Tokyo’s Kabukicho red light district offers more than most men could ever want, or even know they want. But, as well as paid for services, the area is also a boozers’ paradise, with bars and the like open till all hours — or perhaps more accurately, all hours.
A wonderfully liberal state of affairs that makes weekend mornings and early afternoons there a fascinating mix of shoppers, very visibly drunk revellers, plus equally inebriated hostesses and other entertainment district workers. Some of them so worse for wear that they simply can’t make it home, and instead sleep off at least some of their excesses whenever, or wherever, their legs finally give up the fight. A situation that clearly befell the young woman below.
Photographed slumped outside a host club — with the faces of said gentlemen staring out from behind her — the night had undoubtedly begun brightly, but ended with the only brightness being the mid-afternoon sun trying desperately to break through the clouds.
*It goes without saying that the content of this photo is of a rather debatable nature. Something that needless to say made me think for a long time about whether to post it or not. Eventually, however, the lack of a visible face, or indeed anything more untoward, made me decide to use it, along with the fact that I’ve posted photos of men in similar, but far more exposed predicaments, in the past. Not to mention of course my/this site’s ongoing project of documenting Tokyo’s good, bad and sometimes seedy side.
Martin says
Outstanding photo! It totally asks questions. Is she an exhausted employee or a disappointed customer? No way to know.
Lee says
Thank you!
Customer I reckon. And red light district worker. But like you say, absolutely no way of knowing.
willy says
Good one! Good times had by all.. way to many good times…
Lee says
Cheers!
Yes, finances allowing, as many good times as you want.
Coli says
Great post Lee. You always do an outstanding job of showing tis country’s underbelly:).
Lee says
Thanks, Coli. It’s certainly an aspect of Japan/Tokyo that interests me. Often sad, but that’s just the way life is sometimes, isn’t it?
Coli says
Yes it is indeed. After looking at all those hosts on the poster behind the girl and then back at the girl, it is almost as if they are taunting or shunning her. And that is why she is slouching over hiding herself. Awesome picture again!
Lee says
Thanks!
Yes, it’s the faces of the hosts that make it for me. Without them I probably wouldn’t have even taken the photo. The looks at the camera and her are really interesting.
One of them actually came out of the club. Looked down at her but did nothing. Then did exactly the same when he returned a minute or two later. Made the whole thing even sadder…
Tom says
I like a lot of your work but not this one. Without your context you can’t necessarily tell the woman is drunk. What we see is a woman in a vulnerable position. She may be a hostess or just out on a bender but personally I would have respected her privacy more. You mentioned the lack of visible face etc but she is still being objectified here.
Lee says
That’s fair enough, Tom. Totally understand. I mentioned the context to try and help justify the photograph, but I appreciate that everyone draws the line in different places. Like I said, I thought long and hard about whether to post it or not. And if it had just been the girl, I wouldn’t have done. Wouldn’t have taken the photo in the first place. But the faces behind, seemingly judging me, perhaps her, as well as being the potential instigators of her condition, swung it for me.
Marcin says
Those faces on the poster behind her totally make this photo, that dude holding the bottle almost looks like he’s saying “YOU’RE NEXT!”. You’ve captured many drunk people in your photographs, sometimes in funny situations (like the man flipping you off 😉 ), sometimes less so like this girl here. It doesn’t matter she’s a girl just as it didn’t matter most of the other drunks were men – there is no “objectification” here, all that matters is a potential story behind the image. Great shot as always!
Tom says
We probably have different notions of objectification. In the first instance, I find using the term “girl” to be demeaning. Second, with her legs askew, crouching in front of the club there is an element of voyeurism. I also disagree that “it doesn’t matter she’s a girl”. A drunk man may attract some sympathy but more generally a humorous response. A drunk woman may attract pity but it is often wrapped around some kind of moral judgment.
Marcin says
I still don’t see how she’s objectified here or any moral judgement for that matter. All I can see is a drunk woman*, probably with some story behind her state composed against a poster. Can’t deny she’s not in the most flattering of poses (in more ways than one) but that’s the charm of street photography and it’s certainly not the focus of the whole image, at least in my interpretation.
* no offence meant with “girl”, english is not my native language and in my country the terms are interchangeable unless talking about someone married or visibly older.
Lee says
Thanks a lot, Marcin. That’s certainly how I saw it. The possible but unknown story of the evening/morning. And of course this faces behind her. A whole, ahem, host of expressions there. And yes, I do believe that she isn’t the main — or certainly not the only — focus of the photo, she’s merely a part of it.
At the same time, the fact that I sat on the photo for so long (it was taken in December), also shows how unsure I was, both of my feelings, and what other people would think. It’s a tricky one. As this is my site, showing my photos, I have to draw a line when it comes to what I deem acceptable, both in terms of privacy and ethics. But in cases like this, it was difficult, Really difficult…
That said, I’m glad we can talk about it. That’s a real positive as far as I’m concerned.
Tom says
I get it and thanks for taking the time to reply. It’s important to ask oneself questions and to create some debate. As an afterthought I was going to ask how you knew she was Japanese and not Korean or Chinese for example? Finally I would suggest the use of “woman” as opposed to “girl” in the title as she is presumably of age …
Lee says
Not at all. It’s good to be held accountable for the photos I take. Keeps me aware of what other people think, and more importantly in this particular case, what they think is right or wrong. Something I always need to be aware of, both for them and me. It’d be very easy to head down the path of taking more and more morally dubious photos.
Yes, you are spot on with the girl usage. Not sure why it gets used so often in reference to Japanese females, but just ‘cos it does, it doesn’t mean that I should too. A bit late now for this post I’m afraid, but I’ll be much more aware of it in the future.
As for her nationality, I am just assuming she is Japanese, as that’s the most likely. But yeah, she could well be Korean or Chinese. Certainly wouldn’t come as a huge surprise if she were. But for a much simpler post title, and the bigger chances of her being Japanese, I went with that.
Timothy says
You have earned my respect. You are probably all correct but mine is skewed towards Tom and the askew leg.
Coli is wrong and probably stirring. I don’t think hate is what Tom intended. You are a fair man. I assume this thing is your party and you could have simply deleted Tom.
Keep up the good work
Lee says
Cheers. So long as there’s no nastiness, or at least unwarranted nastiness, then I’m happy to give all visitors the chance of an opinion. I’m giving mine, so I’ve got to let others have theirs. Admittedly it’s nice when people do agree, but it’d be a tad boring if everyone did.
Coli says
i knew someone would come along here and post some hate. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But this is exposing a part of Japan that most people aren’t aware of. I don’t think Lee has done anything wrong at all. Living in this country as a foreigner for more than a third of my life I think its fair to say this. I look forward to any more posts of such nature. They are an eye opener to even such expatriates as myself. Thank you Lee and more power to you !
Lee says
That’s really good to hear, Coli. Thank you. If people living here get something out of my photos, or at the very least see something a bit different, then I genuinely feel like I’m doing something right. Or at least offering a slightly different view. Japan has many sides, but unfortunately a lot of them are rarely seen.
But criticism and differing opinions are all good. Particularly if they are well put and argued like Tom’s. And in regards a photo which I myself had reservations about. Makes for an interesting discussion.
Tom says
Thanks for being even-handed Lee. There was no “hate” intended on my side and I’m glad to read other people’s thoughts on this image.
Lee says
Not at all. Constructive — and in your case very kindly put — criticism is always welcome. Sadly something that’s not always easy to find on the internet, so it has been good to read your comments and thoughts.
anon says
Despite the concerns of some here, I am always up for posting such provocative photographs which shed light on the sorry reality, as opposed to the glittery side of life which some countries often tend to project. It is a tasteful photograph with nothing risque or excessively judgmental in my opinion.
For others interested in knowing the truth behind such host bars, I highly recommend the documentary by Vice.com – “The great happiness space: Tale of the Osaka love thief” (search for it). You will get a better insight into the kind of customers that visit such places, and the pressure the hosts themselves are under which might explain their apathy towards the woman.
Lee says
Thanks a lot. That’s very good to hear. That was my intention, so glad you got that out of it.
Likewise. I can’t recommend that documentary highly enough. Linked to it on here a few times over the years. A real eye opener to this rarely seen side of Japan.
June says
This is a very interesting picture, because I think it requires you have some familiarity with Japanese culture and what a host club is. Imagine the reaction of someone who has no knowledge about Japan, looking at this photo minus Lee’s information about it. How could you even begin to explain it?
Lee says
Interesting point. Hadn’t even thought about it that way. But yeah, a host club is not something that people unfamiliar with Japan would think. And why would they? Goes to show just how important context can be sometimes.
Al says
Hmmm. If it had just been the girl, I’d have considered the photo a violation of her privacy. Or at best not very cool at all. But as she is only a part of the photo/story/scene I think it’s different. Not nice still, but IMHO justified. The result is a very interesting, sad image.
Lee says
Cheers. I agree, it’s not a nice image, but good to hear you think it’s not untoward. And no way would I have taken the photo if it was just the girl. There would have only been one reason to do that…
Kevin says
Great Photo. You gotta give it to her – she’s done well considering the situation She gets an 8 from me. The ability to be technically still on her feet. The secure manner of hanging on to her purse. The cocooned comfortable pose. The face down to block off the light. Loses the point for the draping scarf…..
Lee says
Cheers.
That’s a good call. A very disciplined drunken collapse. Apart from, like you say, the scarf. . .