If you thought the tag "High Touch Town" given to Roppongi meant it was glitzy and slick, you would have been way off base -- like most of the 18-year-old U.S. Marines who end up prowling its streets. Instead, the strip either side of the crossing is dotted with dives catering to foreign drinkers and lap-dance joints showcasing shapely foreign dancers.
As tacky as they are, both kinds of establishments began growing in number as soon as Japan's economy started its decline, and now Tokyo boasts a "gaijin ghetto" of gigantic proportions. For many would-be travelers, a subway ride to Roppongi is more attractive than an overseas flight.
Veteran establishments, such as Motown, have become so bloated that they have cloned themselves or, like the infamous Gas Panic, evolved into three floors of sodden revelry (which on some nights even spills out onto the street). Newcomers, such as Wall Street and Milwaukee, milk the graveyard shift and beyond. All the foreign dancers, bouncers and bartenders flock these bars to unwind after work.