Japan Trip 2013 Tokyo Shinjuku-Dōri UNIQLO ISETANI pedestrian precinct 09
Isetan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Isetan (伊勢丹 Isetan) (TYO: 8238 unlisted on March 26, 2008, SGX: I15) is a Japanese department store. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Isetan has branches throughout Japan and East Asia, including Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Jinan, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Shanghai, Singapore and Tianjin and formerly in Hong Kong, London and Vienna.
On April 1, 2008, Isetan and Mitsukoshi were merged under a joint holding company called Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. (TYO: 3099).
Uniqlo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uniqlo Co., Ltd. (株式会社ユニクロ Kabushiki-gaisha yunikuro) (pronounced YOU-nee-klo) is a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and retailer. The company, originally a division of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., has been a wholly owned subsidiary since November 2005, listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
In addition to Japan, the company operates in China, France, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Shinjuku, Tokyo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shinjuku (新宿区 Shinjuku-ku, New Lodge) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the busiest train station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration centre for the government of Tokyo.
As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 312,418 and a population density of 17,140 persons per km². The total area is 18.23 km².
Kabukichō, Tokyo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kabukichō (歌舞伎町?) is an entertainment and red-light district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Kabukichō is the location of many host and hostess clubs, love hotels, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, and is often called the Sleepless Town (眠らない街). The district's name comes from late-1940s plans to build a kabuki theater: although the theater was never built, the name stuck.
The area has many movie theaters, and is located near Shinjuku Station, Seibu Shinjuku Station, and several other major railway and subway stations.
History
Originally, the area was known as Tsunohazu (角筈?) and was a swamp. After the Meiji Period, the area became a duck sanctuary. As the Yodobashi Purification Plant was built in 1893, the ponds were filled in. In 1920, a girl's school was built there, and the surroundings were developed into a residential area. During World War II, the bombing of Tokyo in 1945 razed the area to the ground. After the war, a kabuki theatre was planned to be built there and the town changed its name to Kabukichō. Though the theatre was cancelled due to financial problems, the name remained. Kabukichō was quickly redeveloped after the war, mainly due to the efforts of the overseas Chinese in Japan who bought land left unused after the expos and greatly developed them. Examples of such people include the founder of Humax, Lin Yiwen, who started his business with a cabaret.
At present, Kabukichō has transformed from a residential area to a world famous red-light district housing over three thousand bars, nightclubs, love hotels, massage parlours, hostess clubs and the like. Although referred here as a red light district, there are no red lights in the literal sense with prostitutes in the windows as in Amsterdam. Recently, tourism from China and Korea are on the rise, and so, many tourists can be seen in Kabukichō even during daytime.
The Shinjuku Koma Theater has been a landmark in Kabukichō. Now in its third building, it has hosted concerts and other performances by top stars, including enka singers Saburō Kitajima, Kiyoshi Hikawa, and actor Ken Matsudaira. The management has announced that they will close after the December 31, 2008 show.
Crime
According to a spokesperson of Metropolitan Tokyo in 2004, there are more than 1,000 yakuza members in Kabukichō, and 120 different enterprises under their control.
Entering the new millennium, laws were more strictly enforced and patrols became more frequent. These, adding to the installation of fifty closed-circuit cameras in May 2002, reduced criminal activities in Kabukichō, amidst controversy.
In 2004, the police undertook an operation clamping down on illegal clubs and brothels, causing many to go out of business. Also, there is a movement to rid Kabukichō of the yakuza (bad hand gangs), known as the Kabukichō Renaissance.