Kabukicho is a district in Shinjuku, one of the most “lively” municipalities in the metropolitan area of Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
It was named after plans to build a kabuki theater there during the 40s. Although this was never built, the name remained.
Today Kabukitso is full of shops, restaurants, cinemas, casinos and night clubs. It is also known in Tokyo as the “red light” district. Part of it is Toyoko Square.
There, between the newly built skyscraper Tokyu Kabukicho Tower and the Toho Cinema – trademarked by a giant head of the fictional monster Godzilla – live the so-called “Toyoko Children”. It’s 21st century Tokyo slums.
They stand out from heavy makeup, inspired by Japanese cartoons and emo. They have a distinct style of dressing with oversized sweatshirts, short skirts for the girls and baggy pants with chains for the boys.
However, what they are best known for is their delinquency. Many of these young people – even minors – are addicted to drugs.
Of various ages, they are children who left their homes from various parts of Japan, some permanently and some temporarily.
They live together on the social fringes, co-shaping a youth subculture, with a variety of common denominators.
They defy laws and social norms.
They share their own style, which has turned many into social media influencers. But primarily they have shared bad experiences from dysfunctional family environments, which pushed them to this choice.
It is not by chance that the “Toyoko Children” – a name they reject – began to appear on the streets of this district of Tokyo in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In their ranks, however, there are – apart from victims – also perpetrators…
Escape from the “toxic” house. The name Toyoko Kids was coined by Japanese media in 2020.
It was given by the location they were starting to turn into their headquarters in Tokyo. They weren’t even the first marginalized people of Japan to use it as a base.
Since the 1990s there have been homeless people, even children as young as 4-5 years old who were staying overnight alone while their parents worked in the local “sex industry”.
Shortly before the beginning of the current decade and while Tokyo was preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games, the authorities decided that they needed to “clean up” the site for foreign visitors.
The homeless were taken to shelters. But while everything seemed ready, the pandemic struck. Restrictions due to the health crisis have made the climate toxic in many Japanese households.
Many boys and girls – some having suffered abuse – ran away from home. Many flocked to the Japanese capital, looking for new opportunities.
This flow continues today, from various parts of the country. Even from far away cities like Nagoya and Osaka. Toyoko’s posts on social media usually act as a magnet.
Lonely young people arriving in the area are looking for a community to join, Maranori Amano explains to the Japan Times.
He is the head of Nippon Kakekomidera, one of the most well-known volunteer organizations in the Kabukicho district, which today supports many of the “Toyoko Children”.
Contrary to popular belief, not all are homeless. Quite a few stay in hotels. They share – usually illegally – rooms.
They offer temporary accommodation to ‘newcomers’ to their idiosyncratic community and bustling square. At some point, however, new Toyoko members will have to generate income to cover their expenses.
The solution for girls is usually one: prostitution.
Looking for a way out
With the so-called host clubs – officially centers with consumption – springing up post-pandemic like “mushrooms” in Kabukicho and young people, members of criminal groups, operating in the surrounding area, it was expected that Tokyo would eventually become a “trap”.
Many girls in the local “sex industry” are 14 and 15 years old. Some are even smaller.
A boom in crime in the area has drawn authorities’ attention to the group in recent months. There was tighter policing and arrests were made. However, this is not considered a solution.
From the end of January to the beginning of February, a support service operated on a trial basis, in a building right next to the Tokyo area. There young people under the age of 18 can talk to counselors or just take a break from their everyday life.
A specially designed area offers snacks, instant noodles, free Wi-Fi, charging points for electronic devices and sofas for sleeping.
After analyzing data from the program’s pilot, authorities plan to make the support service permanent. Suspicion, however, remains with state agencies.
In the meantime, groups of volunteers filled their void, providing food, temporary accommodation and support to the children.
It is a way to develop bonds of trust and start a meaningful conversation about the problems of these children. With guidance, they help them realize on their own that they are at a dead end.
But the problem, although acute in Tokyo, is not limited to Tokyo.
Similar youth communities are now being recorded in other Japanese cities, revealing an alarmingly growing – apparently still unresolved – social issue in the Land of the Rising Sun.
