Would This Happen Again?

[PeterRS]

Going through some files of old, interesting photos, I came across this one.

 

I have no idea where or when it was taken although it is clearly in Japan. And it reminded me of a bar I occasionally frequented in the Shinjuku ni-chome gay district, although we are talking a good 30 years and more ago. Apart from the main streets in the area, there was a small one linking two others that had a dog leg in the middle. In that little linking street there were several bars including one which only had room to seat a few patrons at the bar and a couple of tables. Apart from it being a location where porn movies were made after hours, sometimes with a few customers seated a couple of guys would end up naked and be going at each other on the bar top. Sometimes the guys were young and cute. At others, less so.

This was no go-go bar or sauna or hatten-ba - just one of the normal tiny-size Japanese bars, some of which have or had themes. The fact that this occasionally had "performances" seemed to be no big deal because there was never any kind of rush to come in to watch it. The only people interested seemed to be the mama-san and those actually sitting there when it all began to happen. Although this was a bar primarily for Japanese custmers, I - and other occasional foreigners - was never stopped.

With around 400 bars in ni-chome in those days of which foreigners were welcome at probably not many more than a dozen, I have no idea what might have gone on in other bars. Would it happen today? I very much doubt it, but there is always a lot going on in Japan which foreigners know little about.

[Keithambrose]

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Going through some files of old, interesting photos, I came across this one.

 

I have no idea where or when it was taken although it is clearly in Japan. And it reminded me of a bar I occasionally frequented in the Shinjuku ni-chome gay district, although we are talking a good 30 years and more ago. Apart from the main streets in the area, there was a small one linking two others that had a dog leg in the middle. In that little linking street there were several bars including one which only had room to seat a few patrons at the bar and a couple of tables. Apart from it being a location where porn movies were made after hours, sometimes with a few customers seated a couple of guys would end up naked and be going at each other on the bar top. Sometimes the guys were young and cute. At others, less so.

This was no go-go bar or sauna or hatten-ba - just one of the normal tiny-size Japanese bars, some of which have or had themes. The fact that this occasionally had "performances" seemed to be no big deal because there was never any kind of rush to come in to watch it. The only people interested seemed to be the mama-san and those actually sitting there when it all began to happen. Although this was a bar primarily for Japanese custmers, I - and other occasional foreigners - was never stopped.

With around 400 bars in ni-chome in those days of which foreigners were welcome at probably not many more than a dozen, I have no idea what might have gone on in other bars. Would it happen today? I very much doubt it, but there is always a lot going on in Japan which foreigners know little about.

Great story. Despite being in that area 30 years ago, I was never so lucky!