Wednesday, before the coffee kicks in
New York taught me that the best time to go anywhere is when nobody else wants to. Museums at opening. Diners at 6 a.m. So when I saw a Yoshiwara soapland with "営業時間：7時～24時" printed under its name, I didn't think "that's weird." I thought: that's the slot.
The shop is First Lady (ファーストレディ), a soapland at 4-41-5 Senzoku, Taito-ku, phone 03-3876-1560. Cityheaven files it under 激安, "rock-bottom cheap," and the shop doesn't argue. Its English blurb calls it a soapland "that aims to be the cheapest" with "the largest number of staff in Yoshiwara." Weekdays run 7:00 to 24:00. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays start an hour earlier, at 6:00. Open every day of the year.
Everything in this piece comes from the shop's Cityheaven pages, its fuzoku.jp listing, the official site at firstlady.jp and its English YOASOBI HEAVEN page, all read on October 14, 2026. Prices and rosters move. Treat the numbers as a snapshot and confirm on the phone.
Getting there before the town wakes up
Yoshiwara isn't on a subway map. It's a grid of streets in Senzoku, a walk from the nearest stations. First Lady says it's eight minutes on foot from Minowa or Uguisudani, and it runs a free shuttle from JR Uguisudani Station. At 7 a.m., with your eyes half open, take the shuttle. Call when you're at the station, give the name, and wait to be picked up.
That's standard for Yoshiwara soaplands, and it matters more in the morning. The neighborhood is quiet, the signs are off, and walking around looking at buildings is the one thing that will make you feel like a tourist.
The morning board
At around noon on the 14th, the weekly schedule on Cityheaven showed 34 women for the day. Here's how that splits:
- Morning crew: twelve women were listed from 7:00. Most finish between 11:00 and 11:30. A couple stay longer: one runs 7:00 to 20:00, another 7:00 to 20:30, and one is down for 7:00 to 23:59.
- Dead zone: between about 11:30 and 16:00, the daytime list gets thin. That's when you'll wait, or take whoever's free.
- Evening wave: from 16:00 onward, about twenty more women come on, most until 23:00 or midnight. That's when the "manager's picks" on the front page are working.
So the morning isn't the shop's main event. It's a solid second team, and that matters for one reason: the cheap coupons are free-pick only. You're not choosing from the roster anyway. You just need enough women working that the shop has someone to send you. Twelve at opening is plenty.
The ages on this week's board run 20 to 28, and most are 21 to 23. The shop also shows ten new hires between September 30 and October 13. That's one every day or two, which fits a high-volume budget house.
The coupon math
There are three coupons, and they're the same on Cityheaven and fuzoku.jp:
| Course | Regular | Coupon | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 min | ¥18,000 | ¥14,000 | ¥4,000 |
| 60 min | ¥21,000 | ¥17,000 | ¥4,000 |
| 80 min | ¥26,000 | ¥22,000 | ¥4,000 |
fuzoku.jp's coupon table shows a ¥0 joining fee and describes these as all-day prices (オールタイム). Its listing labels the cheapest number as 入浴料 ("bath fee"). In Yoshiwara, that word sometimes means only part of the bill. Both coupon pages call ¥14,000 "the price," so I read it as the total. But you're walking into a soapland at 7 a.m., so ask for the total (総額) when you call. Ten seconds on the phone costs nothing.
Now the fine print, which is the same on every coupon:
- The shop picks the woman. No nomination with a coupon. That's the trade.
- Say you're using it up front, when you call or as soon as you walk in.
- Limited numbers. "Check before you come" is written right on it.
- They photograph your screen at the counter. Have the coupon page open on your phone.
- No stacking with other discounts.
- Only for guests who follow the house rules.
For a first morning visit, the 60-minute coupon at ¥17,000 is where I'd land. Fifty minutes in a soapland, after the shower and the bath, is tighter than it sounds. Eighty minutes at ¥22,000 is the better deal per minute if you have the time, and it's also your ticket to the cosplay option below.
If you want to pick: the newcomer deal
If free pick makes you nervous, there's another way in. Women with the "new" mark (the first 30 days after they start) come with ¥1,000 off. It's only for your first time with that woman, not for a repeat nomination (hon-shimei), and it doesn't stack. The shop also asks you to fill in a survey afterward.
Compare that with a coupon. ¥1,000 off a woman you chose from a photo, or ¥4,000 off a woman the shop chose for you. With ten new names in two weeks, though, there's a decent chance a newcomer is on the morning list.
There are also review rewards. Post a Cityheaven review in the shop after your session and you get 1,000 points, or 2,000 points if she's a newcomer. That's for Heaven members, and it doesn't stack with other deals. fuzoku.jp runs its own version: ¥2,000 cash back for a review through its site.
The new option: bring your own costume
The shop's event page announces something it calls "First Lady's first try": a bring-your-own-cosplay option. The idea is simple. You bring an outfit, she wears it. Here are the rules, which are stricter than you might expect:
- Only on courses of 80 minutes or more, for +¥3,000 on top of the course price.
- Book it in advance. Tell them what the outfit is when you reserve. The shop checks with her, and it's confirmed only once she agrees. Depending on the outfit or the size, she might not be able to wear it.
- New and unopened only. Bringing underwear is basically a no. Don't bring anything expensive.
- She keeps it. After the session the outfit is a gift to her, and you can't take it back.
It's billed as running alongside the shop's "Oshite♡Watashi Fest," dated October 19 to 21. So if this interests you, call and ask whether it's on for your date. A morning visit on the 80-minute coupon (¥22,000) plus the option (¥3,000) comes to about ¥25,000, if the shop lets you combine the coupon with it. Ask that too, since "no stacking with other discounts" is printed on every coupon.
Paying, and the house rules
Cards are accepted. fuzoku.jp says to tell them when you book or at the register. I couldn't find a card fee printed anywhere, so ask. Receipts are available.
The rules on the English listing are the standard soapland list. Nothing unusual, but they're worth reading once:
- No guests under 18.
- No demanding or forcing "real performance" (honban). The listing notes that's against the law.
- No abusive language or rough behavior.
- You can't refuse the shower or the gargle.
- No bringing or using your own toys.
- No photos or recordings without permission.
- No asking her out, and no swapping phone numbers or email.
- No drugs, and no visiting if you have, or might have, an STD.
- When time's up, she leaves. Don't try to stop her.
The English price
Here's the part that matters most if you're reading this in English. First Lady's YOASOBI HEAVEN page, the English site for foreign visitors, labels it "Foreign visitors are welcome." That's good news. Plenty of shops in this town say the opposite.
But look at the prices on that page:
| Course | English page | Japanese pages |
|---|---|---|
| 80 min | ¥49,000 | ¥26,000 regular / ¥22,000 coupon |
| 100 min | ¥61,000 | not posted |
| 120 min | ¥73,000 | not posted |
The 80-minute course costs about 1.9 times the Japanese regular price, and more than double the coupon. The English page doesn't list 50- or 60-minute courses at all, so the cheapest way in through that door is ¥49,000.
The English page doesn't explain the gap. It also has the same phone number as the Japanese pages. My honest read is that the English price includes the cost of handling an English booking, and the Japanese price assumes you can book in Japanese and follow the coupon rules. If you can book in Japanese (or your Japanese is good enough to say "the Cityheaven coupon, 60 minutes, free pick" and understand the reply), the Japanese coupon is the price the shop advertises to everyone who reads its Japanese pages. If you can't, the English page is the shop's own offer to you, and at least it's printed up front. I'd rather know the number before the shuttle than after.
The only English review on the page, from September 2025, gave it 3.9 and called it a first soapland experience with helpful staff. One review isn't a trend, but it fits a shop that runs on volume and first-timers.
My morning plan, if I were doing it again tomorrow
- Before 7:00: open the Cityheaven coupon page and the morning schedule. Pick a course.
- Call when the shop opens. Say which coupon, ask for the total, and ask how long the wait is.
- Take the JR Yamanote Line to Uguisudani and call for the shuttle.
- At the counter: show the coupon so they can photograph it. Pay cash, or tell them first if you're using a card.
- After: write the review if you want the points.
Total for the cheapest sensible version: ¥17,000 for 60 minutes, free shuttle, no joining fee. It's done before most of Tokyo has finished its first coffee.
Scorecard
- Price (Japanese coupons): ★★★★★. ¥14,000, ¥17,000 and ¥22,000 at a Yoshiwara soapland is about as cheap as the town gets.
- Morning access: ★★★★★. Open at 7 (6 on weekends), twelve women at opening, free shuttle from Uguisudani.
- Choice on a coupon: ★★☆☆☆. Free pick only. If you want to choose, it's ¥1,000 off a newcomer or full price.
- Transparency: ★★★☆☆. The coupon rules are clear. The "bath fee" label and the missing card fee are worth a phone question.
- English booking: ★★☆☆☆. Foreigners are welcome, which is real credit. But 80 minutes costs ¥49,000 on the English page against ¥26,000 in Japanese.
First Lady isn't trying to be the most glamorous room in Yoshiwara. It's trying to be the one with the lights on, the most women and the lowest number on the coupon. Get there at 7, let the shop choose, and that's exactly what you get.