Cases of bottakuri rip-offs at bars and nightclubs in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district have been on the decline thanks to a police crackdown that started in May.
In a typical bottakuri, a promise of a fun night out with drinks and hostesses for just a small fee leads to a tab totaling several hundred thousand yen or even ¥1 million — accompanied with a threat.
Typically, bar staffers will call on prospective customers on the street, telling them that it will cost ¥5,000 for drinking at the bar for an hour. But when customers are about to leave, they are often told to pay an unfairly expensive amount — in some cases, more than ¥500,000.