Crime prevention tips in entertainment and nightlife districts(盛り場トピックス)

Suppose you had a chance to meet a girl you got to know on a dating app. When you met her, she said “I know where to go. I’m sure we are gonna have a good time!”. What would you do? Would you follow her? Actually you should be very careful, since she might be trying to take you to a rip-off bar. Initially you might enjoy drinking with her, but after a few hours, she quietly disappears and the next thing you know, you are slapped with inexplicably huge bills. When things go too smoothly, you might have to suspect what the catch is.

The number of cases similar to above is increasing. Be cautious, if someone approaches you on the street and say “you can enjoy yourself with pornstars or underage girls” or something to that effect. They demand “deposit” and/or “advance payment” before taking you to a nearby hotel. You wait for a girl, but more often than not, you do not meet the girl who is supposed to come. When you request a refund or replacement, they demand huge amount of compensation, cancellation fee or hush-money. Don’t fall into this kind of distortion.

You need to raise your alert level, if somebody approaches you on the street and try to take you to a certain bar, since this kind of crime mostly occurs at the place the touts recommend to you. No sooner you finish the first (and very strong) drink, than you fall asleep. When you wake up in the morning, you have no money in your wallet, no memory of what happened, and to make matters worse, you find out that somebody misused your credit card.
It’s all very well to wind down with alcohol, but after one drink too many, you could find yourself in a big trouble.

The Shinjuku Kabukicho area is one of the largest entertainment districts in Japan, with various facilities such as izakayas (Japanese bars), karaoke shops, hotels and movie theaters. There are also many nightlife drinking locations, as well as sex entertainment shops. Some of these places are notorious for trying to rip you off, or may even be illegal, such as casino gambling houses.
As these kind of places often use illegal Street Hawkers to entice customers, the Metropolitan Police Department is tightening its crackdown on Street Hawkers.
Beware of Street Hawkers as they may take you to places that rip you off, or to inappropriate places such as shops that offer indecent DVDs.
Apart from Street Hawkers, there are also so-called Scouts who try to offer you various jobs. For example, Scouts might approach you and ask, “Are you interested in working as a hostess in a bar?”, but their intention may be to get you to work for a sex entertainment shop.
Illegal Street Hawkers and Scouts tend to show up in the places highlighted in the map below. Even if they approach you, make sure not to follow them.

There have been many cases of fraudulent credit card charges in restaurants and bars in the Kinshicho area from around 2018. These cases often happen in restaurants and bars that illegal Street Hawkers take customers to, and therefore, the Metropolitan Police Department is currently tightening its crackdown on Street Hawkers.
Illegal Street Hawkers and Scouts tend to show up in the places highlighted in the map below. Even if they approach you, make sure not to follow them.

In Shimbashi area, there are many street hawkers who try to take people to an "Izakaya"(Japanese style bar), a hostess bar, or an illicit massage parlor.
The Metropolitan Police Department are currently tightening crackdown on street hawkers, since many credit card frauds and rip-offs have been conducted at restaurants and bars which illegal street hawkers took the victims to. In some cases, bars intoxicated customers with spiked drinks, before taking them to an ATM, and made them withdraw money to settle their bills.
Below is a map of Shimbashi area, and most of the street hawkers are seen in the checkered zones. Make sure you DO NOT follow street hawkers.

In Shibuya area, the Metropolitan Police Department are currently working to crackdown street hawkers who try to take customers to a "Izakaya"(Japanese style bar), a hostess bar, an illicit massage parlor or a sex shop.
There are also street scouts who approach female passers-by. They usually ask if you are interested in working for a hostess bar, but in fact, some of them are intending to make you work in the sex industry.
The areas those activities are frequently reported are highlighted in green and red in the map below. DO NOT follow or listen to illegal street hawkers or scouts.

Ikebukuro is one of the biggest nightlife and entertainment districts in Japan, with a lot of "izakayas", Karaoke bars, hotels and cinemas. There is also a number of hotess bars and sex shops, as well as rip-off bars and illegal underground casinos.
The Metropolitan Police Department are keeping close eyes on illegal establishments and working on crackdown operations. More oftern than not, they use street hawkers who sweet-talk people and entice them to come to their places, yet do not offer the promised services or slap the customers with inexplicably large bills.
There are also reported cases of "dating app fraud", in which the victims were taken to a restraunt or a bar by a person they came to know online, and ended up being charged huge amount for food and drink.
The area is also known for street scouts who approach female passers-by. They usually offer a job at a hostess bar, but some of them are intending to make people work for a sex shop.
The area those activities are frequently reported are highlighted in green and red in the map below. DO NOT follow or listen to illegal street hawkers or scouts.

Around Nakamachi Dori, there are many street hawkers who try to persuade customers to go to a certain bar or restaurant, and around Kasuga Dori, you might find those who try to take you to a massage parlor, a hostess bar or a "sexual" hostess bar.
The Metropolitan Police Department are currently tightening crackdown on street hawkers, since many credit card frauds and rip-offs have been conducted at restaurants and bars which illegal street hawkers took the victims to. In some cases, bars intoxicated customers with spiked drinks, before taking them to an ATM, and made them withdraw money to settle their bills.
Below is a map of Ueno and Yushima area. Most of the said activities are reported in the checkered zones. Make sure you DO NOT follow street hawkers.

The Metropolitan Police Department are currently enhancing security operations in the Tachikawa area, especially around "Suzuran Dori" on the southern side of JR Tachikawa station, where many street hawkers are seen loitering and taking people to hostess bars, so called "girls bars" or illegal massage parlors.
Below is a map of Tachikawa area, and most of the street hawkers tend to appear in the checkered zones. Make sure you DO NOT follow street hawkers.