizing orgies in Tokyo. Five men and women are accused of holding swinger parties where members of the public would pay to have sex with each other. The charges related to breaches of the prostitution law: organizers are accused of prostituting the female attendees by recruiting them for the parties. It is reported that they made ¥650 million (the equivalent at current exchange rates of $4.6 million) in 10 years by holding over a dozen such events in a ...

We fondly remember the days when it was relatively easy to visit happening bars. Sadly, those times when such establishments were widely known and could be frequented in central areas like Shinjuku or Shibuya now feel distant, largely due to a police crackdown that closed many down or scared others off. Further proof that the police won't tolerate businesses that allow members of the public to have sex with each other appeared this month. Media reported on May 9 that police had busted a Shibuya happening bar called Sleeping Beauty. An incredible eleven separate police districts as well ...

When does an orgy become a crime? If it's group sex among consenting adults, there should be no issue, right? That's today's legal conundrum. One man in Japan found himself arrested for hosting an orgy (in Japanese, ranko party). So what was his crime? Strangely enough, it was fraud. He had booked a hotel room in Fukuoka for two people, but then ended up with eleven guests (eight men, three women) in the room in January. He should have paid for eleven guests to stay, but only paid for two, hence his arrest. The man recruited participants in the orgy online. There was the possibility ...

A new film is about to be released that promises, so its marketers say, to have only 18 minutes of clothed scenes in its 123-minute running time. Ai no Uzu (Love's Whirlpool) is written and directed by Daisuke Miura, adapted from his award-winning 2006 play that won him the top drama prize in Japan and has since been performed in Europe. It depicts a Kabukicho sex club where singletons and couples gather to share their bodies. Miura is no stranger to visiting such establishments himself, so the rumors have it, so no doubt the portrayal is realistic. The play and film are less ...