Columns Soapland

Horinouchi Soaplands

Elon, with 20-plus years in the fuzoku world, breaks down Horinouchi soaplands from firsthand experience.

Horinouchi Soaplands

Today I'm writing on the theme of "Horinouchi soaplands."

I'll explain it by mixing my own firsthand experience — over 20 years in fuzoku (Japan's licensed adult-entertainment business) — with what I've turned up through research.

The basics

Let me lay out the fundamentals worth knowing in this area.

Elon
ElonAfter surveying nightlife scenes all over the world, my conclusion is that "nightlife rooted in local culture is the richest." By that measure, I genuinely believe Japan's fuzoku is the best in the world. That's not blind love; it's a verdict reached by comparison.

When you watch this industry over the long haul, the same topic can get rated completely differently depending on whether you take the "customer's view" or the "girl's view."

What I can say from experience

I'll talk based on what I've gone through myself.

Elon
ElonI first went to a soapland in Yoshiwara at 25. That was back before I'd had the pearls put in. These days, the reaction when I go in with the pearls is one of the little pleasures. Conversations with a girl who asks "what is this?" turn out to be surprisingly fun.

I believe real experience beats theory. In this industry especially, "mileage" talks louder than "knowledge."

Wrap-up and my verdict

Elon
ElonI don't aim to conquer every soapland in the country, but I've made the rounds of each region's "famous" spots. My conclusion: service quality and cleanliness don't move in lockstep. Even the dirt-cheap places can deliver near-divine service.

The place I keep coming back to is First Class Ruby. The only reason it keeps showing up on this site is simple: it's a shop I actually repeat at. Take it as a reference.