Deep Reportage 'Kabukicho Underground', Focusing on the Intense Lives in Japan's Most Famous Entertainment District, Released on April 22 by Shincho Bunko

Nobuhiro Motohashi, author of 'The Naked Director: The Legend of Toru Muranishi', which was dramatized on Netflix and became a massive hit distributed in 190 countries worldwide, closes in on the city of 'Kabukicho'! From the behind-the-scenes of tragedies that shook the world to the realm of hosts and cabaret clubs... This work, which includes an afterword for the paperback edition depicting his revisit to Kabukicho after three years, will be published by Shinchosha on Wednesday, April 22.

Understand all the behind-the-scenes of Kabukicho with this one book!

This work dives into the major incidents and deep darkness that shook the city, keeping track of history from the origins of the place called Kabukicho to current trends. It features exhaustive coverage behind the scenes of the <Kabukicho Building Fire> which resulted in 44 deaths, and the unsolved <Kabukicho Disco Murder Case>. Furthermore, the author interviewed rip-off bars, cabaret clubs, hosts, and yakuza, which are synonymous with the town, getting up close and personal with the mechanisms of rip-offs, the reality of cabaret clubs and hosts, and the lives of modern yakuza—hidden aspects impossible to know under normal circumstances. Simply reading it makes this a book where you can learn everything about the underground of Kabukicho.

Table of Contents

Prologue Chapter 1: Pursuing Kabukicho's Greatest Tragedy Chapter 2: The Emperor of Rip-offs and the Queen of Tattoos Chapter 3: The Origins of the Sleepless City Chapter 4: The Woman Living in the Yakuza Town Chapter 5: The Workplace is Kabukicho Chapter 6: A Swarm of Hosts Chapter 7: Men of the Trade Chapter 8: Various Romances Chapter 9: At the End of the Journey Afterword Paperback Edition Afterword: The Sleepless City Three Years Later

Book Content Introduction

This city is the best and the worst. Tokyo, the capital of Japan. At its center in Shinjuku lies the sleepless city, Kabukicho. In this place where everything that satisfies desire is available, both light and darkness exist. The behind-the-scenes of tragedies that shook society, the secret of the man called the Emperor of Rip-offs, the reality of beautiful cabaret club girls, the world of hosts who captivate women, and the surprising lives of the yakuza. A deep reportage that captures people living intensely and closes in on the core of Japan's most famous entertainment district.

Author Profile

Nobuhiro Motohashi

Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1956. Nonfiction writer. Graduated from Waseda University's School of Political Science and Economics. Engages in a wide range of activities including nonfiction, novels, essays, and criticism. In 2019, 'The Naked Director: The Legend of Toru Muranishi' was dramatized on Netflix. It was distributed to 190 countries worldwide and recorded a massive hit. His many other authored books include 'Tokyo's Otherworld: Shibuya Maruyamacho', 'Tokyo's Last Otherworld: Uguisudani', 'Kabukicho Underground', 'Takadanobaba Underground', 'Shimbashi Underground', 'Tokyo's Hidden 23 Wards', 'The Urahon Era', 'The AV Era', and 'Bestseller Legends'.

Book Data

[Title] Kabukicho Underground [Author] Nobuhiro Motohashi [Release Date] April 22, 2026 [Format] Paperback (Bunko) [Price] 990 yen (tax included) [ISBN] 978-4-10-101984-0 [URL] https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/book/101984/