One of the entrances to Kabukicho.

Kabukicho (歌舞伎町, Kabukicho^?) is a red-light district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Kabukicho is the location of many hostess bars, host bars, love hotels, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, and is often called the "Sleepless Town" (眠らない街). The district's name comes from late-1940s plans to build a kabuki theater: although the theater was never built, the name stuck. The area has many movie theaters, and because it is located near Shinjuku Station, Seibu Shinjuku Station, and several other major railway and subway stations, tickets to its top attractions can be scarce. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 787 KB) ファイルの概要 Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kabukicho Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 787 KB) ファイルの概要 Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kabukicho Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... The De Wallen red-light district in Amsterdam. ... Neon signs along Yasukuni-dori in Shinjuku Shinjuku (新宿区 -ku) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. ... Tokyo , literally eastern capital) is the capital of Japan and one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. ... A hostess bar is basically a bar or pub that uses mostly or exclusively female staff (the hostesses), who are usually hired for their looks and/or personality. ... A love hotel sign in Ikebukuro Tokyo A love hotel sign in Shinjuku, Tokyo A love hotel (ラブホテル rabu hoteru) is an originally Japanese type of hotel offering privacy for a couple to have sex. ... The Kabukiza in Ginza is one of Tokyos leading kabuki theaters. ... South side of Shinjuku Station at night ÅŒedo Line ÅŒedo Line Ticket gates on the ÅŒedo Line A northbound Saikyo Line train bound for Kawagoe takes on passengers at Shinjuku Station. ... Seibu Shinjuku Station Seibu Shinjuku Station ) is a train station of the Seibu Railway Company located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. ...

The offices of the city government of Shinjuku are also in Kabukicho. This article is about the Japanese municipality system. ...

History

Originally, the area was known as Tsunohazu (角筈, Tsunohazu^?) and was a swamp. After the Meiji Period, the area became a duck sanctuary. As the Yodobashi Purification Plant was built in 1893, the ponds were filled in. In 1920, a girl's school was built here, and the surroundings were developed into a residential area. During World War II, the bombing of Tokyo in 1945 razed the area to the ground. After the war, a kabuki theatre was planned to be built here and the town changed its name to Kabukicho. Though the theatre was cancelled due to financial problems, the name remained. Kabukicho 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. Examples of such people include the founder of Humax, Lin Yiwen, who started his business with a cabaret. The Meiji period ) denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running from 8 September 1868 (in the Gregorian calendar, 23 October 1868) to 30 July 1912. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... The U.S. bombing of Tokyo during World War II took place between 1942 and 1945. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Overseas Chinese (華僑 in Pinyin: Huáqiáo, or 華胞 huábāo, or 僑胞 qiáobāo, or 華裔 huáyì) are either ethnic Chinese or people of the Chinese nation (Zhonghua minzu) who live outside of China. ... Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue — a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting around the tables (often dining or drinking) watching the performance. ...

At present, Kabukicho has transformed from a residential area to a world famous red-light district housing over three thousand bars, nightclubs, love hotels, and the like. Recently, tourism from China and Korea are on the rise, and so, many tourists can be seen in Kabukicho even during daytime. Korea (Korean: (조선 or 한국, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ...

Crime

Entrance of Kabukicho at daytime.

Many of Japan’s infamous yakuza and Chinese mafia are to be found in this area, although they may be difficult to detect by foreigners and native Japanese alike. According to a spokesperson of Metropolitan Tokyo in 2004, there are more than 1000 yakuza members in Kabukicho, and 120 places under their control.^[1] Kabukicho is often considered to be a dangerous or otherwise unseemly area; however, there is little reason for visitors to be concerned for their physical safety. Women, especially foreigners, are advised to be aware of harassment or solicitation, particularly recruitment for employment in hostess clubs. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2961x2011, 668 KB) 東京新宿・歌舞伎町一番街の入り口写真。提供者自身による撮影。日本一の歓楽街・歌舞伎町の入り口である。 photo of the entrance of Kabukicho Ichibangai(first street). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2961x2011, 668 KB) 東京新宿・歌舞伎町一番街の入り口写真。提供者自身による撮影。日本一の歓楽街・歌舞伎町の入り口である。 photo of the entrance of Kabukicho Ichibangai(first street). ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A hostess club or Kyabakura (cabaret club) is a sort of Japanese night club where a client, typically male, would pay for a womans company. ...

Entering the new millennium, laws were more strictly enforced and patrols became more frequent. These, adding to the installation of fifty closed-circuit cameras in May 2002, reduced criminal activities in Kabukicho, amidst controversy. television cameras for surveillance. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Crimes caused by illegal immigrants are also a problem. According to a 2002 report by the Immigration Bureau, 75.6% of the illegal immigrants are either Korean, Chinese, Thai, or Russian. But since the bureau set up an office in Kabukicho in 2003, the number of illegal immigrants here have reduced drastically. Illegal immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently, in violation of the law or without documents permitting an immigrant to settle in that country. ...

In 2004, the police undertook an operation clamping down illegal clubs and brothels, causing many to go out of business. Also, there is a movement to rid Kabukicho of the yakuza, known as the Kabukicho Renaissance. It has been suggested that Mega-brothel be merged into this article or section. ...

Kabukicho in the arts

Kabukicho is featured in a number of mediums:

• The set design of the movie Blade Runner was partly inspired by Kabukicho.
• Fuyajō, novel by Hase Seishū
• A Guide of the Sleepless Town, novel by Lee Xiaomu
• In the Miso Soup, novel by Ryu Murakami.
• "Kabukicho No Joou", song by Shiina Ringo
• School of Water Business, novel by Hikaru Murozumi
• Yakuza, game by Sega.

Blade Runner is an influential 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott which depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019. ... In the Miso Soup (Japanese: イン ザ・ミソスープ, which is a transliteration of the English title) is a novel by Ryu Murakami. ... Ryu Murakami (村上龍 Murakami Ryū, born 19 February 1952 in Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan) is a Japanese novelist and filmmaker. ... Shiina Ringo performing in concert with her band, Tokyo Jihen (2005) Shiina Ringo ) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist born on November 25, 1978. ... Yakuza (released in Japan as 龍が如く Ryū ga Gotoku) is an action/adventure video game developed and published by Sega in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2. ... Sega Corporation ) is an international video game software and hardware developing company, and a former home computer and console manufacturer. ...

References

• This article uses the translation of the corresponding Japanese-language Wikipedia article, retrieved on August 11, 2006.

External link

• (Japanese) @GEHA -- Kabukicho Renewal Alliance