The story below is originally published on Mainichi Daily News by Mainichi Shinbun (http://mdn.mainichi.jp). |
They admitted inventing its kinky features, or rather deliberately mistranslating them from the original gossip magazine. |
In fact, this is far from the general Japanese' behavior or sense of worth. |
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Violence among Shinjuku's gay prostitutes on the rise
Shukan Bunshun 10/5
With 400 to 500 gay bars,Tokyo's Shinjuku 2-chome area had long been a haven for Japan's homosexuals.
But the feeling of safety and comfort the neighborhood guaranteed to secretive gay men may be a thing of the past.
Shukan Bunshun reports on growing cases of violence among gay prostitutes in the area.
Before describing what is happening,the magazine gives the novice reader a concise explanation of the prostitution system peculiar to this neighborhood.
Called urisen,the system consists of pickup bars,young male prostitutes hired by these bars and their homosexual customers.
Urisen bars charge each customer 5,000 yen to 10,000 yen for taking a young guy out.
The prostitute usually makes 10,000 yen in exchange for two hours of play.
Urisen prostitutes are employees of these bars.
On the other hand, there are freelancers who approach prospects on streetcorners.
Called yamisen, many of the street boys are former urisen employees who were forced to leave bars after growing too old.
Most house prostitutes in the neighborhood are in their late teens to early 20s,informs Shukan Bunshun.
According to the magazine,popular freelancers are attacked by agents hired by jealous house whores while they are alone.
"In most cases I know, two or three men attack a hooker.
They try to damage the victim's face in a distinct manner.
They don't try to seriously hurt him," explains Hiroki,a 19-year-old yamisen.
Masaaki,another street boy,elaborates:"It's all jealousy.
We homosexuals cannot accept someone who is more beautiful,more popular than ourselves."
Masaaki informs Shukan Bunshun that urisen prostitutes don't perform the assault themselves and pay hot rodders or gangsters for the dirty job.
He adds that cash-hungry hot rodders have begun to roam the area looking for a wealthy male hooker,an easy extortion target.
Shukan Bunshun informs its readers that victims are not only knifed but also robbed.
There is a prolonged business slump behind rising cases of violence.
The magazine quotes an insider and notes that the number of urisen customers has dropped to one-fifth of the pre-recession level.
In spite of that, more and more homosexual youngsters,informed by an increasingly gayfriendly media,are arriving from the countryside to find work at urisen bars.
There are even homosexual junior and senior high-school students who come to the Shinjuku 2-chome area to make quick money during their summer vacation.
"There used to be a certain atmosphere here which prevented normal folks from walking in," laments a senior gay bar operator.
"In the old days,being a gay was an absolute secret you didn't want anyone to know and homosexuals observed unwritten codes for protecting their kind.
Now everyone visits the area to have a good time.
The codes are not with us any more."(TI)
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