Social media fuels growing ‘sex tourism’ in Japan

Increasing numbers of foreign men among those seen visiting areas depicted online, writes Caroline Gardin

- Caroline Gardin

Young men standing idly around a park in Tokyo’s west suggest that a giant statue of Godzilla is not the only attraction for a record number of foreign tourists.

Their faces lit by the cold glow of their phones, the women lining Okubo Park are evidence that sex tourism has developed as a dark side to the bustling Kabukicho nightlife district.

There is no official data but anecdotal evidence collected by AFP suggests that increasing numbers of foreign men are flocking to the area after seeing videos on social media.

One of the women said that the area near Kabukicho, where Godzilla rumbles and belches smoke atop a cinema, has become a “real tourist attraction” and that half her customers are foreigners.

“Since they can’t communicate in Japanese, they write ‘how much is it?’ on their phones” using an automatic translator, said Ria, who did not use her real name.