It is time for a cup. Because I walk by the Doutor, less favourite with me than the Veloce, I decide to take a hot Uji Matcha Latte. The Doutor I am now in is on the corner of the entrance to Kabukicho, the entertainment corner and red light district of Shinjuku. My choice to sit at the window to see what happened at the ‘gate’ might not be surprising. But actually, that is actually for a very simple reason.
It is evening and the streets are illuminated by all kinds of (flashing) LED lights and sign lighting. Because the start of Kabukicho is indicated with a so-called gate, this means it is a photography point for many tourists from in and outside Japan. Every 20 seconds people, young and old, walk into the street to take pictures of all the illuminated signs or put them right in the middle of the street, while dozens of people pass them by. Kabukicho never seems to sleep.
On the other side of the ‘gate’ of Kabukicho you have the LABI, a department store with large LED screens of Yunika Vision. Here, mainly musical promotion is done by showing the acts that currently matter in Japan, also that one KPOP group that has been in the news a lot lately. Because the promotional videos often take minutes, sometimes a bit longer, it often causes clogging up on the sidewalk. But looking out from the ‘gate’ of Kabukicho to the LED screens is perhaps not bad at all. There are no cars allowed to enter (during the day?) And so the pedestrian is free to go and stand. Although it might sound better to stand at the exit of Seibu-Shinjuku station and shopping mall PePe, as there is much more room to look out for Yunika Vision.
For those thirty minutes that I sit here, I have seen so many different people pass by, it makes me curious where they exactly go in Kabukicho. Or do they just make an evening walk? All in all, Kabukicho continues to attract many people day in and day out.
