Do you know how prostitution works in Japan? How to find escorts? Is prostitution in Japan prohibited? In this article, we will see some curiosities and information about prostitution and its history in Japan.
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Is prostitution banned in Japan?
Since 1956 there has been a law banning prostitution in Japan, but people find gaps, loopholes and interpretations in the laws that allow the sex industry to thrive in the country, generating more than 2.3 trillion a year.
Japan defines prostitution as sexual intercourse with an unknown individual in exchange for payment. To get around this, companies and brothels offer sex massages and other services that do not involve sex as a pretext.
That's why it's common in Japan to have places where you pay to talk to a woman, pay to bathe or dance. There are bars where you pay to feel only the breasts of Japanese women, other places offer unusual services.
Of course, most official massage parlors offer full service in the dark. Because there is no way to supervise it well. Hundreds of suspicious places circle the neighborhood of Tokyo and other cities.
The history of prostitution in Japan
The sex industry in Japanese is called fuzoku [風俗] which can be literally translated to style [風] vulgar [俗] or simply as manners, customs, and public morals. This word encompasses exactly any indecent service.
Be careful that the word fuzoku also has meanings not related to prostitution or sex. Another word that can also refer to the sex industry is mizu sobai [水商売] and also the word that refers to prostitution prohibited by law baishunfu [売春].
Unlike what some may think, geishas have nothing to do with prostitution. In reality, becoming a geisha was a way for women to have a respectable job and not succumb to prostitution, which was very prevalent at that time.
Women in Japan lived many years in slavery. Prostitution in Japan became popular with Chinese, Koreans, Europeans, Africans and other foreigners buying young Japanese women and making them sex slaves on their ships.
Right in the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Shogunate restricted prostitution to areas called yuukaku [遊廓], with the most famous being Yoshiwara in Tokyo, Shinmachi in Osaka, and Shimabara in Kyoto. The prostitutes were called yujo [遊女].
The deception of prostitution in Japan
One of the biggest deceptions is that many of the prostitutes who work in Japan are not legitimate Japanese. In 2003 alone, more than 150,000 non-Japanese women were reported to be involved in prostitution in Japan.
Many companies and massage parlors hire Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Thai women to work in these places. It turns out that many foreigners get involved with an Asian woman thinking she is Japanese.
As prostitution is officially banned in Japan, many industries use sexual impulses to sell alternative things that do not satisfy the appetite but become addictive, like hostess where you pay to talk to girls.
Sex toys, erotic and animated videos, provocative banners, practically a lot is done to compensate for the surface of the country's prostitution and the false purity that the Japanese want to present. Some even pay simply to have their ears cleaned with a cotton swab by a pretty young woman.
Others end up addicted to Snack bars, places where skilled young waitresses use their lips to seduce customers and make them spend more and more money in the false hope of having a night with them.
Prostitution in massage parlors
Massage parlors are very successful in Japan. Some Japanese people work a lot and need a place to relax, whether inside an onsen or a specialized massage parlor. There are different massage establishments throughout Japan, some unisex, others exclusively for women, etc.
Some of these massage establishments may offer the famous “sex massage” which consists of a massage that can include the genitals of both parties. Usually this service is usually booked over the internet at a hotel.
If you visit neighborhoods like Kabukichou you may find suspicious men inviting you to these places. They usually charge 10,000 yen for erotic massage and probably have their own establishments.
Hardly a massage parlor will freely advertise these services, but you can tell from the price and the provocative posters. Although erotic massage is not prohibited by the prostitution law, many industries use it to sell sex on the sly.
Usually when you hire a girl to do erotic massage, she can probably agree to have sex if you pay an additional fee. She can also charge specific amounts for each different thing you want. You will probably easily spend over 20,000 yen for these services.
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How to find escorts in Japan?
As already mentioned, you can easily find dates without sex just to have someone to talk to. If you want to find a companion to have sex, the easiest thing would be to go to the red light districts and massage parlors.
The best way to find an escort is to search the internet for sites that feature these girls and make an appointment with them. You can also use Google Maps and search for [風俗店] (fuuzokuten) to find desired places.
Beware of strangers offering these services on the street, particularly in neighborhoods like kabukichou. I'm not going to recommend any specific place, because I hate this kind of practice, I'm writing just to solve the curious.
Hope you enjoyed the article. If you liked it share and leave your comments. Be very careful where you go in Japan. Many are yakuza members or could end up getting you in jail (very rare).