To misquote Judy Garland: this doesn't feel much like Tokyo anymore. There are shops selling bootleg Korean videotapes. Yes, tapes. There are Halal grocery stores that stay open until 1 a.m.; cut-price clothing stores that close even later. There are signs in Thai, Arabic and lots of Korean Hangul script. And unusually affable ladies keep asking if I would like to play.
It is Tokyo, though. It's the capital's most cosmopolitan neighborhood and the darkest part of its underbelly. Hyakunincho is an unofficial Koreatown, but that belies the true eclecticism of the area and turns a blind eye to its seamiest section. The blocks just north of Kabukicho are dominated by dingy love hotels and women who will accompany you into them. There's no neon on these streets; just faded flea-pits that never need their "no vacancy" signs.
And right in the middle is the $1,000,000 Lion bar. It sits inside a graffiti-covered complex, aptly named The Ghetto, which also includes a skate ramp, half a dozen clothing stores and a tiny museum.