is an entertainment district in
Shinjuku
, officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...
,
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, Japan. Kabukichō is considered a
red-light district
A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...
with a high concentration of
host and hostess clubs
A hostess club is a type of night club found primarily in Japan which employs mostly female staff and caters to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. Host clubs are a similar type of establishment where mostly male staff attend to women ...
,
love hotel
A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing guests privacy for sex. The name originates from "Hotel Love" in Osaka, Japan. Although love hotels exist all over the world, the ...
s, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, and is often called the .
Shinjuku Golden Gai, famous for its plethora of small bars, is part of Kabukichō.
The district's name comes from late-1940s plans to build a
kabuki
is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
theater, and although the theater was never built, the name stuck.
The area has many movie theaters, and is located near
Shinjuku Station
is a major railway station in Tokyo, Japan, that serves as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central/eastern Tokyo (the Special wards of Tokyo, special wards) and Western Tokyo on the inter-city rail, commuter rail, and rapid tr ...
,
Seibu Shinjuku Station, and several other major railway and subway stations.
History

Originally, the area was known as and was a swamp. After the
Meiji Period
The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
, the area became a duck sanctuary. As the Yodobashi Purification Plant was built in 1893, the ponds were filled in. In 1920, a girls' school was built there, and the surroundings were developed into a residential area. Prior to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the district was one of the areas open to non-mainland property owners (primarily from the colonies in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
and
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
), who mainly operated , predecessors to today's
love hotel
A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing guests privacy for sex. The name originates from "Hotel Love" in Osaka, Japan. Although love hotels exist all over the world, the ...
s.
[
During the war, a ]bombing raid
Strategic bombing is a systematically organized and executed military attack from the air which can utilize strategic bombers, long- or medium-range missiles, or nuclear-armed fighter-bomber aircraft to attack targets deemed vital to the enemy' ...
on April 13, 1945, razed the area to the ground.[ After the war, Kihei Suzuki from the Shinjuku Revitalization Land Readjustment Union worked with the major landowner, Mohei Mineshima to draw up plans for Kiku-za, a kabuki theatre, in the area; they believed that performers from the ]Kabuki-za
in Ginza is the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional ''kabuki'' drama form.
History
The Kabuki-za was originally opened by a Meiji era journalist, Fukuchi Gen'ichirō. Fukuchi wrote kabuki dramas in which Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and o ...
theatre in Ginza would accept their invitation to perform at Kiku-za.[ As a result, Hideaki Ishikawa, a regional planner, dubbed the town Kabukichō, which was adopted on April 1, 1948. Although the theatre was cancelled due to financial problems, the name remained. The (to the south, in Shibuya), movie theater, Tokyo Ice Skating Rink, and ]Shinjuku Koma Theater
The was a major theatre in the Kabukichō, Tokyo, Kabukichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The theatre opened in 1956 and it had a capacity of 2,088 seats. It was demolished in 2009. The Toho Shinjuku Building currently stands on the theater ...
were all completed in 1956, cementing the area's reputation as an entertainment center.
Kabukichō was quickly redeveloped after the war, mainly due to the efforts of the overseas Chinese in Japan who bought land left unused after the expos and greatly developed them. The "three most renowned overseas Chinese of Kabukicho" include the founder of Humax, Lin Yi-wen, who started his business with a cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
; Lin Tsai-wang, who built the Fūrin Kaikan; and Lee Ho-chu, owner of the Tokyo Hotel Chinese restaurant
A Chinese restaurant is a restaurant that serves Chinese cuisine. Most of them are in the Cantonese cuisine, Cantonese style, due to the history of the Overseas Chinese, Chinese diaspora, though other Chinese regional cuisine, regional cuisin ...
. In 2002, it was estimated that 70% of the land in Kabukichō was owned by foreign-born Japanese residents and their descendants.[ The rise of home video entertainment decreased the demand for live performances and film theaters, and Kabukichō became home to a number of video arcades, discos, and (businesses offering sexual services).]
, a portrait photographer who took pictures and sold prints back to his subjects for a modest , documented the citizens of Kabukichō during this transition period in the 1960s and 1970s. His portraits of Kabukichō residents received critical attention and praise from fellow photographers, and are today exhibited in museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
. In 1971, , a former mattress salesman, opened "Club Ai", the first host club
A hostess club is a type of night club found primarily in Japan which employs mostly female staff and caters to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. Host clubs are a similar type of establishment where mostly male staff attend to women. ...
in Kabukichō; at its peak, Aida's company reported billion in annual revenue.[
By 1999, the area had been named "Asia's largest adult entertainment district", and tabloids were regularly running candid photographs of drunken Kabukichō patrons fighting and being arrested.][ However, starting in 2003, joint citizen and police patrols began enforcing business licensing,][ and the 1948 ]Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act
The , also known as or , is a law that regulates entertainment places in Japan.
History
* 1948: Creation of the law.
* April 1, 1959: Name change.
* August 14, 1984: Extension to some businesses before midnight.
* April 1998: Extension to so ...
was more strictly enforced as well starting in April 2004, forcing adult-themed businesses to start removing customers at midnight in preparation to close by 1 AM. Kabukichō leaders attributed the change in enforcement to Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara
was a Japanese politician and writer, who served as the Governor of Tokyo Metropolis, Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the Far-right politics, radical right Sunrise Party, later merged with Toru Hashimoto's Japan ...
and the Tokyo bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics
The Tokyo bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics was an unsuccessful bid, first recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on September 14, 2007. The IOC shortlisted four of the seven applicant cities—Chicago bid for the ...
.[ Today, the Kabukichō district has all the hallmarks of a red-light district, with over three thousand bars, nightclubs, love hotels, massage parlours, and hostess clubs.] However, there are no red lights in the literal sense with prostitutes in the windows as in Amsterdam.
With increased tourism from China and South Korea, tourists can now be seen in Kabukichō even during daytime. After several large hotels opened in the district, the Kabukicho Concierge Association was formed to recommend businesses that would be safe for foreign patrons, as the area is notorious for the practice known as , where some businesses add exorbitant hidden fees to bring the final bill well beyond the initial advertised prices.
File:Miranoza+Shinjuku Theatre+Shinjuku Odeon May1959.jpg, Tokyu Mirano-za (1959)
File:Shinjuku Theatre+Shinjuku Koma Feb1960.jpg, Shinjuku Koma, looking north from the east end of Cinecity Square (1960)
Geography and statistics
Kabukichō is generally bounded by:
* Railroad tracks (on the west)
* (on the south)
* (, on the east)
* (, on the north)
Notable locations
The red gate, near the southwest corner along Yasukuni-Dōri, is often photographed as the main entrance to Kabukichō. Other major entrances, east of Ichibangai-Dōri along Yasukuni-Dōri, include , where the Kabukichō branch of Don Quijote
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
* Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
* Don, Benin, a town in Benin
* Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, G ...
is; and another neon-lit arch at .
The Shinjuku Koma Theater was a landmark in Kabukichō. By 2008, it had moved to its third location; since it opened in 1956, it has hosted concerts and other performances by top stars, including singers Saburō Kitajima
is a Japanese enka singer, lyricist, actor and composer.
Background
He was born Minoru Ōno (大野 穣), in Shiriuchi, Hokkaidō, to a fisherman. He was very poor due to the effects of World War II, and was forced to work while he studied.
...
, Kiyoshi Hikawa
is a Japanese enka singer who was born on September 6, 1977, in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.[Hikawa Kiyoshi: Pr ...](_blank)
, and actor Ken Matsudaira
is a Japanese actor and musician from Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan. His real name is .
Career
In 1974, he joined Shintaro Katsu's production company and made his debut with the television series Zatoichi as a guest. For a quarter of a century, h ...
. The management announced that they would close after the December 31, 2008 show, and the building was demolished in 2009. The site was redeveloped and the Toho Shinjuku Building was completed there in 2014, including the 12-screen Toho Cinemas
is a Japanese movie theater company. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Toho Co., Ltd, it is the second-largest cinema chain in Japan by number of screens (after Aeon Cinema).
Overview
Virgin Cinemas Japan Ltd. was founded by Japanese-American ...
Shinjuku theatre and the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. A "life-size" replica
A replica is an exact (usually 1:1 in scale) copy or remake of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without ...
of Godzilla
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
(from the neck up) was added to an outdoor terrace in 2015; it has since become a local landmark.
The Tokyu Milano-za movie theater, just west of Cinecity Square, was the largest in Japan when it opened in 1956.[ The cinema showed many of the latest movies in Japan, including anime films. As well as a cinema, which had four screens at the time of closure, the Tokyu Milano-za complex also had a skate rink when it first opened which was converted into a bowling alley called the Milano Bowl a few years later, a Japanese restaurant (both the bowling alley and the Japanese restaurant closed alongside the cinema), a Chinese restaurant (closed in 2008), a fast food restaurant (Wimpy until the mid 1990s, Mos Burger afterwards; closed in 2011) and a casino. Its last day of operation was December 31, 2014, closing after a screening of the film '']E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...
''. A high skyscraper called the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower (which is being developed by the former owners of the Tokyu Milano) is built and was opened on 14 April 2023.
File:Kabukichō Ōme Kaidō bridge.jpg, The bridge over Ōme Kaidō
is one of the main roads leading westwards out of Tokyo. It begins in Shinjuku, passes through Ōme, and ends in Kōfu, Yamanashi.[yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...](_blank)
in Kabukichō, and 120 different enterprises under their control.[2004年1月19日竹花東京都副知事発言・歌舞伎町住民との懇談会]
Entering the new millennium, laws were more strictly enforced and patrols became more frequent. In addition, fifty closed-circuit camera
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal ...
s were installed in May 2002 after the Myojo 56 building fire that killed 44; the patrols and cameras reduced criminal activities in Kabukichō, amidst controversy.
Private citizens and government agencies launched a joint effort in July 2003, called the Shinjuku Shopping Center Committee to Expel Organized-Crime Groups, with the aim to replace unlicensed and adult-oriented businesses (which were believed to pay protection fees to organized crime groups) with legitimate businesses. In 2004, the police undertook an operation clamping down on illegal clubs and brothel
A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
s, causing many to go out of business. An amendment to the 1948 Adult Entertainment law made aggressive catching of female patrons by male hosts illegal.[ Also, the Kabukichō Renaissance organization started in April 2008 to rid Kabukichō of the yakuza; office manager Yoshihisa Shimoda stated " the end of the day, we want Kabukicho to be clean. We want security, safety and a pleasant environment."][
In 2011, Tokyo began to enforce the Organised Crime Exclusion Ordinance, which makes it a crime for businesses or individuals to deal with the yakuza. The punishment for violating the ordinance, which ranges up to one year in prison and a fine of , is intended to provide an excuse for refusing to make protection payments.
]
is a form of bait-and-switch
Bait-and-switch is a form of fraud used in retail sales but also employed in other contexts. First, the merchant "baits" the customer by advertising a product or service at a low price; then when the customer goes to purchase the item, they disco ...
, where patrons are attracted by a low advertised price but then charged numerous hidden fees. In one instance, a group of nine was lured into a bar under the promise the all-inclusive cost was (about in 2025); the hostesses inside consumed 172 drinks and the final bill was , over in 2025 dollars. The staff at the bar allegedly threatened the patrons to ensure payment. In 2015, there were 1,052 reported cases of in the first four months of the year alone, particularly targeting foreign tourists
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
from China and Korea, prompting a crackdown that began in May; in July, there were only 45 reported cases of and 28 bars had been shut down.
In 2007, local businessman Takeshi Aida founded the Shinjuku Kabukicho Host Club Anti-Organized Crime Gang Association to disassociate host and hostess club
A hostess club is a type of night club found primarily in Japan which employs mostly female staff and caters to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. Host clubs are a similar type of establishment where mostly male staff attend to women. ...
s from organized crime
Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...
, reduce the aggressive "catching" street solicitations, and eliminate the practice.[
]
Education
The Shinjuku City Board of Education operates public elementary and junior high schools.
Kabuki-cho 2-chome and a portion of Kabuki-cho 1-chome is zoned to and . Another portion of Kabuki-cho 1-chome is zoned to and .
In popular culture
Kabukichō has been featured in:
* ''Black Lagoon
''Black Lagoon'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rei Hiroe. It has been published in Shogakukan's manga magazine '' Monthly Sunday Gene-X'' since April 2002, with its chapters collected in ...
'' (manga)
* '' Case File nº221: Kabukicho'' (anime television series)
* ''City Hunter
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1985 to 1991, with its chapters collected in 35 volumes. The manga was adapte ...
'' (manga)
* ''Cells at Work! Code Black
Cell most often refers to:
* Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life
* Cellphone, a phone connected to a cellular network
* Clandestine cell, a penetration-resistant form of a secret or outlawed organization
* Electrochemical cell, a de ...
'' as
* ''Gintama
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in '' Jump Giga'' from December 2018 ...
'' (manga)
* '' Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle'' (multimedia project)
* '' Ichi the Killer'' (both film and manga)
* '' Lost in Translation'' 2003 film
* ''Enter the Void
''Enter the Void'' is a 2009 English-language art film written and directed by Gaspar Noé and starring Nathaniel Brown (actor), Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, and Cyril Roy. A Fantasy (genre), fantasy psychological drama set in the neon-lit ...
'' 2009 film
* ''Midnight Diner
Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours.
...
'' (Japanese TV series)
* '' Odd Taxi'' (anime)
* ''Persona 5
is a 2016 role-playing video game developed by P-Studio and published by Atlus. The game is the sixth installment in the ''Persona'' series, itself a part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise. It was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStat ...
'' (video game) as
* '' Shin Petshop of Horrors'' (manga)
* '' A Place Further than the Universe'' (anime)
* ''Tokyo Afterschool Summoners
, known also by the blend word ''Housamo'' (放サモ, derived from ''Tōkyō Hōkago Samonāzu''), is an Free to play, F2P role-playing video game for Android (operating system), Android and iOS. It is developed by , a mobile gaming company opera ...
'' (role-playing video game)
* '' Tokyo Vice'' (2009 memoir by Jake Adelstein
Joshua Lawrence "Jake" Adelstein (born March 28, 1969) is an American journalist, crime writer, and blogger who has spent most of his career in Japan. He is the author of '' Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan'', which i ...
)
* '' Watamote'' (anime) Episode 5
* ''Weathering with You
is a 2019 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, produced by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by Toho. It follows a 16-year-old high school boy, Hodaka Morishima, who runs away from his troubled rur ...
'' (film)
* ''Yakuza'' and ''Judgment'' (video game series), as Kamurochō
is a fictional district of Tokyo from Sega's ''Yakuza (franchise), Yakuza'' media franchise. It is modelled after Kabukichō, Tokyo's renowned red-light district and entertainment precinct situated in Shinjuku ward. Like its real world counterpa ...
Gallery
File:新宿 歌舞伎町 Shinjuku Tokyo, Japan Sigma 35mm Canon 6D (33795009235).jpg, Kabukichō, view north along Ichibangai-dori towards the Humax Pavilion complex (night, 2016)
File:Kabukicho (31465119364).jpg, Kabukichō, view north along Ichibangai-dori towards the Humax Pavilion complex (day, 2016)
File:Central Road Kabukicho-Sinjyuku-Tokyo.jpg, View north along Central Road towards Toho Building
File:Shinjuku Toho1.jpg, Shinjuku Toho Building
File:Tokyo Route 302 -06.jpg, View east along Yasukuni-Dori, the southern border
File:Kabukicho-Shinjuku-Tokyo 20120204.jpg, View east along Yasukuni-Dori at night
File:I love Kabukicho (29262192243).jpg, I ♥ Kabukichō sign
File:Sakura Dori street Kabukicho-Sinjyuku-Tokyo.jpg, Gate at Sakura-Dori, looking north from Yasukuni-Dori
File:Lights of Kabukicho (41642972072).jpg, Sakura-Dori at dusk
File:Shinjuku 06.JPG, Signs along Sakura-Dori, including entrance to the Robot Restaurant
File:Charge of the fembots Robot Restaurant, Shinjuku Tokyo.jpg, Show at the Robot Restaurant
File:Shinjuku.jpg, Kabukicho back alleys are a popular yakuza hangout.
See also
* Jūsō, Osaka
* Kyabakura Union
* Tobita Shinchi, Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
References
External links
Kabukicho Renaissance official website
KABUKI Kabukicho portal site
Kabukicho Commune
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabukicho, Tokyo
Districts of Shinjuku
Neighborhoods of Tokyo
Red-light districts in Japan
Yakuza