In Shinjuku's Kabukicho, adult venues are concentrated in the back streets of Kabukicho 1-chome. There are 8 soaplands in Kabukicho and 2 more in Shinjuku Ni-chome, and the 8 in Kabukicho are grouped to some extent along Nakamise-dori and the street just north of it (Shinjuku soapland map by Tokyo Soap Tettei Koryaku, in Japanese, viewed September 15, 2026). Kabukicho 2-chome, by contrast, has few openly visible sex businesses, and a love hotel district spreads across its east side (Wikipedia: Kabukicho, in Japanese).
The mistake to avoid above all in Kabukicho is following a tout who approaches you on the street. Shinjuku City prohibits soliciting customers in public places by ordinance, with penalties. If you use a Delivery Health service instead, 13 of the 15 shops listed on this site state a transportation fee to Shinjuku City of free to 3,000 yen on their price lists.
This guide is for foreign visitors going to Kabukicho for the first time. It covers where the adult venues and love hotels are, typical prices by type of venue with examples of shops, and what to watch out for to avoid touts and rip-offs.
Where Is the Red Light Area? Kabukicho 1-chome, 2-chome and Shinjuku Ni-chome
1. Kabukicho 1-chome: The Center of the Adult Venues (8 Soaplands)
The back streets of Kabukicho 1-chome are packed with sex businesses and adult shops alongside restaurants. The 8 soaplands are grouped to some extent along Nakamise-dori and the street just north of it. As Japan's largest entertainment district, it is easy to combine with dinner or a cinema, but it is also a place where touts for restaurants and adult venues are still common.
- Nearest station: About 10 minutes on foot from the east exit of Shinjuku Station, or about 5 minutes from Seibu-Shinjuku Station (to the soaplands)
- What to expect: Sex businesses, adult shops and restaurants share the same back streets. Watch out for touts
2. Kabukicho 2-chome: Love Hotels on the East Side
Kabukicho 2-chome has almost none of the openly visible sex businesses you see in 1-chome, and a love hotel district spreads across its east side. If you call a Delivery Health service in Kabukicho, this love hotel district is the natural option.
The area around Okubo Park, also in 2-chome, is where women waiting on the street for prostitution customers have become a social problem. If someone approaches you, do not get involved. The risks of paying for sex in Japan are explained in [Warning for Visitors to Japan] The Serious Risks of Paying for Sex and the Coming Reform of the Anti-Prostitution Act.
- What to expect: A cluster of love hotels, with few openly visible sex businesses
3. Shinjuku Ni-chome: 2 Soaplands
Separate from Kabukicho, Shinjuku Ni-chome also has 2 soaplands. They are right beside the Shinjuku 5-chome Higashi intersection, roughly behind the police box.
- What to expect: Away from central Kabukicho, so you can get there without walking the tout-heavy streets
Typical Prices by Venue Type, with Shops in Kabukicho
Soaplands: 10,000 to 80,000+ Yen in Total
Soapland prices are the sum of a "bathing fee" and a "service fee". As a Tokyo-wide guide, budget shops run 10,000 to 25,000 yen in total, standard and mid-range shops 25,000 to 50,000 yen, and high-class shops 50,000 to 80,000 yen. Because Kabukicho has fewer shops, popular ones fill up quickly. How pricing works and how to spot shops that accept foreigners are covered in detail in Tokyo Soapland Guide [2026 Edition]: Foreigner-Friendly Shops, Prices, and How to Book.
Store-Based Fashion Health: Used in a Private Room Inside the Shop
A store-based fashion health is a shop you visit and use in a private room on the premises, so there is no hotel cost. In Kabukicho, for example, Shinjuku Petit Doll describes itself on its official site as a fashion health with natural-looking women and an emphasis on an "amateur feel". How to choose store-based shops is covered in No Hotel? No Problem: A Guide to Tokyo's Top-Rated In-Person Escort Services.
Delivery Health: Kabukicho Shops, and Listed Shops That Come to Shinjuku
Delivery Health shops based in Shinjuku and Kabukicho include the following (descriptions are based on each shop's official site).
- GINGIRA☆TOKYO: A gal-style (gyaru) delivery health in Shinjuku and Kabukicho
- Fujin Kaikan: A delivery health based in Shinjuku
- Design Prism Shinjuku: A long-established Shinjuku delivery health
None of the 15 shops listed on this site is based in Shinjuku, but they also send women to hotels in Shinjuku City. According to their price lists, the transportation fee to Shinjuku City is included or free at 4 shops (Anecam, SSS The Black, Cosplay Paradise and Miss Campus), 2,000 yen at 8 shops, and 3,000 yen at 1 shop (College Tokyo); the remaining 2 shops either do not list Shinjuku City or ask you to inquire. The most common base rate for 60 minutes is 30,000 yen, and all 15 shops' prices are compared in Tokyo Escort Prices [2026]: 60, 90 and 120-Minute Rates at 15 Shops Compared.
Whether you can call someone to a business hotel or other hotel you are staying at depends on the hotel's rules and the shop's judgement. See "Which Hotels Are OK?" The Complete Q&A Guide to Avoiding Trouble and Using Outcall Escort Services in Tokyo for how this works.
How Foreign Visitors Avoid Trouble in Kabukicho
1. Do Not Follow Touts
Shinjuku City put its ordinance on preventing solicitation in public places into force in September 2013 and added penalties, including publication of offenders and administrative fines, when it was amended in 2016. Besides touting for places such as izakaya and karaoke bars, loitering or hanging around while waiting to solicit customers is also prohibited (Shinjuku City: enforcement and amendment of the solicitation ordinance, and prohibited acts, in Japanese).
Touting for sex businesses has been prohibited under a Tokyo Metropolitan ordinance since April 2005. Treat anyone who ignores that and approaches you as a front for a malicious shop that rips customers off or demands money with threats (Wikipedia: Kabukicho, in Japanese). Touts' tactics are described in detail in [Warning] The Trap Waiting in Japan's Nightlife Districts: Never Follow a Street Tout.
2. "Muryo Annaisho" (Free Information Centers) Are Not Neutral
Most of Kabukicho's "Muryo Annaisho" (free information centers) are tied to particular groups of shops. They charge you nothing but earn a fee from the shops they send you to, so they will not necessarily point you to the best shop for you. General advice on getting around Kabukicho is in How to Navigate Kabukicho Safely (2025 Guide): A Tourist's Guide to Japan's Premier Nightlife District.
3. Check Foreigner Pricing and Payment Before You Book
Some shops do not accept customers who cannot speak Japanese, and even shops that do may set different prices or conditions for foreign customers. Do not judge by the listed price alone: confirm the total for a foreign customer and the payment method when you book, and have Japanese yen cash ready. What to check is explained in Foreigner-Friendly Doesn't Mean Same Terms [2026 Guide]: What Changes for You in Tokyo.
4. If Something Goes Wrong, Call 110 or Go to a Koban
Even if you are hit with an outrageous bill, do not pay on the spot unless you feel physically threatened. You can reach the police on 110, and there is a koban (police box) near the Kabukicho Ichibangai arch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Where are the soaplands in Kabukicho?
A1. The 8 in Kabukicho are grouped to some extent along Nakamise-dori and the street just north of it. Separately, there are 2 near the Shinjuku 5-chome Higashi intersection in Shinjuku Ni-chome.
Q2. How much does it cost to use an adult venue in Kabukicho?
A2. Soaplands range from 10,000 yen to more than 80,000 yen in total, depending on the price tier. For Delivery Health, the most common rate among the shops listed on this site is 30,000 yen for 60 minutes, plus the transportation fee and the hotel.
Q3. Can foreigners use adult venues in Kabukicho?
A3. Some shops accept foreigners, but it varies by shop. The reliable approach is to choose shops that clearly state foreigners are welcome and to confirm the total and conditions for a foreign customer when you book.
Q4. Is a shop recommended by a tout safe?
A4. No. Touting for sex businesses is prohibited under a Tokyo Metropolitan ordinance, so treat any shop whose tout still approaches you as a malicious one. Research and choose shops yourself.
Q5. Can I go out late at night?
A5. Store-based sex businesses such as soaplands may not operate between midnight and 6 a.m. under a Tokyo Metropolitan ordinance. Late at night, Delivery Health is what you can use (see our guide to Tokyo adult venue opening hours).
Kabukicho divides up clearly: adult venues in 1-chome, love hotels on the east side of 2-chome. Skip the street touts and the free information centers, book a shop you have researched yourself, and only then head over. Stick to that order and you can avoid major trouble even in Japan's largest entertainment district. You can find shops below.
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