Rip-off bars are taking advantage of Japan's tourism boom
With the number of foreign tourists to Japan increasing by the year, authorities are warning visitors to steer clear of so-called rip-off bars. Such establishments have been a problem for a number of years but police are no closer to being able to shut them ...
Re-examining 2001's fatal Kabukicho blaze in the wake of the Kyoto Animation attack
Police have described the torching of Kyoto Animation, which killed 35 people, as the worst case of arson in postwar Japan. Given the shocking details of the attack that have emerged since July 18, it's certainly not hard to believe. For me, the fire brought ...
Police raid yakuza office in Tokyo after deadly shooting in Kabukicho karaoke box
Police on Wednesday raided the Tokyo office of a yakuza group associated with a man wanted in connection with a murder earlier this month in Shinjuku Ward. Masaru Abe, 56, a member of a group under the Sumiyoshikai crime syndicate, is wanted in connection with ...
Shooting in Tokyo's Kabukicho district leaves man dead; police suspect yakuza links
Police said Tuesday a man believed to have shot and killed another man the previous day at a karaoke bar in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment hub fled from the scene via motorcycle, suggesting the suspect had prepared a means of getaway. The victim, identified as Lee ...
Okinawa Paradise: A laid-back taste of Ryukyu culture
The earthly delights are numerous and varied in Kabukicho, Shinjuku's notorious, though now mostly scrubbed-up, red-light district. The pleasures offered at Okinawa Paradise, though, are strictly wholesome. As the name proclaims, the focus at this laid-back, old-school izakaya tavern is on the food and drink ...
The not-so-shady world of Japan's singles bars
On May 22, the Yomiuri Shimbun published a curious article about Kihei Maekawa, a former administrative vice education minister who has said that he is willing to testify under oath about the Kake Gakuen scandal dogging Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Yomiuri Shimbun published its ...
Bar's disengaged fire alarm may have delayed response to Golden Gai inferno
The fire alarm in a bar on the second floor of a building that caught fire in Tokyo's historic Golden Gai entertainment district failed to function because it was disengaged while the business was under renovation, investigative sources said. The disengaged fire alarm probably delayed ...
Suspect arrested over fire that engulfed Tokyo's historic Golden Gai area
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on Wednesday arrested a 66-year-old man in connection with a fire in Tokyo's historic Golden Gai entertainment area that left a woman injured. Hiroshi Haruna, described by police as unemployed and having no fixed address, was arrested on suspicion of ...
Fire strikes Tokyo's historic Golden Gai entertainment district
A fire that broke out Tuesday in the Golden Gai entertainment district in the Kabukicho district in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, destroyed four buildings and left at least one person injured. The fire also caused power to be cut to hundreds of businesses and homes. The Tokyo ...
Kabukicho hotel blaze claims female guest; police investigating
A fire broke out Thursday night at a hotel in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district, killing a female guest in her 60s, according to police and the fire department. The fire started at around 6:30 p.m. at the five-story Hotel Matsuki, and the guest was found ...
Yakuza infighting puts nation on edge
Around the start of this year, the weekly magazines — Shukan Taishu, Asahi Geino and Shukan Jitsuwa in particular — were brimming with articles feting the centennial anniversary of the Yamaguchi-gumi, which had gone from being a small group of tough guys on the ...
Police crackdown curbing extortionist Kabukicho 'bottakuri' bar rip-offs
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 ...
