In October 2009 White Rabbit Press director and producer of Tokyo Realtime: Kabukicho Max Hodges was called upon by German TV channel NDR for a tour of the Tokyo neighbourhood.
No, we’re not waffling on about the cult movie Sin City, we’re talking Kabukicho, the lively area in Tokyo the authorities are desperately trying to clean up. It’s notorious for hostesses, bars, mobsters and love hotels, but it’s a defiantly feral affair not willing to be gentrified. Now, out this year, is a nightime audio guide for tourists. We put it to the test. The verdict? The area hasn’t dimmed its red lights yet. We weaved through the alleys and streets, admiring the Dickensian looking host-boys with their bleached mullets and pointy shoes and learning about the area’s history. And, despite the saki devoured, thanks to our generous hosts at a restaurant beforehand, we only missed one street. Strongly recommended for an esoteric view of the capital.
A couple things have changed in the neighborhood which have a minor affect on the tour. Until we are able to update the audio contents, because we aware of the following:
1. Sky Heart has closed. Sky Heart was an imaginative, airline-themed, adult entertainment business which the tour discusses briefly. It’s located on the Kabukicho tour map at Map Marker #3. Please stop when the narrator says stop, but you will no longer be able to see the sign for Sky Heart at this location.
2. Host Club Casanova has changed it’s name. Located on the tour at Map Marker #11, this host club still exists, but the name is now Aida Honten, now written in kanji above the door. The tour audio says to look for the pink neon sign which says Casanova, but this sign is no longer there. Just stop half-a-block before you get to the Lawson convenience store, and you’ll find the club on your left.
Please let us know if you find any more changes in the neighborhood which affect the tour experience!
The authorities are cleaning up Tokyo’s red light district for the city’s 2016 Olympic bid. But a new audio tour seeks to dispel stereotypes about the area
As I recently reported, Tokyo’s authorities have stepped up their campaign to turn Japan’s biggest red-light district, Kabukicho, into somewhere visitors can take the children without corrupting them for good. With Japan eager to host the 2016 Olympics and the city’s governor keen to clean away sleaze and crime, the ramshackle collection of ageing buildings housing bars and clubs catering to every sexual proclivity is in the authorities’ firing line.
But Kabukicho is an asault on the senses that no visitor to Tokyo should miss and, thankfully, for older tourists curious about the underbelly of one of the world’s major cities, the big clean-up is encountering fierce resistance from the locals.
To help visitors find their way around the maze of narrow streets occupying a tiny, but expensive, chunk of prime Tokyo real estate, Max Hodges, the American expat founder of White Rabbit Press, spent more than a year trawling every inch of Kabukicho to produce an audio package he describes as “a museum guide, only outdoors”.
“Kabukicho’s one of the most fascinating parts of Tokyo,” Hodges says on the website. “It has an interesting history and the most diverse kinds of places, and there are a lot of real characters in the area. You see a lot of hysterical stuff here … It’s almost a carnival-like atmosphere.” Read the rest of this entry »
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TOKYO REALTIME is a series of audio guided tours for Tokyo neighborhoods. The first tour is for Shinjuku’s notorious Kabukicho entertainment district. Simply transfer the audio program to any portable mp3 player and listen while you follow the route on the included map. The carefully researched tour mixes narration and interview content with recorded street sounds and music. You learn about the area’s people and places as well as the area’s history and compelling culture from various angles. The beautifully designed package includes a booklet of area photography.
TOKYO REALTIME: Kabukicho
2,100 yen
White Rabbit Press
www.whiterabbitpress.com/