Roppongi Roppongi

Though Japan is by far the cleanest and most polite country I have ever visited, it is not without its dirty secrets. We stayed in the upscale business district of Tokyo called Aoyama Itchome. It was the cleanest, calmest part of the city that we visited. However, with only a ten minute walk, you found yourself in the heart of temptation. It was called Roppongi. Though prostitutes work the street corners and strip clubs and bars line the roads, there’s a catch to good ol’ Roppongi. It’s where the foreigners go.

Majority of the people are not Japanese on the streets. It’s a discomforting fact after you’ve made your way through the rest of Tokyo. The most notable of them are the Nigerians who try to lure you into their club with calls of “Beautiful Girls” and “Nude Titties” who won’t take no for an answer. They will follow you for blocks, unless of course one of the prostitutes already wrapped yourself around your arm offering “Messag-e” (they do pronounce the “e” in massage). It was most humorous when the prostitutes took your silence as a haggling method.

But I wouldn’t call Roppongi unsafe. Sure, it was the most dangerous of the areas we visited, but in Japan, its no worse then most of New York. You were fine walking the streets as long as you kept your wits about you.

~ by jordanajlouni on June 16, 2009.