''No-pan kissa'' (, literally "no-

panties Panties (in American English; also called pants, undies, or knickers in British English) are a form of women's underwear. Panties can be form-fitting or loose. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genita ...

cafe") is a Japanese term for

maid café are a subcategory of cosplay restaurants found predominantly in Japan. In these cafés, waitresses, dressed in maid costumes, act as servants, and treat customers as masters (and mistresses) in a private home, rather than as café patrons. The f ...

s where the

waitress Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...

es wear short skirts with no

underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

. The floors, or sections of the floor, were sometimes mirrored. Shops generally operate under a "no-touch" policy. The shops otherwise look like normal coffee shops, rather than sex establishments, although they charge a premium price for the coffee. Previously, most sex establishments had been establishments, such as

soapland Prostitution, as defined under modern Japanese law, is the illegal practice of sexual intercourse with an 'unspecified' (unacquainted) person in exchange for monetary compensation, which was criminalised in 1956 by the introduction of article 3 of ...

s and

pink salon Prostitution, as defined under modern Japanese law, is the illegal practice of sexual intercourse with an 'unspecified' (unacquainted) person in exchange for monetary compensation, which was criminalised in 1956 by the introduction of article 3 of ...

s, with professional prostitutes. ''No-pan kissa'' were a popular employment choice amongst some women because they paid well and generally required little sexual contact with the customers. The first one to open was in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

in 1980. Initially, all of them were in remote areas outside the traditional

entertainment district An entertainment district is a type of arts district with a high concentration of movie theaters, theatres or other entertainment venues. Such areas may be officially designated by local governments with functional zoning regulations, as well as ...

s. Within a year, large numbers had opened in many more places, such as major

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s. In the 1980s (the peak of the boom in these shops), many started to have

topless Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is barechestedness, also commonly called shirtlessness. Expose ...

or bottomless waitresses. However, at this point, the number of such shops started to decline rapidly. Eventually, such coffee shops gave way to

fashion health Prostitution, as defined under modern Japanese law, is the illegal practice of sexual intercourse with an 'unspecified' (unacquainted) person in exchange for monetary compensation, which was criminalised in 1956 by the introduction of article 3 of ...

(massage) clubs and few ''no-pan kissa'', if any, remain. The New Amusement Business Control and Improvement Act came into force on February 13, 1985, which further restricted the

sex industry The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide Sex worker, sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of s ...

and protected the more traditional businesses. In addition to ''no-pan kissa'', there have also been ''no-pan''

shabu-shabu ''Shabu-shabu'' ( ja, しゃぶしゃぶ, shabushabu) is a Japanese '' nabemono'' hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. The term is onomatopoeic, derived from the sound – "swish sw ...

and ''no-pan''

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

References

* Akira Suei, "The Lucky Hole as the Black Hole" in

Nobuyoshi Araki is a Japanese photographer and contemporary artist professionally known by the mononym . Known primarily for photography that blends eroticism and bondage in a fine art context, he has published over 500 books.The number depends on such things ...

, ''Tokyo Lucky Hole'', . Types of coffeehouses and cafés Cosplay Sex industry in Japan Nudity 1980s in Japan Coffeehouses and cafés in Japan ja:風俗店の歴史#ノーパン喫茶 {{sex-stub

See also

References