Tokyo

Are there any dating sites that operate like Thai Friendly in Tokyo?

[QUOTE=Csnow;3037694]Some services are extra. E. g. BBBJ + CIM is now 3000 yen. Sounds like at least BBBJ used to be included in the basic service, but it's not now. If you don't pay 3 k yen, you get CBJ. I always opted for CIM option. All girls did that unless I chose "secret option", FS.[/QUOTE]Thanks for your detailed reviews, Csnow! So does it mean if you choose FS, then BBBJ will be automatically included?

[QUOTE=Csnow;3037694]Overall it's a nice professionally ran agency with a bunch of girls working for them...
There are better options in Tokyo, but this one is very convenient, especially if you are in Shinjuku or can use outcall to your hotel.[/QUOTE]Great comprehensive report on THC. It's certainly the best option for foreigners in Japan who want to hook up with Japanese girls.

I first discovered THC about a decade ago, and had some great experiences there, but the thrill has kind of worn off. First of all, I don't find most Japanese girls particularly attractive, compared to Korean, Vietnamese or even Chinese. That is to say, on average of course there are some hotties, but they're harder to find. But where Japan is unrivalled is when it comes to the sheer variety of options (even if most of it is inaccessible to foreigners), how safe and non-sketchy it is, how normal it is for the Japanese, and then just the overall weirdness of it. Like the make-out oppai bars, or the shops where women dress up as commuters on the subway and men pay to fondle them. Can't find that anywhere else!

Anyway, my first experiences with THC were great because I lucked onto a succession of Peruvian-Japanese mixed girls who were gorgeous and loved getting it on. The first one went by Anju, as I recall, and the first time I had her over to my hotel. She was tallish, had a very pretty Eurasian face and a spectacular body. Her English was good, and after a glass of wine we were making out like teenagers. Later she's on top of me sliding her snatch along my shaft, both of us really getting into it, and she asks me whether she can put it in! Absolutely! No upcharge or anything. It was a great experience and I saw her a few more times over the years, often in love hotels near the old shop in Shibuya. Ultimately she went her own way and I lost track of her, but in the ensuing years I met up with a few other Peruvian-Japanese mixed ladies, and they were also good.

And although there's at least one Brazilian on the site now, my more recent experiences haven't been as good. Most of the Japanese girls on the site just don't do it for me in terms of looks. Last year I had a double with Madoka, who was very short, kind of cute and enthusiastic, and has a big rack for her size. But her short, stocky lower body type was a turn-off for me, and she was not nearly as GFE. The other girl had a pretty face, and was taller but ridiculously skinny, just a skeleton. Normally I prefer thin girls, but her body was just skin and bones. Worst of all, they engaged in a bit of upselling, and they didn't interact with each other at all, which to me is the whole point of booking a double. So that was not at all worth the $500+ I paid, and I left disappointed.

So I think I'll be looking into other options in the future, such as Gingira, which appears to have a better lineup of talent. But I certainly can recommend THC for foreigners who don't know their way around as well, and who want to experience Japanese ladies (if you can find one that appeals to you). It's a well-run shop with very transparent pricing, staffed mostly by Filipinos who speak good English and don't try to rip you off like the touts roaming the streets of Shinjuku.

Mostly want to just stop on here and say AMAZING reports Csnow. It's guys like you that make ISG worthwhile. My Japan experience is pre-pandemic but considering a revisit. (My go to these days is Brazil, with Bangkok being second fave, and Jakarta a new low cost discovery (FS in a nice club with a pretty girl = USD $22 = WTF? Not a typo!) Never done the Oppai clubs but having the Manzoku guide sounds a great way. (Shout out to Traveler X who is soooo knowledgeable). Might give that a go.

I think a lot of guys will love THC for its ease of use and great customer service. It was my absolute go to, as was their sister soapy (FS included in 90 min session) now called GFE Soapland. Same business model of foreigners only (brilliant! It does seem you landed some very experienced girls. Sophie was around in 2018 (and I'm sure same girl due to half Brazilian) and that def affects the experience. My first time my fave was Honey. But a year later she was more jaded and not as good. I see Rina is still there 7 years later. She was my very first THC girl.

Like anywhere sometimes you can happen upon a gem and more likely with new girls. Back in 2018 I hit upon Rika (now long gone) and she discreetly offered FS. I asked how much and she said up to you. I didn't know the going rate and tipped her 3 K, not knowing 10-20 K was going rate. She was thrillled and we met up three times in three days. She was a wild fountain of love! So def some gems do exist there amongst the newbies.

Thanks again for your amazing reporting. I do hope to get back but Jakarta sorta stole my heart if I head back to AP. But worldwide Brazil still rules, if you haven't been. They must teach GFE in middle school because every girl there can bring it like you are their BF.

[QUOTE=Gordon987;3037745]Thanks for your detailed reviews, Csnow! So does it mean if you choose FS, then BBBJ will be automatically included?[/QUOTE]Honestly, I'm not sure. After Satomi (my first date) said it would be CBJ only unless I gave her 3 k for BBBJ I started to just pay office 3 k extra for CIM for every appointment. A couple of times girls would not go down from 30 k for FS and I told them fine, let's finish with CIM instead.

I believe you could probably negotiate that.

[QUOTE=EdHaskell;3037748]The other girl had a pretty face, and was taller but ridiculously skinny, just a skeleton. Normally I prefer thin girls, but her body was just skin and bones. [/QUOTE]OMG I tucked either her or her body twin in Robo Deli delivery service, LOL. Totally freaked me out. Reminded me of those horrible World War 2 concentration camp videos. I didn't think a healthy person could be so skinny.

[QUOTE=Canada;3037732]Are there any dating sites that operate like Thai Friendly in Tokyo?[/QUOTE]I've unsuccessfully tried Tinder. I "liked" more than 300 girls over two days and received messages from 2-3 catfish scammers.

[QUOTE=Steve9696;3037820]Mostly want to just stop on here and say AMAZING reports Csnow. It's guys like you that make ISG worthwhile. My Japan experience is pre-pandemic but considering a revisit. (My go to these days is Brazil, with Bangkok being second fave, and Jakarta a new low cost discovery (FS in a nice club with a pretty girl = USD $22 = WTF? Not a typo!) Never done the Oppai clubs but having the Manzoku guide sounds a great way. (Shout out to Traveler X who is soooo knowledgeable). Might give that a go.

I think a lot of guys will love THC for its ease of use and great customer service. It was my absolute go to, as was their sister soapy (FS included in 90 min session) now called GFE Soapland. Same business model of foreigners only (brilliant! It does seem you landed some very experienced girls. Sophie was around in 2018 (and I'm sure same girl due to half Brazilian) and that def affects the experience. My first time my fave was Honey. But a year later she was more jaded and not as good. I see Rina is still there 7 years later. She was my very first THC girl.

Like anywhere sometimes you can happen upon a gem and more likely with new girls. Back in 2018 I hit upon Rika (now long gone) and she discreetly offered FS. I asked how much and she said up to you. I didn't know the going rate and tipped her 3 K, not knowing 10-20 K was going rate. She was thrillled and we met up three times in three days. She was a wild fountain of love! So def some gems do exist there amongst the newbies.

Thanks again for your amazing reporting. I do hope to get back but Jakarta sorta stole my heart if I head back to AP. But worldwide Brazil still rules, if you haven't been. They must teach GFE in middle school because every girl there can bring it like you are their BF.[/QUOTE]Thank you Steve, same to you! I benefited from your Madrid reviews greatly. Special thank you for recommending Ambar there, she is amazing. Saw her 3 times, initially based on your recommendation. Small world, isn't it?

I haven't made it to Brazil, Thailand, and Indonesia yet but all three are high on my bucket list. I have met quite a few Brazilian girls in Europe, and they are almost always a good time (unless they get fat and lazy, literally).

From value point of view, I think Athens is hard to beat, with quicky places on Fillis and in Metaxourgeio charging 10-20 euro. Of course it's 10 minutes only, but often you can extend. Most experiences will be so-so at best, but I found a few gems that were both pretty and sweet. I repeated with a couple of girls almost daily there. But I haven't been to Thailand or Indonesia yet, sound like I will be in for a treat.

I'm sure Sophie is the same Sophie. Now it makes sense why she asked me if I think she is still young enough to keep doing that. I thought she was hot as hell, with my only complaints being her upsell and unwillingness to kiss. She was also the most fake out of the girls. I mean she was trying for me, but man is she a bad actress, LOL. I still enjoyed my time with her though.

While Japan is not amazing in terms of value, I agree with you guys that it's probably one of the best in terms of ease, variety and safety. I will definitely be coming back. Of course it's also an amazing country in terms of culture, food, etc. But that's not what we are here to talk about, LOL.

[QUOTE=EdHaskell;3037748]my more recent experiences haven't been as good. Most of the Japanese girls on the site just don't do it for me in terms of looks.[/QUOTE]Agreed about THC girvls in terms of looks. However Risa Mizuki at TAE is amazingly hot. Almost intimidatingly hot. I'd give her a try if you are there soon. Review upcoming.

I saw plenty of girls MUCH hotter than THC girls walking around in Shinjuku in tiny dresses leaving little to imagination. A few of them were agency girls for sure because they were looking at their Google Maps for hotel directions. I wanted to approach a couple and ask them which agency they are working for, LOL. But I speak zero Japanese and I didn't want 3 freak them out, LOL.

This is another large agency that works with foreigners. It's located in Shibuya, fairly close to the huge Shibuya train station. Unlike THC, they are not exclusive to foreigners, so prices are better, more fair. Also their girls do really seem to be armature, either not doing it full time or fairly new to the business. They are younger, fresher, and typically more enjoyable.

I mostly did 50 minute incalls there. Incall pricing is 17 k base price + 2 k "admission" + 2 k "nomination" + 10% tax. I think they charged me admission only once, the first time. It was 23 k total. After that I was paying only 21 K. One time I did 95 minutes, which has base price of 29 k yen. All the pricing on their web site.

Base price includes shower before + after with the girl washing you (typically not very erotic, she just makes sure you are clean, though she will be in there naked with you), HJ, BBBJ, sumata (basically she rubs your dick with her body till you come or at least for a while), kissing. Most TAE girls kissed both more and nicer than THC girls in my experience. They also responded to DATY much better. It was much for of a GFE experience most times than THC.

Vaginal sex is illegal in Japan, so they advertise anal sex only. Except. At TAE the scheduler said "no girls do anal fuck (AF)". But it's listed on their web site as a 10 K add-on. At first it pissed me off. Then I got it. They can't advertise normal sex. So they advertise it as anal sex. Except it's not anal. Basically it's 10 K vaginal FS advertised as AF (anal fuck) but you ask the girl in the room and pay her in the room.

Every TAE girl I was with (except the first one, my loss, didn't ask her) said yes to sex, and it was only a 10 K add-on. You have to ask the girl herself in the room and pay her for that direct. One girl offered BBFS for 15 K. At first she said 10 K, then she asked if I wanted with condom or without, and without it was 15 K. I didn't run into any girls that said "no" to sex or asked for more than 10 k at TAE. As I mentioned THC girls started negotiating down form 30 K. But THC is a bit of a rip-off tourist pricing.

There is no typical "incall" of course at TAE either. They just use one of several nearby love hotels as the "incall". You still have to pay extra for the room. However, their love hotels are much cheaper than Shinjuku love hotels. While in Shinjuku prices were 4 k-8 k for a couple of hours, in Shibuya by TAE they were only 2-4 k per hour to 2 hours. When I booked the girl for 60 minutes, the hotel they used the most, Hotel Onyx, charged only 2400 yen before 2 pm if I remember right, and 2800 after 2 pm for 60 minutes. So it was a much much smaller add-on than with THC at Shibuya where girls will try to take you to the expensive 8 k rooms. I mean it's expensive for an hour.

My typical total cost was around 24-25 k for an hour of incall at TAE vs closer to 40 K at THC (because of much more expensive hotel, much more expensive base rate, and 3 k BBBJ / CIM add-on). That's not including FS, which was also more expensive at THC. Only 10 k at TAE vs 15 k (typically, if you can negotiate down form 30 k) at THC. So with FS my total cost would be around 35 k at TAE (something like $230-240 USD at the current exchange rate, not cheap but OK). At THC, with VS, my total cost would be around 55 K or so most of the time, which is around $380 USD or so at the current exchange rate. If exchange rate changes for the worse, Tokyo will be definitely a no-go for mongering destination for me (though I will keep visiting Tokyo and Japan because I love Japan otherwise, not just for our hobby).

Unfortunately TAE uses disappearing messages in WhatsApp so I lost the names of the girls I saw. I am 100% sure about 3 out of 5 names, but only 90% sure about the other two names. I will post separate reviews for each girl, indicating whether her name is for sure or not.

One shout out goes to Risa Mizuki. That name I am sure about.

[URL]https://amateurtokyo.com/%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8%E3%82%8A%E3%81%95/[/URL]

Holly fuck, she is absolutely supermodel gorgeous, both face and body. While her pictures are touched up / blurred up, it's just to make her face not recognizable. She is fucking gorgeous. Not only the most beautiful Japanese girl I fucked on this trip out of a dozen or so, but she also is one of the most beautiful women I fucked in my life out of around 200 or so. I really should've kept a better life-time list, LOL. I fucked some gorgeous women over the years. Risa is at least in top 10.

Other than that, the setup is pretty similar with THC. You pick a girl, schedule time via WhatsApp, arrive to their office in Shibuya and pay the fee. They tell you which love hotel to go to. The love hotels are literally within the same block, attached to the office. They are nice fine clean rooms with good AC. You pay for the room at the office and then go to the room and wait for the girl. The girl will show up a few minutes later.

One time they gave me a super weird room in Hotel White Box where front desk would lock or unlock the door. I guess it's safe for the girls maybe, but I thought it was fucked up. I couldn't even open the door for the girl when she showed up. She had to go to the office to unlock it. That was the only time I was in that room though. Otherwise the rooms in other hotels they used were normal. They'd give me a key, but the door would be already unblocked. I could go in and lock the door or leave it unlocked. The girl would show up later and knock, I'd let her in.

The main difference with THC was that at THC the girl meets you at their office and walks with you to the love hotel she chooses. A bit easier but ended up being a lot more expensive, especially considering how many girls I was fucking on that trip.

The pictures of most girls were accurate enough. I thought in general girls at TAE were hotter, though two of them had fucked up teeth. Like "she really needed braces in school" teeth. They were still hot though. There was only one girl whose picture I thought was not accurate. She was a lot thicker and a lot less pretty than her pictures. Not horrible, but worse. I am 90% sure it was Mashiro Kurosaki, [URL]https://amateurtokyo.com/%E9%BB%92%E5%B4%8E%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%82%8D/.[/URL].

In general I liked TAE much more than I liked THC. The only reason I kept going to THC was the convenience.

Casanova Soapland is pretty highly recommended on this forum, so I had high expectations for it. Unfortunately I found the price unreasonably high, communications difficult, racial profiling annoying, and the girl was so ugly that I couldn't cum once. Here's what happened.

Warning, I am still angry about that experience, so it's an angry review with a lot of ranting and raving. Be ready for it or skip it, LOL. I already gave you the TL; DR version.

I knew Casanova was really far from Shinjuku where I was staying, so I started trying to schedule someone a day in advance. I messaged them via WhatsApp, and it took forever to get a response. I replied to that and it took forever to get the next response. It literally took a couple of hours to finish the exchange. They asked a lot of really annoying questions, starting from simple "where are you from", then "are you Asian", then "are you Black". I am white, so whatever, I guess being white was worse than being Asian but better than being Black *for Casanova Soapland* to be clear. Welcome to racial profiling 101. To be fair, other soaploands apparently do that as well. Black guys, I feel for you. I'm sorry. Anyway, they asked a bunch of annoying questions and took forever to finally say OK you can come. I said I would have to tell them the time and pick a girl the next day since I wasn't 100% sure when I would be done with my morning plans. I asked if they were done with racially profiling me and all that bullshit, or if there was going to be more stupid questions. They promised it would be quick tomorrow.

So the next day I got done around noon. I was hoping to be there by 1 pm or so. I was about 50 min away by train, so I messaged them to see who is available. Again the started asking me the same fucking stupid questions! I said "you already asked all of that yesterday, and you promised today was going to be just quick and easy scheduling a girl". Finally after 30 min. I am not kidding. I had a girl scheduled. They had 4 available. I was suspicious of the photos, but picked the best looking one. I did ask them which of the girls was fit and slim. To their credit, they said "well, you can schedule someone else tomorrow". I guess it meant that none of the 4 girls was fit and slim. FML. I had limited days when I could spend 2 hours on the train (an hour each way to Yokohama), and I couldn't do it next day. Also by the time they got done questioning me again, I had to schedule for 1:30 pm instead of my intended 1 pm, and then I missed a train due to more confirmations. Finally I was on my way, booked with what I was hoping a decent looking girl.

Misaki Shinonome.

[URL]https://casanova-soapland.com/misaki-shinonome/[/URL]

The min price to book was 55 k for 80 minutes. Quite a bit of cash, but I figured it was hopefully going to be something memorable.

They were supposed to pick me up in a van form the metro station. They gave me some directions on how to find a van, but by the time I finally got to the right spot, they drove away because I was 5 minutes late. FML. I messaged them again, and at least they came back. So finally got in their fucking shop at 2 pm. Sorry about all the cursing, writing this review makes me relieve that shitty annoying experience all over again.

Anyway, I pay them 55 k. They lead me to the stairs. An ugly-ass chick in shitty clothes looking like an overworked and underpaid maid that ate way too many donuts is waiting for me. I am praying to god it's a maid that cleans the rooms there and not the girl I'm supposed to be spending the time with. Nope, that was the girl. The pictures weren't anywhere in the proximity of accurate. Not that she was airbrushed. It's kind of like having a picture of a pony, and then giving someone an elephant instead.

I decide to go through and at least hope the experience itself it going to be interesting. It's my first ever visit to the mystical soapland that foreigners are often denied access to. I go up the stairs into an ordinary room with a bath tab. I sit on the bed and we start talking. She doesn't speak any English so we speak via Google Translate. Her demeanor is 100% non-sexual. Not playful, not flirty, more like a friend talking to a friend at best. Later I looked at the Japanese soapland websites via Google Translate. Turns out they have a whole category of girl selection by "demeanor". There is "angry", there is "playful", and there is "an older sister". FML, I got an older sister girl. Wow, how sexy. Who the fuck wants to fuck their older sister? And I guess yes, she was talking to me like I'm her younger brother.

To be fair, she was very nice and very polite. Just absolute zero sexual energy is happening in the room. My dick is not only not hard, it retreated into my body like a turtle into its shell.

So finally the girl tells she will wash me. I take my clothes off (can't remember if she helped me, I guess I'm trying to block off that experience, but feel like I have to share). I sit on a plastic stool and she washes me. I'm still not turned on. She tells me to get into the bath tab that's also in the room. I do, and so does she. She doesn't really touch me. There is no HJ, no BJ, nothing at all. We just talk again. Hey, I just spend $400 USD to talk to a naked older sister. Awesome!

So after 10 minutes of nice yet completely non-sexual conversation via Google Translate, she tells me "lets get in bed". My dick is still totally limp and afraid of the upcoming sex. I decide to go through anyway. I really should've just left, but I didn't want to offend the girl. She was very nice and polite. I didn't want to be a "white asshole gaijin". So I got to be with her. She is trying to get me hard enough with HJ to put a condom on for CBJ. Hey, CBJ for 55 k yen, yay! Yes, there is a sign on the wall that says all sex is with condom. So she gives me bad CBJ but gets me half-way hard. Her body is about as shitty as her face. I mean she is not fat or anything, but man is she not sexy at all. So finally she gets on top into cow girl and starts riding me. I know there is no chance I'm going to come. She is so fucking ugly. I let her do it though. I stay half-hard. After a few minutes she asks me if I drank a lot or something. I didn't. I don't have the heart to tell her how ugly I am finding her. I tell her I'm just tired. She gets off and tries to finish me off with a bad HJ. I know that's not going to happen. After a few minutes I tell her to stop and tell her I'm sorry, I'm too tied. While I am disappointed as hell, I am not really mad at the girl. I am mad at the assholes that hired such an ugly fucking girl to do such job. I am nice to her throughout the session. I just can't manage to find her attractive at all.

So she cleans me up again, I dress and leave. They take me back to the metro station in their van. The van pickup and dropoff by the metro was my favorite thing of the entire session. Other than them leaving me initially because I was 5 minutes late because they took another 30 minutes to question me again and racially re-profile me again, which they promised they weren't going to do.

As you can tell, I'm still pissed. It was 2 months ago now, and I am still pissed. What a shitty stupid fucking place. Worst place in Japan for sure. I guess they didn't lie to me about the girl since they never said she is fit and slim. I just didn't expect her to be so ugly and so completely non-sexual as she was I guess. And the entire experience was so forced and so shitty, I couldn't believe it.

Now, I did have absolutely amazing time in a different soapland with a different girl on this trip. That will be a subject of another review. Do I recommend Casanova soapland though? What do you think?

[QUOTE=Csnow;3037952]Casanova Soapland is pretty highly recommended on this forum, so I had high expectations for it. Unfortunately I found the price unreasonably high, communications difficult, racial profiling annoying, and the girl was so ugly that I couldn't cum once. Here's what happened.
[/QUOTE]Dude, I feel your pain. Years ago, as a regular traveler to Japan, I decided to try out the soaplands of Tokyo's famous but slightly out-of-the-way red light district, the "Yoshiwara. " Thanks to the help from a veteran Japan monger on this board, who provided precise directions of how to take the subway to Minowa and then walk 10 minutes through some back streets to find a several-block area with soaplands one after another. In those days (and probably still), gaijin were not super-welcome; this is where the Japanese salaryman goes to get his kicks. But there was always one or two places that were open-minded or desperate enough to allow foreigners in the door.

It is best not to get angry or frustrated by the rejections at most of these places – just politely nod and say "arigato" (thank you) and be on your way. There are two main reasons for this – one, this is an area of the economy where the Japanese mob ("yakuza") is still very much entrenched, and you do not want to run afoul of those guys. And two, Japan is still a quite insular, homogenous society, and Japanese people tend to be quite intimidated by us whiteys (and certainly our black brethren even more so). So don't take it personally or as blatant racism as such, it's just that they were isolated for centuries; we make them nervous, they don't really understand us, and the number of Japanese people who speak English to a comfortable degree is shockingly small, even in a big city like Tokyo.

So back to the soaplands – I probably made five trips to Tokyo's Yoshiwara over the years, and my experience, with one exception, was just like yours – the girls they give us are among the ugliest you'll ever see, bless them. And it's expensive – before the yen became so weak, it was easy to drop US $500 on an exceptionally unattractive lady that you could not see until you had handed over the cash. Of the soaplands that will accept gaijin, you go in, sit in a grubby waiting room, and are presented with photos of reasonably attractive Japanese girls. These are not who you are going to get. After "choosing" which fake photo you would like and handing over the better part of $500 equivalent, you're led to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, who proceeds to wash you up and go to town, whether you like it or not.

As it happened, my first experience there was the best; I had a cute girl maybe in her late 20's, and although we couldn't communicate (this was well before Google Translate), the experience was cool, from the thorough washing and bath fun to the nuru mat play with gel to boning on the little bed, all for one inclusive price. I thought I'd really found something!

Unfortunately, on every subsequent trip I was given uglier, heavier, more dentally challenged hogs. No doubt they save the hot ones for the Japanese guys; again, we are the tourists here, so it's to be expected. But for that reason, I stopped going; there is no such thing as a lineup or being able to choose who looks the least hideous – you simply get who you get and there's nothing you can do about it, unless maybe you're fluent in Japanese and can plead for another option.

I did visit a soapland once or twice in Osaka and once in Fukuoka and the experiences were exactly the same, although one of the Osaka providers was reasonably attractive. But the odds of getting a hottie just became so low that it wasn't worth it anymore.

I would suggest people try a Soapland engineered for gaigin! And that is now called GFE Soapland (formerly paradise). I have not been since the rebrand but when I went before the girls were pretty, slim, and skilled. As it's run by the THC folks I doubt it's changed.

[URL]https://gfe-japan.net/[/URL]

[QUOTE=Steve9696;3037987]I would suggest people try a Soapland engineered for gaigin! And that is now called GFE Soapland (formerly paradise). I have not been since the rebrand but when I went before the girls were pretty, slim, and skilled. As it's run by the THC folks I doubt it's changed.

[URL]https://gfe-japan.net/[/URL][/QUOTE]That place looks great. That's where Mirai, my THC favorite, went to after THC. I'm sure the girls there are still hot and prices look good.

[QUOTE=EdHaskell;3037966]Dude, I feel your pain. Years ago, as a regular traveler to Japan, I decided to try out the soaplands of Tokyo's famous but slightly out-of-the-way red light district, the "Yoshiwara. " Thanks to the help from a veteran Japan monger on this board, who provided precise directions of how to take the subway to Minowa and then walk 10 minutes through some back streets to find a several-block area with soaplands one after another. In those days (and probably still), gaijin were not super-welcome; this is where the Japanese salaryman goes to get his kicks. But there was always one or two places that were open-minded or desperate enough to allow foreigners in the door.

It is best not to get angry or frustrated by the rejections at most of these places just politely nod and say "arigato" (thank you) and be on your way. There are two main reasons for this one, this is an area of the economy where the Japanese mob ("yakuza") is still very much entrenched, and you do not want to run afoul of those guys. And two, Japan is still a quite insular, homogenous society, and Japanese people tend to be quite intimidated by us whiteys (and certainly our black brethren even more so). So don't take it personally or as blatant racism as such, it's just that they were isolated for centuries; we make them nervous, they don't really understand us, and the number of Japanese people who speak English to a comfortable degree is shockingly small, even in a big city like Tokyo.

So back to the soaplands I probably made five trips to Tokyo's Yoshiwara over the years, and my experience, with one exception, was just like yours the girls they give us are among the ugliest you'll ever see, bless them. And it's expensive before the yen became so weak, it was easy to drop US $500 on an exceptionally unattractive lady that you could not see until you had handed over the cash. Of the soaplands that will accept gaijin, you go in, sit in a grubby waiting room, and are presented with photos of reasonably attractive Japanese girls. These are not who you are going to get. After "choosing" which fake photo you would like and handing over the better part of $500 equivalent, you're led to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, who proceeds to wash you up and go to town, whether you like it or not.

As it happened, my first experience there was the best; I had a cute girl maybe in her late 20's, and although we couldn't communicate (this was well before Google Translate), the experience was cool, from the thorough washing and bath fun to the nuru mat play with gel to boning on the little bed, all for one inclusive price. I thought I'd really found something!

Unfortunately, on every subsequent trip I was given uglier, heavier, more dentally challenged hogs. No doubt they save the hot ones for the Japanese guys; again, we are the tourists here, so it's to be expected. But for that reason, I stopped going; there is no such thing as a lineup or being able to choose who looks the least hideous you simply get who you get and there's nothing you can do about it, unless maybe you're fluent in Japanese and can plead for another option.

I did visit a soapland once or twice in Osaka and once in Fukuoka and the experiences were exactly the same, although one of the Osaka providers was reasonably attractive. But the odds of getting a hottie just became so low that it wasn't worth it anymore.[/QUOTE]That's too bad. However, I did manage to score big time at Kira Kira. Hopefully it wasn't a one-time lucky accident.