Explore Kabukicho, Tokyo’s Largest “Entertainment” District, That Also Peacefully Sells Some Japanese Confectionary

Explore Kabukicho, Tokyo’s Largest “Entertainment” District, That Also Peacefully Sells Some Japanese Confectionary

Kabukicho is an eccentric place to be. Go under the entrance gate of the so-called red light district, and there are sex establishments juxtaposed with ramen stores and Japanese confectionary stores like it’s no big deal. Though relatively safe in the name of a “red light district”, since the area is mainly saturated with host/hostess clubs and bars, it still possesses some eerie vibes as you walk down the road.

You might question why the area has no Kabuki theatres, despite its name “Kabukicho”. Story goes that the area used to be a residential area pre-World War II, but seeing the damage the war had done to the area, the government decided to renovate the area into an entertainment district — with initial plans including an establishment of a Kabuki Theatre. The Tokyo Construction Bureau then offered the name “Kabukicho”, but somewhere along the line, plans of establishing the Kabuki theatre were lost. However, the name remained and here we are (referenced from Kabukicho by Kihee Suzuki 1955).

Now that issue is cleared up, one thing to remember is to have a decent amount of cash on you when visiting — one: because it’s expensive, and two: because most stores don’t accept credit cards. A couple of drinks may easily add up to over ¥10,000, and host/hostess clubs may add an unexpected charge on your tab, and you don’t want to fight the staff for a bargain.

Pictured are an amalgam of stores that come in sight when taking a stroll down the road.

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Once you come to the end of the road that invited you into Kabukicho, you’ll immediately find yourself in what appears to be host-club-town with host clubs crowding you left to right; except for this Samurai Museum that brings a little comfort to the given setting.

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The billboards boast the most handsome men that work at each of the clubs: you’ll come to realize that you’ve never seen so many male faces lined up next to each other in one huge billboard.

Keep going, and you’ll be greeted by a huge batting center.

Make your way around, and you’ll continue to see host clubs dotted down the road, with a flower shop conveniently aside it: which could be in hopes of women buying flowers for their favorite hosts, or it could be for the hosts to shower their regulars with.

Keep walking down the road, and you’ll see Shinjuku’s Ward Office, which almost serves as a signal to the end of the Kabukicho area, hinting at how we’re back on the “safer” side of Shinjuku. Needless to say, exploring Kabukicho could be quite an adventure, and with so much to do, you’ll never run out of things to do throughout the night. Just watch where your money goes, or be reckless and forget about monetary matters for a night.

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