'Blind-date cafes' attract all kinds of girls

On May 28, the Metropolitan Police Department raided a so-called “blind-date cafe” in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Police arrested nine employees of the cafe and took 31 girls, including high school students, into custody. It was the first time for police to raid such a venue that has become a popular spot for prostitution by minors.

Blind-date cafes offer membership services where male customers pay 5,000-10,000 yen fees and 1,000-2,000 yen for one hour at the cafe. Girls don’t need to pay anything but they can have a drink, snack, comics and use of the Internet for free. The inside of the cafes is divided by “magic mirrors” through which men can see girls in separate rooms while girls can’t see them. Men can talk with girls for 1,000-2,000 yen per 10 minutes. If they agree to go out, men pay 3,000-5,000 yen to the cafe and 3,000-5,000 yen to the girls as “transport fees.”

“Almost all the men who come to these places expect to have sex with the girls,” said freelance writer Tetsuya Shibui. “That makes the cafes venues for prostitution and puts them in violation of the law.”