Parco, a leading department store chain in Japan, has issued an apology after it used a "sex booth" to promote an event. The installation was decked out in the style of the "free information" kiosks (muryo annaijo) that are found in certain city districts for providing listings, referrals, and recommendations about various forms of sex services (fuzoku), including blowjob parlors, delivery health, and soaplands, and also hostess clubs and girls bars. Though less common as they were in the days before everyone had access to the internet on their phones, such adult booths are still found in ...

Around the end of December, people started tweeted about a "worrying" new development in Akihabara, the Tokyo district known for electronics and otaku culture. The restaurant Kitchen Jiro has been replaced by a "free guidance place" (muryo annaijo) -- essentially a sex industry information center, where you can get introductions on nearby soaplands, massage parlors, and other types of brothels. Such modestly sized places are common in areas like Kabukicho or Ikebukuro in Tokyo, Namba in Osaka, or just about any downtown area in a major Japanese city. Does this, as people seem convinced, ...

If you have ever walked up Shibuya's Dogenzaka, the hill that leads you to the love hotel district and at night is populated by Chinese street prowlers, you may have noticed this muryo annaijo (literally, free information/guidance point). There are lots of these kinds of stations around. They act as portals where you can get information (e.g., phone numbers) for prostitutes and other kinds of sex services, hostesses, and so on. But this particularly conspicuous one stands out not least for its location, size and prominence as the bizarre pet shop Baby Doll right next door. Talk about ...