Kuchikomi Jun. 11, 2008 - 06:13AM JST ( 7 )

On May 28, the Metropolitan Police Department raided a so-called “blind-date cafe” in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Police arrested nine employees of the cafe and took 31 girls, including high school students, into custody. It was the first time for police to raid such a venue that has become a popular spot for prostitution by minors.

Blind-date cafes offer membership services where male customers pay 5,000-10,000 yen fees and 1,000-2,000 yen for one hour at the cafe. Girls don’t need to pay anything but they can have a drink, snack, comics and use of the Internet for free. The inside of the cafes is divided by “magic mirrors” through which men can see girls in separate rooms while girls can’t see them. Men can talk with girls for 1,000-2,000 yen per 10 minutes. If they agree to go out, men pay 3,000-5,000 yen to the cafe and 3,000-5,000 yen to the girls as “transport fees.”

“Almost all the men who come to these places expect to have sex with the girls,” said freelance writer Tetsuya Shibui. “That makes the cafes venues for prostitution and puts them in violation of the law.”

In spite of the large-scale police raid in May, blind-date cafes are still flourishing nationwide.

“I see them as something like free comic cafes,” said a 22-year-old college girl. “When I need to search for something on the Net, kill time until an appointment or wait for the first train in the morning, I often make use of the cafes. I talk with guys because then I don’t have to pay the cafe anything. Some old men have asked me for sex, but I never do it.”

Another 25-year-old female officer worker says blind-date cafes are something like a part-time job. “I often go out with male customers, although I never have sexual relationships. Since I need money to pay for rent, mobile phone fee and clothes every month, I often need to come here, especially before payday.” She says blind-date cafes are much easier to earn money at because she doesn’t have to wear sexy dresses unlike hostess clubs.

Some girls seem to enjoy the cafe more than guys imagine. A 27-year-old woman says, “I recently don’t have many opportunities to go out to dinner with guys, although I don’t want to find any potential boyfriends there. I just feel excited to be chosen by men through magic mirrors. It is very fulfilling.”

Some girls gather at blind-date cafes just because they feel lonely. Essayist Fuyuki Sakai points out: “It is not surprising that some women hang out here because their parents are fussy and they feel alienated at home. But they don’t want their girlfriends to think they are boring people, so blind-date cafes are an ideal place to spend time.” (Translated by Taro Fujimoto)